Carrie Preston Faced off With Her Real-Life Husband Michael Emerson in 'Elsbeth'
"It's interesting, weird, and complicated."
Published Dec. 12 2024, 4:41 p.m. ET
In Hollywood, it's not uncommon for couples to work together. Whether they meet on set and work together from the start, or later find themselves on the same project after an already-established relationship, it happens. And fans love it when they can watch their favorite couple lock lips on screen and know that they're more than just acting.
But when it comes to Carrie Preston and her real-life husband Michael Emerson, their side-by-side starring roles were not quite as romantic. They appeared as adversaries on Elsbeth, and it was an interesting experience for the pair. Here's what we know about Carrie's husband Michael, and how their awkward on-screen rivalry played out.
Here's what we know about Carrie Preston's husband, Michael Emerson.
If you feel like Michael's name is ringing a bell, it may be because you're a fan of Saw. Or Lost. Or The Legend of Zorro. Or any one of a ton of films the prolific actor has appeared in. Although Carrie is famous in her own right, Michael is no shrinking violet himself.
The pair met in 1995 at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. They shared a stage together for Hamlet, and Carrie soon found him leaving flowers outside of her hotel door. They dated long distance before officially tying the knot in 1998.
They have appeared alongside one another on stage and in film throughout the years, but never with quite the vigor and venom that they did when taking the screen opposite one another in Elsbeth.
It was "weird and complicated" to appear as enemies on 'Elsbeth.'
On Elsbeth, Carrie plays the title character. She's a lawyer who works with the New York Police Department to solve murders, in a fan-acclaimed spin-off from The Good Wife.
Michael took to the screen Dec. 12, 2024, to play her adversary, Milton.
People sat down with Michael to ask about the experience of acting alongside his wife. Or rather, acting alongside her in an adversarial role that meant they have to convincingly seem to dislike each other on screen. He answered, "It's interesting, weird and complicated."
He went on to muse, "It's like a two-layered acting day. You have to act like you don't know this person that you woke up with in the morning and treat them as if they are a fictional character, and as your adversary, not your spouse. So it's a lot going on. A lot is being tuned out while a lot is being opened up."
Luckily for fans who enjoy their catty back-and-forth and deeply rooted animosity, Michael has hinted that they will continue to butt heads for some time to come and his character will continue to be a thorn in the side of his wife's character.
Meanwhile; luckily for the couple, that animosity doesn't seem to follow them home. After 26 years of marriage, they must have found a way to keep the work rage at work and the love waiting at home.