I had the pleasure of talking with Maria Bello today about her new role as Jane Timoney on NBC’s Prime Suspect.

She was beyond nice, as we also discussed her previous roles in films like The Cooler and A History Of Violence.

Bello is a two time Golden Globe nominee; who has starred in such movies as Payback, World Trade Center, Secret Window, Thank You For Smoking and Coyote Ugly. In Prime Suspect she plays an irreverent female detective, who plays by her own rules, in a tough New York City precinct that is dominated by men.

ACTSEAN: It’s been 15 years since your big break on TV with Mr. & Mrs. Smith (CBS show which starred Bello and Scott Bakula). Since then you have given excellent performances in films like The Cooler and A History Of Violence. What has been the biggest adjustment to working full time on a TV series again?

BELLO: I never thought I would do TV again. I have a 10 year old son and the idea of working crazy TV hours didn’t appeal to me. Also, a lot of times it’s not that creative. But I loved this script for Prime Suspect and the producers have been so great with my schedule.

ACTSEAN: Besides the awesome Fedora you wear, what made you connect to the character of Jane Timoney?

BELLO: Thank you for liking the Fedora! (laughs) A lot of people are making such a big deal out of the hat. I love the hat!  I remember all those old police detective shows and they always had some sort of hat. Also, I noticed a lot of real NYC detectives wear hats. But what I love about Jane is the fact that she just doesn’t give a crap. Sometimes she is driven to a fault, but she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her.

ACTSEAN: Did you ever watch any of the Helen Mirren Prime Suspect (BBC version) episodes? Or did you want to go into this role fresh?

BELLO: I did watch some. I did an interview on NPR and they played some of Helen’s dialogue from her show and I knew I couldn’t just play it like that. This character is completely different. This show has more humor. It’s also a harder edge because the setting is different too, with it being in New York.

ACTSEAN: You always seem to take on these tough, ballsy characters. Is that a coincidence or do you look for personal traits you can connect with?

BELLO: You know, I don’t know any women personally who aren’t ballsy (laughs). My mom is the same way! (laughs) She has been with me during all these press junkets and she is having a blast, and I gotta say my mom can be a real bad ass woman (laughs). Women can still be beautiful with attitude. I look for characters who can be a real person and we all, men included, have that ability to show a tough side.

ACTSEAN: Is there a past role that you loved playing more than the rest?

BELLO: I gotta say I did love working on The Cooler. Working with William H. Macy and being able to do so much improv was great fun. But I really love this character (Jane Timoney of Prime Suspect) that I am playing. And I love working with producer/writer Alexandra Cunningham.

ACTSEAN: Finally, tonight’s the big night. What do you want audiences to get out of Prime Suspect?

BELLO: I just want them to go along for the ride. I want them to laugh, cringe and be surprised. I can tell you my family is excited about it. My son is having a big party with all his friends; chips and dip and the whole thing. I am flying back to Los Angeles tonight to watch it with him. Can’t wait.

Prime Suspect premieres tonight on NBC at 10pm et.