"Nurse Jackie" season 7 finale episode is set to air on June 28, Sunday, and it will also serve as the final episode of the Showtime series after seven seasons, four Emmy nominations and one Best Lead Actress award for Edie Falco in 2010.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Falco talked about what it was like to play a highly skilled medical professional who is also addicted to drugs and how she used real-life experiences to get into character. She also revealed what they used for all the drug scenes.
When asked about how she researched the character's addiction, Falco said she did not visit any rehabs. She said, "I'm a longtime AA person, so I definitely understood the language of the 12-step programs, which they often use. But since she was a newcomer to all of it, I thought , 'I'll be a newcomer, too.'"
Falco also joked that she cannot divulge what they used for the drug-snorting scenes in "Nurse Jackie." However, she revealed that they used sugar pills. She said, "We had a lot of opportunity for mishap, but thankfully that never happened."
The hardest part about saying goodbye to "Nurse Jackie" for Falco is the reality of showing up to the job every day and the people she worked with. She explained, "I've never known a work environment like that before. I'd like to think I'll have it again, but I do know up until this point it's never been this good. I'll miss seeing my friends every day."
In another interview with Variety, Falco said, "I love doing series television. It's consistent. It feels like a real job."