Q&A with Kelly Reilly
Fans asked Kelly Reilly questions about her new medical drama, Black Box, airing Thursdays at 10|9c on ABC via Twitter and here are her answers.

#KellyReilly is tweeting with us now via the @BlackBoxABC account. Send us your questions!

Q for #KellyReilly: “What do you like the most about your character?” via @4AlwaysCaskett
A: “I love all her complexities. She is many different colors, the way she loves and cares for her patients yet is unable to help herself.”

Q for #KellyReilly: “What were the hardest scenes for you to shoot?” via @ElectricAspirin
A: “When Catherine is having a manic episode or is in the depths of her depression.” #BlackBox
“I wanted more than anything for those scenes to be very real. To deal with them very honestly.”

Q for #KellyReilly: “Is it difficult learning all the medical terms for the show?” via @shescountry9239
A: “YES! I would have so many lines everyday to learn, but by far the medical jargon was the
“But @aliwong3000 who plays Lina had the most jargon to learn & she always hit it on take 1! She was super impressive:) & very funny.”

Q for #KellyReilly: “What’s your favorite Black Box episode?” via @pandp2005
A: “The last 4 are really very special to me… That’s the beauty of playing a character on television as oppossed to film….On TV, you can really explore & go on a real journey & I certainly was given the chance to do that in this season. I’m so proud of it.”

Q for #KellyReilly: “Has your research & portrayal of having mental illness affected how you think & feel off camera?” via @Musicial_Heart
A: “It has opened my mind and heart up to the realities of this disorder. I have a lot more understanding and compassion. I was able to meet & talk w/ so many women who are Bipolar & was always so moved by their stories. Very intelligent, creative, brave women.”

Q for #KellyReilly: “What do you like the least about your character?” via @4AlwaysCaskett
A: “She frustrates me sometimes. I want the best for her but she is not ready to accept that she is addicted to her disease…She isolates herself. And of course some of the choices she makes. (But some of those are made when she is not in her right mind.)…None of this makes me dislike her, actually it makes her more human to me. We are all flawed. All have light and dark in us. I wish she would be more accepting of herself. Then she could see herself as someone not defined by an illness. But she may get there ;)”

Q for #KellyReilly: “Do you have any similarities to Catherine?” via @pgkmarty
A: “I relate to Catherine’s approach to her work. She is obsessive and her patients really matter to her…I’m like that with my roles. I care so deeply about them that it can keep me awake at night…But mostly, my life could not be more different to Catherine’s.” #BlackBox

Q for #KellyReilly: “Do you have the opportunity to improvise at all when playing Dr. Black?” via @ElectricAspirin
A: “Sometimes… I like to improvise if the scene is suitable for that. And when I’m allowed :)” #BlackBox

Q for #KellyReilly: “Where do you get your inspiration for your character?” via @vfarmigas
A: “I start with the script. Then I spend a huge amount of time just letting things sit and come to me…I read everything I could about Bipolar. A wonderful book by Kay Redfield Jamison called “An Unquiet Mind” was a huge inspiration for me.”

Q for #KellyReilly: “What’s the dynamic like among the cast & how do you unwind after intense scenes?” via @ValerieHsieh
A: “The best cast and crew! The crew felt like a family. The cast were all amazing…After an intense day, I would go home, play with my dog, and have a long bath. And listen to music to get me in and out of moods!”

Final Q for #KellyReilly: “How long does it take to get into (and out of) character?” via @KellyReillyFans
A: “I could dive right into Catherine. I had been preparing for 3 months before so by the time we started, I was so ready…Playing her for 5 months while we filmed, I barely left her. It was a relief to come back to myself! …I don’t mean I stay in character, I don’t… but it’s like staying in the same concentrated head space. It was energizing…Then you need to kind of decompress and do very normal things to balance it all out.” #BlackBox

@BlackBoxABC 15 May 2014
“Thank you so much for watching Black Box & for the great questions tonight, it’s been great talking with you!! Take care, Kelly xo”