‘Designated Survivor’: Lauren Holly on Lynn & Mars’ ‘Pressure Cooker’ Relationship
Preview
Designated Survivor Season 3 is touching on issues happening everywhere, and at the center of one of them is Lauren Holly’s Lynn Harper.
One of several new characters introduced as the series makes its new home on Netflix, Lynn is the wife of President Tom Kirkman’s (Kiefer Sutherland) new Chief of Staff, Mars Harper (Anthony Edwards), and Holly was excited about joining the cast and her role, especially once she heard what it involved.
“I had watched Designated Survivor right when it started because I loved the premise and I’m a big Kiefer fan,” Holly told TV Insider. When she met with new showrunner Neal Baer, he revealed the part he wanted her to take on. “I thought, ‘this is fantastic,’ because the opioid crisis is overwhelming that’s hitting everywhere and I was excited to play a part that showcased that, that it could happen to anyone,” she said.
Lynn’s struggle with her addiction is “the whole basis” of her and Mars’ relationship, from “what is going on in their home and the pressure of that” to “how that plays into him being able to focus on his job and all of that in the White House” in Season 3. “It’s a real pressure cooker situation,” Holly teased.
And she enjoyed working with Edwards to bring these characters and their situation to the series. “I just adore him,” she said. “First of all, he was such a big deal on ER, and I loved the show and I loved his sensibility and I was so excited when we got matched up together. He’s just a gem. There’s just no two ways about it. Total professional. Completely solid.”
Designated Survivor, Season 3, June 7, Netflix
