Shameless' Laura Slade Wiggins Used A Morbid Thought To Stay In Character

Back in August 2014, Laura Slade Wiggins took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. Since it was picking up steam on TV at the time, it's no surprise that "Shameless" came up during the conversation. More specifically, fans wanted to know more about her acting methods and strategy for staying in character. Wiggins revealed that specifically for scenes where she can't laugh or even crack a smile, she had to pop a pretty sad thought into her mind. She commented, "haha it's [awful], but when I have to be serious I just think 'dead puppies.' That always makes me straighten up."

Surely that's not something they teach in acting school, but if it works, it works. However, outside of her performance, it doesn't seem that she had a lot of room to take her days on the "Shameless" set in her own direction. As she explained to Cryptic Rock, the set was incredibly efficient and no-nonsense in terms of how the folks on it got things done. "It was a very well-oiled machine, plus they had all these great actors coming in. There was this very tough, 'You need to know your lines, you come prepared, you leave your phone in your trailer,'" Wiggins shared. Despite the strictness, she found her "Shameless" experience highly educational.

Karen Jackson may not be everyone's favorite "Shameless" character, and understandably so. At the same time, there's no denying that Laura Slade Wiggins' unconventional performance method paid off.