Nearly Hillary

Sigourney Weaver can see it coming a mile away.

Isnt her Political Animals character, Elaine Barrish, a dead ringer for Hillary Clinton?

For starters, the main character on Political Animals a six-hour miniseries premiering July 15 on USA is Elaine Barrish, a former Democratic First Lady who, after failing to win her partys presidential nomination, divorces her horndog, Southern-twanged ex-president-husband Bud Hammond (Ciaran Hinds) and becomes Secretary of State for the new President, Paul Garcetti (Adrian Pasdar), who she ferociously battled in the primaries.

David Giesbrecht/USA Network

KINDA SORTA: Signourney Weaver plays the secretary of state in USA series Political Animals.

Save for the divorced part and the fact that Elaine has two sons (one whos gay) instead of a daughter its the Clintons writ large.

Its not based on [Hillary], Weaver says, somewhat emphatically, when asked. I would say [Elaine] is inspired by a lot of families who have been in the White House . . . but I think the real circumstances [surrounding Hillary and Bill Clinton] were so delicious that [series creator] Greg Berlanti had to use them.

But there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the script.

Maybe.

I dont want to play Hillary, though Im a great admirer of hers, Weaver says of her first-ever starring TV role. Once I tackled the role, I forgot about Hillary.

I never thought about Hillary, Im sorry, she says again. Its not meant as any disrespect, but if you know [Berlanti], Elaine is very much his creation inspired partly, Im sure, by his admiration for Mrs. Clin! ton.

Elaine does embody the kind of guts, articulateness and strength and effectiveness that we need in Washington, she says. I think she represents a different kind of leadership, very hands-on, and isnt caught up in the good-old-boy network.

Without complimenting her too much, shes pretty fearless and says what she thinks . . . I feel thats the kind of energy I see when traveling around the world talking about the environment.

Despite the similarities to Hillary Clinton, Weaver says she didnt do much research for her role other than incorporating the traits of some politicos she knows through her work as an environmental activist.

I have it in here, she says, pointing to her gut. Ive been mentored by some amazing people in the nonprofit world, in human rights, the environment and in the arts, and I guess thats where I find my inspiration.

Weaver is asked if Political Animals, for all its noble intentions, isnt really just a prime-time soap opera. That wouldve put me off, she says. I think what Greg [Berlanti] stressed to me was that fact that, in TV and especially in cable is where you go to have these really rich, complicated shows about families and relationships and jobs.

I realized that I had been watching these shows, more than Ive probably been going to the movies, and suddenly I was sent one [such show] and I was like, duh, I should have been looking for something like this.

I dont do a lot of TV and I should have been [doing it], Weaver says. Im feeling, in a way, that TV is where the top chefs are not in the movies.