Olivia Wilde has returned to TV for her first series since House in HBO's recently-debuted Vinyl . Wilde plays Devon Finestra, who we first meet in the 1970s, alongside her record producer Richie husband, (Bobby Cannavale), in a music industry-centric series from the impressive trio of Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter and his fellow executive producers Martin Scorsese and Mick Jigger.

Olivia Wilde as Devon Finestra in Vinyl.

Bobby Cannavale and Olivia Wilde in Vinyl.

I spoke to Wilde about Vinyl and Devon’s intriguing backstory and history -- both with and without Bobby -- and how there is much more to the role than it may seem at a glance.It’s interesting that you picked that up because that was something Bobby and I really loved about that scene. It established that these two are best friends. She’s supportive. He’s honest with her about everything. The only line she has that he’s not allowed to cross is sobriety. That’s why that scene at the end [of the pilot] is so destructive, because there’s one thing she asks. And you find out later in the season why they both had to become sober and why it’s an important decision and why he’s clearly disturbed past the point of self-recognition. He is now in a dark place that has caused him to forget this agreement and decide, as she says, that they’re not worth it any more. But I love that scene and I love that specific line. It says so much about their relationship. And going forward, as Devon and Richie go through this intense change and everything falls apart, you see that connection is something that can’t be dismantled. The respect and love they have for each other, that connection, that friendship is something real and stable that can never go away.If you see that, you’re like, "Alright, then it’s Don Draper." It’s a very different relationship.I first heard about it because I knew that Marty was working on a show for HBO with Mick. I heard the slight history of the show and how they were going to make it into a film at one point. I thought, “Oh, that’s a really smart to make that into a show. That’s great, because they can show more about the music industry and take more time with it.” When they said, “Marty wants you to be a part of it,” I was thrilled, floored, gobsmacked, but obviously wanted to make sure, as you said, I wasn't just the suburban wife, because I thought that’s not the right role for me at this time. I’ll watch the show but it’s not the right role for me. Which is what I told HBO. I said, “I’m so honored but tell me what’s in store for this girl.”Terry [Winter] was very helpful with that, very inspiring and collaborative about what we could do with Devon together. Marty was very excited about what she could become. Bobby was adamant that she should be his match, that there was so much to be said about women at that time. He loves powerful women and he was very collaborative as we built her in the pilot. We did a lot of reconstructing of Devon once I was cast and we all started chatting. So from that point on, it set the tone of collaboration that has continued throughout the series. Season 1 was so thrilling because it was always a conversation of how we make her more dynamic and less predictable. The writers did a tremendous job. Often I would read the scripts and go, “Holy s**t, Devon!” She’s wild. The pilot introduces you in a way that will make people surprised by her. I like that it’s a tiny bit of a misdirect.It’s a recently assembled house of cards. She was a staple in the Warhol factory, she was very close with Andy, more a muse and a friend than a party associate. Like 1965, 66 was really a part of that world and there were a lot of interesting things happening at that time that she was involved with. Not the business end like Richie, but very much a part of the scene and knowledgeable about the scene and appreciative of that work. She’s an artist herself. You find out in what capacity as the series goes on but she was definitely hard living. They were parties. That’s why they made this decision together to get out in order to survive.She’s a little more in control than Richie and that is revealed in several different ways, but we hint at that through flashbacks to her past as well, which are coming up and are really fun. She was very much the kind of woman that is sort of an amalgamation of the different feminine icons of the mid to late 60s in that scene. Whether it’s Edie Sedgwick, Marianne Faithfull… She was incredibly stylish, incredibly plugged in, and living her life exactly as she chose to, which is why it’s so unfamiliar for her to find herself in this very sterile, suburban environment.