Season 3 of The Last Ship launched just two weeks ago on TNT with new challenges and new faces.  One of those new faces is Chief of Staff Allison Shaw portrayed by Law and Order alum, Elisabeth Rohm.  Rohm brings a sense of class and a strong female presence to every role she’s been involved with, and we were lucky enough to get a chance to chat with her on her new role on The Last Ship.  Check out what we learned about her character and some upcoming projects.

PopWrapped:  We wanna start by saying thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today.

Elisabeth Rohm:  You’re most welcome too.  Thank you too.  I’m grateful.

PW:  We’re so excited to see another strong female presence joining one of our favorite shows.

ER:  Me too, me too.  I loved it before.  I feel like  I get most of my jobs by being a fan first.  So, it must have been my destiny to join because I loved it before as well.

PW:  That’s awesome.  We’re big fans of the show too!  Can you tell us a little bit about your character, Allison Shaw?

ER:  She’s the Chief of Staff and she’s really the President’s right hand.  She is helping him navigate this crisis in China which we’re getting to know right now.  And, she’s his trusted advisor and it’s very high stakes.  She’s woking under pressure and that goes for POTUS, too.  The environment is this new, kind of, White House due to the restructuring of the government and its something she’s apart of with the rebuilding process.

PW:  We’re very excited to see President Michener act as the President this year and not be a prisoner on board any submarine.  What are your thoughts on him?  Do you think your character, Shaw, agrees with him 100% on all his new policies?

ER:  Mark Moses (President Michener) is such a brilliant actor.  I’m in such awe of him that I have to snap myself out of watching him and remember to act.  He’s so alive and electric.  He’s gonna really impress everyone this year.  And, I don’t think her job is to be unsure about it.  Her job is to have his back.  Her job is, by definition, to be there for him and have total loyalty in all his policies.  Whatever she feels personally doesn’t come into the workplace.  What she’s bringing to the show is compassion, intelligence and loyalty to him.

PW:  We agree with that.  His team needs loyalty to make the new country work.  We are such big fans of yours, we feel like you are on everything we love.  Besides The Last Ship, is there another character you’ve played throughout that years that you’ve loved or has been a favorite?

ER:  Thank you so much.  Well, different characters have meant something different at different times.  Like, breaking out from being a TV actress to American Hustle with such a quality, passionate outspoken character like Dolly Polioto was such a tremendous shift for me, creatively.  Continuing that relationship with David Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert Deniro (Joy) and really experiencing that collaborative film family that filmmakers like David have established really shifted my priorities as an actor.  And then, playing someone like Allison Shaw was going back to my sweet spot.  This is how I started and what I love to do, serious hour long dramas with very strong women whether it was Kate Lockley on Angel, Serena on Law and Order and now this (TLS) which feels very intelligent.  I love these kinds of shows whether its watching them or being a part of them.

Courtesy of Elisabeth Rohm / TNT

PW:  Besides your recurring role on TLS, which we’re so excited about, what other projects can we expect from you in 2016?

ER:  Yeah, I have a few movies that I’m excited about.  One is called Love is all You Need and its a really great call to action about bullying and tolerance.  Its a slight of hand, in a way.  (In the film) The world is gay and there’s a prejudice against heterosexuals.  So, it’s a rural town that represents a community we recognize, but it’s the flip side of things.  Like, what would the world be like if it was homosexuals against heterosexuals?  Its both a role reversal and a reality reversal.  It’s brilliant and its directed by Rocco Shields and she’s really going to make a huge name for herself.  I’m very proud of that movie and I’m looking forward to people seeing that.  Oh my gosh, there’s so much going on its hard to speak on just one.  I’m also working on a movie with Jennifer Garner called The Tribes of Palos Verdes which will be coming out this year.  It’s also just a great tour de force for Jen and my character gives her grief like my role in Joy.  It’s a journey for Jennifer Garner and then she has these women around her that make her life harder.

PW:  Those both sound really exciting!  We’re going to close with this final question.  Can you give us any teasers about this Sunday’s upcoming episode?

ER:  That’s tough because once you shoot it all together, it’s hard to know what each episode will bring.  I’ll be watching too.  But I suppose this week we’ll really turns the spotlight on President Michener and his counsel. He is under great pressure — both to save the hostages and to account for unpopular economic measures he has imposed on a nation in recovery.  International relations/tensions remain high.

We are very excited to see what happens next on The Last Ship and we’re so grateful for Elisabeth Rohm taking time out to discuss her character with her.  Check out this week’s new episode on TNT Sunday night 8/7c.