Talking with the 'Medium' star

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As a paranormal, her character Allison DuBois sees dead people in her dreams, solves crimes and tries to maintain a normal family life. In real life, Emmy-winning actress Patricia Arquette -- the star of NBC's "Medium" -- is happy to get some sleep when she can and spend time with her husband, actor Thomas Jane, and their soon-to-be 5-year-old daughter, Harlow. A fifth-generation actor (her grandfather, humorist Cliff Arquette, played the Charley Weaver character for "The Jack Paar Show" and "The Tonight Show"), she followed older sister Rosanna Arquette to Hollywood. Her younger brother is David Arquette.A conversation with the actress:Q: Since doing the show, do you find yourself being more aware of your own dreams?A: Honestly, since doing the show, I get so little sleep, I don't think I have dreams. (Laughing.) I'm more aware of my need for dreams!Q: Do you believe in life after death?A: I do believe that something happens. I know that Einstein says you can't destroy energy. Oddly enough, a friend of mine got hit by a car when she was 12 and killed. A boy I knew saw it happen. He said he saw this girl get hit by a car and a streak of light leave her body. I kind of look at beings like they are energy. Maybe when we finish, we kind of explode like firecrackers (our energy) and it shoots off in all different directions. Whatever beings are coming in take a little piece of you, a little piece of me. I don't know, somehow it's given me some comfort lately.Q: You project a lot of personal confidence. Are you as comfortable as you seem in your own skin?A: No, I'm not comfortable at all in my own skin. It's funny people have always said that. I know I'm flawed, and I know I'm not perfect and I know I'm not like the world's most beautiful person, but I also don't feel the need to have to be. So I guess in a way, then, I am confident. I guess I cut myself more slack than other people in this business.Q: I would think in your business that is almost impossible to achieve.A: It is really hard, I think. It's one of those situations where your own flaw turns out to be a strength. I always had a problem with authority when I was little. Especially authority that was based in nothing beautiful. Like some stupid idea that you are supposed to look a certain way just because you are supposed to.Q: You and your husband, Joe (played by Jake Weber), on "Medium" spend a lot of time in bed.A: Yes, we do and when we're tired we are "Thank God we're in the bed." I have definitely done scenes where I have fallen asleep. Between rolling and action I have fallen asleep. Then they'll go, "Patricia, Patricia, action, action, ACTION."Q: Coming from five generations of actors, are the awards important to you?A: No, but they were a nice surprise to have that kind of attention. I never really expected that and never really had that experience in my career, and I've been in the business for a long time. So it was terrifying also because there is no character to hide behind, and it becomes all about what you're supposed to wear and what other people's opinions are.Q: Are your siblings all supportive of each other and you?A: Yeah, very. David just directed another episode for us, and Rosanna is hopefully going to come on and do a guest spot.Q: Which do you cherish more -- emotional or financial security?A: The reality is you have to have both, somewhat. You know I've had times in my life, serious long times in my life, where the first of the month was like a recurring nightmare. All these bills and how do you do it? When we were little, my parents struggled a lot. You can't minimize the struggle of poverty and the impact of poverty on your emotional well-being. But, I also think emotional stability is most important. I've seen a lot of people with a lot of money that are unhinged.(Patricia Sheridan can be reached at psheridan(at)post-gazette.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)