Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Annie Potts Plows New Career Territory with 'Aftermath'/Frances Fisher Entering 'The Congress' with Robin Wright

Annie Potts is definitely plowing new career territory with her current theatrical stint in Elliot Shoenman's "AfterMath," which debuted this month at L.A.'s Odyssey Theatre. It's a drama with comedy about the widow and two nearly grown children of a suicide victim. Potts has been in on its development for the past couple of years.

"The writer, who has had a long and wonderful career as a comedy writer, lost his own father to suicide when he was 19," she reports, speaking of Shoenman, whose credits include six years of "Home Improvement." "He's taken the bones of his experience and put it into a present-day situation. He's changed the characters some. It's really an anti-suicide piece; the psychological damage they leave in their wake is unbelievable.

"I think the extraordinary thing about the piece is how funny it is," she adds. "You wouldn't think that subject matter could possibly, possibly be funny, but there are a lot of laughs in it."

Certainly, the "Designing Women" veteran knows her way around a funny line — but "AfterMath" requires moments of silent despair as well, and her multi-layered work has been praised by critics.

"My character is trying to put her life back together, trying to figure out why what happened happened," she says.

She also says that Shoenman "actually used his own father's suicide note in the play. It was just three lines: 'I couldn't take it anymore. Take care of the kids. Sell the car.'"

Potts notes, "I had never been part of developing something so long-range. It's been great and one of the reasons it's been great has been such a lovely, easy collaboration. Elliot Shoenman is such a prince."

Also, says the mother of three sons, "Having that empty nest made it really appealing to develop this piece. I had freedom to do that. Idle hands, devil's hands — it was good to be involved in something."

After her two younger sons moved out to their respective schools last year, "It was a little rough the first month or so," she admits. However, she did soon come to appreciate "not having to get up at quarter to 6 to make eggs they don't eat."

As for what's next? "I would love to take 'AfterMath' other places. I'm having such a great time."

Broadway? "I'd settle for Off," says the actress, who did a Broadway run in "God of Carnage" in '09.

"Stage was my first love, what I always wanted to do. The roles are much richer on stage for me right now. But I love it all, you know. I love every medium."

MOVING RIGHT ALONG: Frances Fisher is joining Ari Folman's futuristic, live-action-to-animation film, "The Congress," which stars Robin Wright. She'll start working next month on the film that's already caught the attention of sci-fi film fans, which is based on Stanislaw Lem's story "The Futurological Congress."

Fisher certainly has a full dance card these days. She has "The Roommate" in theaters. She heads to Arizona next week to be on hand for the "Sedona" film panel at the Sedona Film Festival. And she's in Matthew McConaughey's "The Lincoln Lawyer" — in which he plays a seedy attorney operating out of an old luxury car — opening next month.

"So I'm cooking!" declares the red-haired actress.

Fisher was putting lots — and lots — of hours into her role as a board member of the Screen Actors Guild, but that assignment is history. "I'm helping myself instead of other people," she tells us with a smile.

Now, as the Academy Awards approach, her big question has to do with her Oscar ballot.

"I love 'The Fighter,' and I love 'The King's Speech.' I don't know which one I'm going to mark down when I vote. It's the toughest decision I've ever had to make between films." Ballots are due Feb. 22.

SOCIAL STUDY: "Pretty Little Liars" Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell and Troian Bellisario get along just fine on the set, to hear Bellisario tell it. However, when the day's work is done, the quartet of comely ABC Family ingenues go their separate ways. And we shouldn't read anything into that, she lets us know. "It's that we work together Monday through Friday, sunup past sundown, and the girls want to be with their boyfriends and their families when they finish work."

LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE PLANE: Funny lady Kathleen Madigan gets a lot of onstage mileage out of the antics of her family members, but as far as their ever feeling insulted, she insists, "They don't care. One of my sisters says, 'Tell more jokes about me.' They're happy as long as I take them to really cool places, especially my younger siblings," says Madigan, who has treated her sibs to trips to destinations including Ireland, San Francisco and New Orleans. They're not as frequent fliers as they used to be, though. "When I started doing comedy, they were in high school and college. Now, everybody is married and has kids, and they can't just drop everything and run off like they did when they were younger."

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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