Samantha Who? star Jean Smart does the evolution

Jean Smart has been a familiar face for over two decades on television. She's perhaps best known as Charlene on Designing Women from 1986-'91. In the last decade, she has either won or been nominated for Emmys for her roles as Lana Gardner on Frasier, First Lady Martha Logan on 24 and Regina Newly on Samantha Who?

What was the most challenging part of being on 24?

It goes against your instincts as an actor. You want to be specific about your character. However, things change; relationships change very quickly. You have to be cautious about committing to certain things, because you can find out a few episodes later that you were lying, but you didn't know you were lying [at the time]. You never know.

What attracted you to Samantha Who?

After working on 24… I thought it would be fun to get back to a comedy for a while. I thought Samantha Who? was so cleverly written, and I was a fan of Christina Applegate, so it seemed like the ideal project for me.

Describe Regina.

I play Samantha's mother, and she is a wonderfully self-obsessed character. It's so fun to play someone who does not live the Zen of life at all. It's very interesting because you meet people like her sometimes and they just don't think in the same way as other people. They don't examine themselves at all. They don't question their motives ever—and it's almost like there's something missing from them. They don't mean to be selfish; that's just the way they are.

What kind of mother is Regina?

Well, my character has been given this great second chance to be the mother that she thinks she should be. She's having a second go in trying to wipe the slate clean… and she's trying to be the mother of the year. She's just a little hammer-handed.

Do you believe in second chances?

I do—and I think that's one reason why the show appeals to people. We all fantasize about a relationship we'd like to do over or something we'd like to change about our past. I think there are a lot more opportunities for second chances in our lives than we think.

What makes you say that?

I think that people get to a certain point in their life and they think that nothing can change… Personally, I think life offers us the opportunity to take chances and make changes all the time. These chances scare us and people think, "I can't do that." Or they think, "My life is too settled and that would be too disruptive." But everyone's got the opportunity to make these changes. I'm not talking about dumping your wife and running off with an 18-year-old. No, I'm not saying anything like that—but I don't think it's too late to change certain things in your life, such as your career and your relationships.