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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 MACON MAGAZINE I 19 RED(Vlvet) HOT Carrie Preston, an Emmy-winner on the last season of 'True Blood,' works on furthering her career I t is late June and in Los Angeles, Macon-born actor Carrie Preston is on a soundstage shooting the last episodes of the final season of the HBO smash hit "True Blood." Without stealth, particular menace or fangs, she is also shadowing the show's director, Scott Winant. The red-headed Preston, who describes her hair color as "red velvet," is a principal actor in the popular series, and the cast is working some 14-hour days, sometimes in uncomfortable clothing and bad weather. Regardless, she has taken on this additional shadowing work with Winant so she can pick up pointers that will add to her own producing/directing toolbox. Of course, she and her colleagues at Daisy 3 Productions film company have already won several awards for their outstanding independent films and produced lots of buzz for a couple of highly innovative Web series. On the acting front, Preston won a 2013 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of the genius attorney Elsbeth Tascioni in ABC's "The Good Wife," a role so bright, quirky and original it has Preston fans campaigning ABC for an Elsbeth spin-off. Entertainment Weekly noted: "Of all the talented guest stars who pop up on the CBS drama "The Good Wife," Carrie Preston's Elsbeth Tascioni consistently remains a fan favorite. Elsbeth is the quirky - part crazy/ part genius - lawyer who manages to steal every scene she's in, and serve up the laughs while she's doing it." Chris Harnick, associate editor of HuffPost TV, put it this way: "If you only get to know one recurring "Good Wife" character, make it Elsbeth Tascioni." It's certainly a departure from growing up in Macon, where Preston graduated from Central High School and performed on the stages of Macon Little Theatre and Theatre Macon. Theatre Macon's Jim Crisp recognized Preston's talent when she was barely a teenager. "She had an incredibly bright and curious mind, and she was driven to use her talents," Crisp said. He remains in contact with Preston and has followed her career closely. "She also has the enormous discipline needed to be an actor," Crisp said. "So many young actors fail because they don't understand that they're running a one-person business. She has a great business mind, and she's not intimidated by anyone." Despite the demands of her career, she remains connected to Macon. After her first year at Julliard, Crisp said she returned that summer and did a one-woman show at Theatre Macon. In 1991, she and her brother, John, approached Crisp about performing at Theatre Macon and performed together in "Blue Window." "Anyone who saw it has not forgotten," Crisp said of their performance. Maybe the ultimate reflection of her by PAIGE HENSON