In the upcoming third season of Lifetime’s hit drama series “UnReal,” Best Supporting Actress Emmy nominee Constance Zimmer will step behind the camera for the first time. Zimmer reveals to Gold Derby in our interview that she just finished directing Season 3, Episode 8, which will presumably air this summer. “I’m very tired, but it was a lot of fun,” she teases. “My acting kind of becomes secondary, so there’s definitely a part of me that’s thinking, ‘God, I hope I’m good in that episode.'”

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Following in the footsteps of “UnReal” leading lady Shiri Appleby, who helmed the sixth episode of Season 2, Zimmer said that to prepare for her inaugural directing gig she shadowed Tom Verica on “Scandal.” “He had said to me, ‘You’re gonna be fine, actors as directors are great. But I’m gonna tell you right now, you’re not going to want to direct when you’re in something again.'”

“My first day of directing Season 3, I was in every single scene,” Zimmer details. “The problem is you want to be focused so hard on the directing part of it that the acting part kind of becomes secondary. Having the power to control it all was really fun, but definitely hard when you’re acting in it.”

Zimmer’s Emmy bid came last year for playing tough-as-nails reality TV producer Quinn King on the Lifetime drama. Be sure to watch our exclusive interview with Zimmer, in which she chats about the possibility of earning another nomination for “UnReal.” Sound off down in the comments section below Zimmer’s tweet with how you think she’ll do directing “UnReal” next season.

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