Mary McCormack said her ''In Plain Sight'' character was flawed and real

When Mary McCormack first laid eyes on the pilot script for In Plain Sight, she immediately felt a deep connection to the character of Mary Shannon. As we can see, they share the same first name. But why did McCormack feel that way? It's because David Maples, the series creator, crafted Shannon to be "flawed and real."

Television has often portrayed women characters as flawless, with surreal beauty and expensive taste, seemingly above 'normal' standards. Shannon, however, was a breath of fresh air. She was 'cheap' and 'feisty,' a departure from the usual tropes.

"[David Maples] didn't write a superhero. Instead, he wrote someone flawed and real," McCormack told the Associated Press in 2008. "One of my favorite details: He made her cheap. I just love that she's cheap—it's SO unattractive!" According to the interview, another core detail is that McCormack also kept a list in her car to control her hectic life.

"I'm a list keeper too," she added. For the actress, then 39, the role had a lot of action, and she loved it. "There's a lot more comedy than a lot of things I've done. And it is action-y, which I've always wanted to do. I'm sort of built for action, and I've never really had the opportunity."

McCormack was nominated for a Tony when she starred in the Broadway revival of Boeing-Boeing, a production about a man juggling relationships with three flight attendants. The Associated Press called her character on the Broadway show outrageous and dissimilar from Mary Shannon. 

"Oh, women are used to that. I can do almost anything in heels. I did the whole season of In Plain Sight in high-heeled boots—running, tackling people. I can do anything in heels, and now that I have kids, I can do anything one-handed."