User:HorrorFan121/Sue Ellen Ewing

Sue Ellen Ewing (née Shepard; later Lockwood) is a fictional character and one of the female leads in the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas. Sue Ellen is portrayed by actress Linda Gray, and has appeared on the show since its pilot episode, first broadcast on April 2, 1978. Dallas follows the trials of the wealthy Ewing oil family in the town of Dallas, Texas, of which Sue Ellen is married into through her husband, the notoriously evil J.R. Ewing. Gray played Sue Ellen until the twelfth season of Dallas, when her character finally leaves Texas after beating J.R. at his own game in the episode "Reel Life". However, Gray later returned for the series finale "Conundrum Part II", the subsequent Dallas telemovies ("J.R. Returns" and "War of the Ewings"), and the reunion special titled "Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork" that first aired in 2004, reuniting her with former castmates. Sue Ellen's storylines in the first season focus on the characters bout with alcohol and her slowly deteriorating relationship with her husband. The finale episode of the season focused on the birth of her son with, John Ross Ewing III. While her relationship with J.R. is not always harmonious, it's a significant aspect of her overall character.

Casting and creation
When Gray originally tested for Dallas, the role of Sue Ellen was merely that of a background character. The actress recounts that the part was a "mere walk-on" and there hadn't been any need for a formal audition. In fact, Gray had to do an impromptu audition over the telephone because the role was not considered important enough to bring in another actor to test for the part, though the actress later stated that Newhart innkeeper Mary Frann was also considered to play the character while the producers were casting the show. In an interview with TV Guide, Gray confirmed: "She had the part. Victoria Principal was a brunet and so was I, and Mary was a blond, and [the producers] wanted that [visual] contrast. But the casting director [who had only recently tapped me to play a transsexual on All That Glitters] kept bugging them until they finally said, 'OK, we'll read her.'" Once the show was picked up for a full season, Gray and fellow actor Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs) were both upgraded to starring roles.

After staying with Dallas for eight seasons, Gray ran into trouble when she requested the producers of the show to allow her the ability to direct like that of male co-stars Duffy and Hagman in her contract. The request initially led to producers firing the actress from the serial, though the decision was later reversed when Dallas star Larry Hagman threatened to quit the show unless Gray was rehired. Gray stated in an interview with TV Guide, "The producers said, 'But you're doing so well.' I thought, 'Oh, look out! I'm on the warpath now.' It was a struggle, though, because it was a man's show. And they fired me. When I finally told Larry, he went with me into the office and said, 'If she doesn't come back, I don't come back. I can't be playing J.R. Ewing without Sue Ellen.' He was very loyal and, honestly, a very smart businessman. He knew that truly, it was a huge relationship to the show." We'll drink to that!"

The actress also recounted the story to Alan Mercer of Dazzling Diva.com, saying: "I told them I don't want any more money. I just want to direct one episode in the next two year cycle. I didn't think that was so horrible. I didn't want to direct six episodes. They still said no. Basically I was fired at the end of year eight. So I said good-bye and Larry said see you next season. I told him I won't be coming back. He said, "What!?!" I told him, "They fired me because I want to direct one episode and if that's their stance I'm out of here." He was stunned and he said if you go I go. He denies that to this day. He really went to bat for me." Gray remained a member of the principal cast until she left the show in itseleventh season. Her departure came as a surprise, but her publicist said that after eleven years on the show she wished to pursue other things.

In 2010, TNT (sister company to Warner Bros. Television who are the current copyright owners of the series) announced they were producing a new, updated series of Dallas. The new series is a continuation of the original series and will primarily center around J.R. Ewing's son John Ross Ewing III, and Bobby Ewing's adopted son Christopher Ewing, though various stars of the original series will be reprising their roles. Gray has agreed to return to the new series and will once again play Sue Ellen in the upcoming continuation.

Characterization
In 1979, Gray spoke with TV Guide (Canada) and recounted: "At first, they had no idea what to do with the part. Sue Ellen's lines ran to 'More coffee, darling?' and 'I have a headache.' Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy were the goody-goddies. Jim Davis and Barbara Bel Geddes were parental. Hagman was the villain. And I was the redhead on the couch." However, Gray was upgraded to a starring role once Dallas was picked up for a full season following thefive episode arc miniseries. The actress later stated that on-screen husband Larry Hagman had criticized one of her performances early on during the start of the series calling it "terrible", though he denied it. She joked, "I'm sorry. He said it to me loud and clear, and made me feel terrible, and it started one of our first fights on the way back [to the motel where everyone was staying]. I swear to you — he devastated me. Then, years later, he said, 'Oh, I didn't mean that.' I could have killed him!"

In an interview with Digital Spy, Gray said of her character's persona: " I never wanted her to be boring. She was never boring before-she started out kind of boring, but I think that's the kiss of death because people will expect her to be interesting. By interesting, that doesn't mean she's drunk. I had to do a lot of thinking about what we would do with her. Where would she be now? I did a lot of homework finding out where she would be and what Texas women are like now. What has she gone through in her life? What has she come to grips with? What does she like about herself? What doesn't she like about herself? What kind of impact is she going to make on her life, onJohn Ross's life, on her future? Who is she?"

The character of Sue Ellen has gone through an addiction to alcohol, which she returned to every-time something went extremely wrong with her life. Gray was particularly fond of doing these scenes. She commented, "I loved my drunk scenes. I know that may sound very strange to people! I got to just let go and just do a down and dirty version of Sue Ellen. It was like, 'Just let me at it and roll those cameras'. I remember being in makeup for 20 minutes, which normally took two hours. They put some kind of gel in my hair and some very light makeup and I loved it. I said, "Just let me go, please don't edit me, just let me go'." She added, "It was just one of those charming, charming, charming times where I just got to blow it out. I just wanted Sue Ellen to be raw unlike any other time in her life, where she was the victim and she was this and she was that; J.R. Ewing would do something and she would react, he would do something and she would have an affair or drink or whatever. This was just like, 'Let me go. Let Sue Ellen out of that box'"

During her time on the serial, Sue Ellen often suffered emotional abuse from her husband J.R., who was the primary antagonist of the show. Linda Gray described Sue Ellen as being, " one of the most interesting character on TV in the 1980s. She was the original Desperate Housewife. She led the way for all those girls." She also added, " The more successful we became the more glamorous and fashionable the clothes became. We set fashion trends in the 80s. Those shoulder pads did get a bit wild. They had to make doors bigger in the end." In an interview with The Telegraph, she said: " It was kind of exciting. I played this neurotic, psychotic, alcoholic weirdo. But I still say she was the most interesting female on television in the eighties."