Movie veteran Ellen Burstyn had to trade expletives with writers of her new TV drama Political Animals - because she couldn't bring herself to say what they wanted her to.
The actress plays the former showgirl mum of Sigourney Weaver's Secretary of State character in the upcoming series and she admits some of the language was too crude for her.
Burstyn says, "It's been very challenging for me to play someone who has such a foul mouth. I read the lines sometimes and say, 'Oh my God, how can I say that?' It's been interesting to feel my own inner barriers and boundaries with language which I wasn't really aware of until I got the script and I go, 'What? I have to say that?'
"I'm always kind of negotiating with (creator) Greg (Berlanti) on the language. I trade him one bad word for another one: 'I'll say this if you don't make me say that!' He's been very generous with it."