{alltv} 'Brothers & Sisters' Marion Ross on Ida's death: 'I wanted to have my croaking scene'

Friday, May 6, 2011

{alltv} 'Brothers & Sisters' Marion Ross on Ida's death: 'I wanted to have my croaking scene'

Marion Ross is one of America's classic TV moms, but "Brothers & Sisters" fans most recently knew her as the very opinionated Ida Holden, Saul (played by Ron Rifkin) and Nora's (Sally Field) mother, who the siblings did not have a great relationship with.

We had a chance to speak with the star about her role on the ABC show while she was promoting The Hub TV channel's "Mom-A-Thon with Mrs. C," in which they'll air six episodes of her classic sitcom, "Happy Days," back-to-back on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 6) from 9 p.m. to Midnight ET.

'I love Sally Field," Ross tells Zap2it of her TV daughter.

"[And] Saul needed to tell me that he was gay," she says of her character's storyline. "Because he said he never told his mother."

Ida was abruptly killed off earlier this season, though Saul (and Nora, for that matter) had unfinished business with their mother. And she tells us she really wishes she could have taken part in Ida's last episode.

"I wanted to have my croaking scene," she says laughing.

"I think they're trying to wind up the show or something, loose ends," she continues, inferring her character was killed off in the anticipation that Sunday's season finale may be the series' last episode.

In the end, Ida's acceptance of Saul's homosexuality came via a letter she left for him in her room. So, how does Ross envision Saul's coming out if she had been able to take part?

"Well, of course the mother would have said, 'Oh, I've known it all along,'" she laughs.

Don't you wish "Brothers & Sisters" let Ross do Ida's final scenes?