Valerie Bertinelli is back on screen after nearly five years away from acting, and she chose a role that required her to shed every defense she had.
The actress, 65, spoke PEOPLE at Lifetime’s screening and panel for Love, again at the Television Academy in North Hollywood on Thursday, April 30, and opened up about what drew her to the project and what it took to deliver it.
It started with the script.
“Nancy Silvers wrote a ridiculously beautiful, human, humorous, heartbreaking script. And it was something I’ve been looking for, but I didn’t realize I was looking for it,” she said.
In the film, Bertinelli plays Caroline, a woman who navigates the devastating reality of her husband Henry’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis and eventually faces the possibility of love again after loss.
It is a role that demanded a lot.
“I could really be that vulnerable and really let down every guard that I have as an actor, as a human being, and just be there and just do it,” she said.
“It was scary because I hadn’t done any acting in four, almost five years… I just really wanted to do the role justice.”
Her preparation was less about technique and more about honesty.
“I just worked really hard to remove my walls and all the barriers that I’ve developed over the decades… and all the grief and all the life experiences that I’ve had. I just wanted to have them all right there on the surface and just be raw.”
The story also resonated personally.
Bertinelli, who has been open about her own journey of self-discovery in recent years, saw something of herself in Caroline, finding an unexpected connection between the role and the book she was writing at the same time.
“I don’t know that I would ever want to go through what Caroline went through… but I think because I wrote my book in the middle of this, it really helped me open up and be a little bit more brave.”
Her co-star Eric McCormack, who plays Leo, a figure of connection and comfort for Caroline, had no hesitation in praising Bertinelli’s presence on set.
“She’s a leader. We talk in the industry about being number one on the call sheet, and being a good … someone who sets the tone and sets the standard. And that’s what she does. She’s a professional.”
Love, again premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET.
