To the characters of Roadies, Showtime’s backstage-set series, a tricked-out tour bus is as good as it gets. Certainly, Carla Gugino’s cool, composed production manager Shelli is a creature of the road—domestic comforts be damned. She’s totally at home amid mic stands, mega speakers, and rock ’n’ roll–induced mayhem. Gugino, on the other hand, is no stranger to the finer things in life. When she wants to feel at home away from home (roles in everything from Spy Kids to Batman v Superman to Wayward Pines have taken her far and wide), she knows just what to bring along. “A little Bialetti espresso maker, a Nespresso milk frother, my favorite pillow, Young Living essential oils, and a Vitamix—if I’m on location for a long time,” she says, ticking off her carefully curated list. What else gets her thumbs up? Read on.
Roadies airs Sundays on Showtime at 10 p.m. EDT.
Describe your home in five words or less. Open. Inviting. Modern.
How would you describe your taste in decor? I live in an apartment in New York City. The main attraction is high ceilings and a kitchen that is open to the living room. We have a wall that’s a bookshelf, and it’s decorated fairly simply. We also have a wall that has a growing collection of art and photography that we’ve collected over the years. Our previous home was a 1927 Spanish house in the Hollywood Hills, which used to be the French Consulate, and was decorated quite colorfully and in keeping with the period in which it was built. So when we moved to New York, we wanted the opposite. ABC Home being nearby has been both brilliant and dangerous!
What’s always in your refrigerator? Lots of fruits and veggies, green superfood powders that I put in shakes (at the moment I have one by Moon Juice called Beauty Dust), homemade almond milk, Manchego cheese, farm-raised eggs, an eye mask, and a bottle of Billecart-Salmon rosé—you never know when a celebratory toast is in order.
What was last playing on your TV? I just watched a wonderful Spanish movie called Truman and before that watched the full season of The Girlfriend Experience in two days. We have a big screen in the living room. I don’t like TVs in the bedroom, unless I’m on vacation.
Most nights you eat dinner . . . In New York it’s easy to get in the habit of eating out often. We have great restaurants in our neighborhood, and I love nothing more than a stroll to and from dinner. We also have a roof deck on our building so, in the summers, we will eat dinner up there. I just perfected my Moscow Mule, so it’s been making some appearances in this sweltering East Coast weather.
What was the first thing you splurged on when you made it big? My splurges have remained pretty true to type from the start. I took myself to Positano the second I could afford it. They are my people, ya know? Travel, massages, and dark chocolate are still my favorite indulgences.
What was the best-designed set you’ve ever worked on? Watchmen was impeccably designed. Alex McDowell built several blocks of an alternate New York City in Vancouver.
Before you leave the house you always . . . “Try to find my keys and sunglasses. Why I can’t seem to put them in one spot, I’ll never know!”
What design details on Roadies make you feel like you’re inhabiting an authentic rock ’n’ roll world? The bunk beds with little curtains that draw shut are so specific to a tour bus. Also, the small kitchenette, like something you’d have on a boat. There’s a groovy lounge in the back, which creates a Pavlovian response—you want to start drinking beer and smoking cigarettes even if you don’t do either.
You make playlists for your characters. What was on Shelli’s? “It was a combination of songs that I felt Shelli would gravitate to and also just the overall vibe of that world. A few examples are “All Hands on the Bad One” by Sleater Kinney, “Do Ya” by Peaches, the Kills’ cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, “Feeling Good” courtesy of Nina Simone, ”I Need You” by the Eurythmics, and “Kiss Me on the Bus” by the Replacements.
What do you imagine Shelli’s dream home would look like? Would she even have a dream home, loving life on the road so much? I think Shelli has a fantasy version of a home that’s an antidote to being on the road. Probably something that involves a claw-foot bathtub, an open kitchen, vast glass doors that open onto turquoise water, and a very comfortable bed. But as you astutely pointed out, I’m not sure she’s ready for that yet.
