Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1547005
can't also go and do a whole bunch of other projects on your own while you're waiting for the person to cast you." "That is, I think, freeing. You can make something with very little funds and just with your friends and stuff like that, and it can be good. I always say, yes, of course, try to go for the thing that is going to give you that paycheck, but also keep your skills sharp by working on your own stuff." What to watch out for Preston is still unveiling aspects of her character, despite sitting with Elsbeth Tascioni for 15 years. "It's still illuminating and fun to discover these things," she said. In season four, which premieres officially as this issue hits press time, the audience meets Elsbeth's mother for the first time. "So I'm learning about Elsbeth as a daughter because I think it's this bridge in her life. I've learned more about who she is as a mother, as a best friend, as a girlfriend, an ex-wife, a colleague at work, but I don't know what she was like growing up." The mother character comes in from the Midwest, "and brings all that energy with her." For Preston herself, her next thoughts beyond "Elsbeth" are back to theatre, where it all began. "I would like to get back to the stage. It has been a minute." Preston mentioned that while she's stayed involved with stage work, she hasn't acted in a piece in close to 20 years. And for the screen, she's ready to jump into a prime creative role. "Just something I'm involved in the creation of," she explained. "Just something that I was a part of developing, producing, directing, and getting out into the world would be great. I'm a big fan of television. I love doing it. I love watching it." In the meantime, she hasn't forgotten Macon. She's come back before to do a benefit for Theatre Macon, and last visited just this April. "I was so proud of Macon for how it has grown, but yet it still preserves a lot of its architecture and history," she said. She toured the Otis Redding Center for the Arts and loved how "there just seems to be more on offer" in Macon. "I wish I would've had something like that when I was a kid," she said. In so many ways, Preston is far from that kid, trying out for "Our Town" at Macon Little Theatre, but now looking down from the top, her sunny spirit shows exactly how she got from point A to B. Like Elsbeth, she's become a New Yorker without sacrificing her unique sense of self. The "Macon roots and all" still shine through, accenting her story much like the silver sequins on her chocolate brown suit when we met. It shines, peppered into her with the same spice that she gave when asked about her last meal: "I'd probably go to H&H, get me some collards." 54 maconmagazine.com | October/November 2026