The Return of Jezebel James

Michael Ausiello, king of scoop, reports that The Return of Jezebel James has another character. Amy Sherman-Palladino has landed heavy-hitter actress Dianne Wiest to play the Jezebel girls’ mother Talia.

(Hey, I like that. “Jezebel girls.” Hee hee!)

This is a recurring character, not a regular role. Still, we can expect her in a few episodes, playing opposite Ron McLarty, who plays the girls’ father. (Or maybe not opposite him? I don’t know anything about Talia’s relationship with her husband.)

Ausiello says Talia is “sweet but not in a the-mom-from-Edward Scissorhands kind of way — there’s a little aggression mixed with her passivity. So you can imagine how she’ll react when finally her daughters join forces to give her the grandbaby she and her husband… so desperately want.”

Read the whole scoop at TV Guide.

Who is Dianne Wiest?

Dianne is probably most famous for her roles in five Woody Allen films: The Purple Rose of Cairo, September, Radio Days, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Bullets over Broadway. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for these last two. And Dianne also was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Ron Howard’s Parenthood. On TV, Dianne played Nora Lewin, a Law and Order D.A. And she’s appeared in numerous other films, including Footloose, The Lost Boys, Edward Scissorhands, Practical Magic, The Horse Whisperer, and many more.

Dianne Wiest began by touring with the American Shakespeare Company. She also starred in the Canadian TV series Road to Avonlea, for which she won an Emmy in 1997. Wiest’s many stage credits include Salome, In the Summer House, Othello, and Third. Next year, in 2008, she will play Arkadina in Classic Stage Company’s production of The Seagull.

Personally, I haven’t seen any of Dianne’s films or other performances. But I trust Amy Sherman-Palladino. And I’m looking forward to seeing her in The Return of Jezebel James.

-TimK