Everybody Loves Helen—But Will The Affair Change That?

Maura Tierney gets real about her beloved character on the Showtime drama

By Chris Harnick Oct 16, 2015 4:00 PMTags
The Affair, Maura TierneyShowtime

The Affair is full of moving parts, shifting views and sometimes drastically different versions of your favorite characters. But one thing remains the same: Maura Tierney's Helen is basically the best.

"Yeah, Helen's probably the best character on the show," Ruth Wilson told E! News when asked if there was another character on the show she'd like to play. She also cited Oscar and Scotty as interesting characters. "I think all the baddies...but probably Maura's. It's a strong female role, it's interesting."

Ask any fan of The Affair and nine times out of 10 they'll respond that Helen is their favorite character, but that prospect isn't really daunting for Tierney, who has experience playing fan-favorite characters on hits like ER and NewsRadio. Plus, she said this season will change people's views on Helen, the jilted wife of Dominic West's Noah.

"This season's going to change that a little bit. I mean, Helen was sort of like St. Helen last season, but I'm starting to think that—this is all evolving. We're figuring out who Helen is. I was wondering if she is so perfect in Noah's memory of her…if there's some sort of guilt involved in his memory of her, that he elevates her to this place because he has a lot of guilt about his actions. So she's a lot less—you'll see some flaws, for sure," she told us.

The premiere, which featured Helen's point of view for the first time, saw the character vaping pot in the park, having sex with her old college pal (who is also Noah's friend) and dealing with her new life. The Emmy-nominated actress said she "loved it."

"I think the writers did a really good job and I think they had a lot of fun because Helen does have a good sense of humor," she said. "That character has some humor in her and they've really expanded that…It's like that sex scene, just comedically tragic sex that's just so like, 'Oh my god!' Even though she's struggling, there's still humor."

The Affair airs Sundays, 10 p.m. on Showtime. Flashback to the first season below.

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