Christine Baranski feels like society finally "caught up" with her "The Good Fight" character
Emmy and Tony award-winning actress Christine Baranski is best known for playing Chicago lawyer Diane Lockhart on "The Good Wife" and on the CBS All Access spin-off "The Good Fight," which features Baranski as the lead.
Baranski told "CBS This Morning" she feels like the culture has finally caught up with women like Diane Lockhart.
"For seven years I played Diane Lockhart. She was a powerful woman who ran her own law firm. She was always in the room where it happened and always with the guys," she said. "I felt like this culture caught up with Diane Lockhart because now there are six women candidates for president and we have Nancy Pelosi saying 'just answer the questions.'"
Baranski also said that because she was never the "pretty leading lady" or the "ingénue" she's been able to have a long career.
"I never defined myself by my beauty or youth. That wasn't my commodity. What I had was a level of talent or ambition and ability to work very hard. I just kept doing it. I would say to young women, don't think of your life in terms of your youth or how am I going to hold on to it for dear life. Don't think of that as your commodity. What's most value is the cultivation of good work, your character, your life experience, the people whose relationships you are comfortable with, who are worth knowing. And I have all of that in my life," Baranski said. "It's a great time to be a woman of any age, but certainly a woman with experience. A woman with life experience, education, a sense of herself. Confidence."
While Season 2 saw her character spinning out of control as she tried to adjust to life in the Trump era, a clip from the Season 3 premiere features a happy Diane Lockhart, reflecting on life while spending quality time with her husband, Kurt.
Baranski, much like her character at the start of the season, is doing quite well. In fact, she called it "the best time in my life."
"I raised two beautiful daughters. I now have three grandchildren. I lost my husband four years ago but my life has continued in a happy way. I am now number one on the call sheet, to my amazement at my age. I find myself the lead in this show and I'm making more money. Last year I did 'Mamma Mia!' and I'm singing and dancing. My life is pretty good."
"The Good Fight" Season 3 premieres Thursday on CBS All Access.