Carrie Preston has portrayed Elsbeth Tascioni — a delightfully unpredictable attorney — for more than 15 years. What began as a recurring character on The Good Wife evolved into a fan-favorite performance that continued on The Good Fight and now leads her own CBS series, Elsbeth, heading into its third season. With each iteration, Preston has peeled back more layers of Elsbeth’s eccentric persona, revealing a character as emotionally complex as she is offbeat.
“I love Elsbeth’s curiosity and her wonder and her positive attitude,” Preston tells Gold Derby. “It takes discipline to approach the world that way. It’s infectious. I love getting inside of that mindset every day because it really helps me in my life.”
While “quirky” is often the go-to descriptor for Elsbeth, Preston believes there’s more beneath the surface. “I don’t mind anyone calling her that, but that can be a little bit of a simplification,” she said. “Especially now that we’ve gotten to be in her world on a regular basis … she’s more than just that. I think we’re seeing her vulnerable side, her maternal side. … We’re seeing a deeper side to her, a more complicated side.”
That complexity has evolved over the character’s journey from recurring guest to leading role. “When you’re a guest, you’re really trying to honor and serve the story and the show that you’ve come onto,” Preston explained. “But once we got to her being in the center of her own world … I really wanted to make sure that it stayed grounded.”
The CBS procedural sees attorney Elsbeth Tascioni team up with NYPD Officer Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson) as they crack cases which each episode kicking off with a crime committed by a character portrayed by a high-profile guest star.
Preston reflected on working alongside some of her acting idols: “It was a couple of times where some of my idols were on the show — Laurie Metcalf, Pamela Adlon, Tracey Ullman. These are actors that I want to be like and I am inspired by. And to have them come on the show was really extraordinary.”
One particularly unforgettable moment? Fencing with Matthew Broderick. “I love to do physical comedy,” Preston said. “To have that happening while we’re doing dialogue with these fencing masks on … wearing full-on fencing costumes that were regulation and making it somehow work … we had to practice a lot.”
Preston also recalls being deeply moved during a scene with Ullman, who played a psychic. “She reads that Elsbeth had a grandmother who really believed in her… the lines between me and Elsbeth were just gone. All I had to do was look at Tracey’s eyes … and the actor Carrie was totally in awe.”
When asked what other series she’d love to see Elsbeth crossover to, Preston has an idea. “It would be interesting to see her in the Matlock world,” she said. “Maybe as a consultant… or somehow she stumbles into a crime there. It could be a really fun little crossover episode.”
Preston also noted how playing Elsbeth has changed her real-life perspective — especially living in New York City. “Elsbeth is so enchanted by New York. It really has made me be that way more… appreciate what someone is wearing and then tell them that, or get to know whoever I’m ordering a coffee from.”
As for what comes next on the show, Preston is open to wherever the writers take her. “I don’t like to come up with things that I wish, because then that takes me away from what I have… I do think and hope that the ramifications of the assassination of Judge Milton Crawford will carry over into Season 3.”
Preston — who previously received acclaim for her roles in Claws and True Blood—clearly enjoys portraying a character that both challenges her and connects with audiences.
“I’m just so touched at how there’s such a love for the show,” Preston said. “Everybody likes to tell me that their mom loves the show … and that makes me feel like, right, we’re doing a good job. We’ve got something for everyone.”
