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Téa Leoni & Sara DeRosa: Stars & Stand-Ins

When veteran stand-in Sara DeRosa walked onto the set of CBS’ Madam Secretary for the first time in 2014, series star and executive producer Téa Leoni immediately shook her hand. “She was warm,” recalls DeRosa, 33. “The memory is vivid because that never happens. I was delightfully shocked.” There was an “instant connection and mutual respect,” Leoni, 52, tells THR. The actress admits that now, five seasons and countless scenes later, she is “dependent on Sara more than anybody else” on the New York set of the political drama. Adds Madam Secretary executive producer Lori McCreary, “Sara’s attention to the nuances of the changes in scenes, as she passes along this information to Téa, is an example of a true partnership."Not only can DeRosa anticipate Leoni’s every movement ("She knows exactly what I’m going to do in front of the camera,” says Leoni), but she helps the star learn her lines during their twice-daily commute between Manhattan and Long Island City’s Silvercup Studios. “Those car rides are my favorite,” Leoni says, beaming. Even after a grueling 15-hour day on set, she sometimes doles out dating advice. “I try to insert myself into Sara’s personal life. I’m like, ‘Listen, that guy is just an asshole!’” the actress says with a laugh. “At this point, I don’t know whether we’re like sisters or an old married couple. But we just get each other.

Leoni says that filming a recent episode depicting the U.S.-Mexico border crisis left her and DeRosa emotionally drained. "We stood on a mark looking at a group of children in a cage. We were both very quiet that ride home,” says Leoni. “To see kids appear like that — even though it’s a TV set — is still very difficult.” Adds DeRosa, “It’s tough, but it’s nice to have each other in those heavier moments.” DeRosa — who has stood in for Blake Lively, Emma Stone and Jennifer Aniston, among others — says, simply: “She is the best person I’ve ever worked with."They hope to continue working together once Madam Secretary eventually takes its final bow. As they put the finishing touches on a "secret project” they can’t yet discuss, the pair envision a powerful partnership for years to come. “If I open a business, Sara will be my damn near first phone call,” Leoni says. “It might be establishing assisted-living homes in shipping containers. Sara has sat through some of my more outrageous suggestions."But, as DeRosa says, "That’s all part of the fun!” — EVAN REAL

A young Téa Leoni from PBS Finding Your Roots 4x08 Nov 21st 2017 (X)

Téa’s Finding Your Roots episode will air Tues., Nov. 21, 2017, 8 p.m. ET. Her episode is titled: “Relatives We Never Knew We Had"

Synopsis of her episode: