Melinda Clarke

On what sets Lady Heather apart from her The O.C. persona, Julie Cooper
Melinda: Both are very strong women, But Julie is a bigger challenge. She's a figure that doesn't exist in real life, she's a fictional character. As an actress this is a special situation. Actors love parts like that, I love such parts. You can breathe life into them on your own. However, Lady Heather is real. There are women like her out there, she's a typical representative of her trade.

Melinda: I don't let my daughter watch me kissing other men, especially young men like Chris Carmack.

Melinda: If you ask my daughter what she thinks of her mom on TV, she'll say, "I like her, but she's me-e-e-e-an."

Melinda: Our show [The O.C.] is very tight about plot twists. They send out memos saying we're not allowed to reveal that kind of stuff.

On her role as Julie Cooper Nichol on The O.C.
Melinda: Well, in the beginning I think they were like, "We hate this woman. She's terrible. We can't stand her!" Now I think people tune in because they can't wait to see what she's going to do, and because they feel sorry for her.

About her CSI character, Lady Heather
Melinda: She is one [a dominatrix]. But this is only a facet. In the first place she's a business woman, it's a different kind of business but definitely a ware that is sold. She sells wishes ... needs to her clients who pay for them. Lady Heather discovered a gap in the market, she sells something very exclusive and takes a lot of money for it.

Melinda: I'm getting a lot of roles as women who are very powerful. I think that's a reflection of me as a person.