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NEW YORK -- Don't blame Mary-Louise Parker for feeling a wee bit like a wilted piece of lettuce.
The temperature soared into the high 90s, and right on cue, the power went out this morning in her West Village apartment. The electrician came to fix it, but Parker admits to being just "a little bit defeated."
On top of her electrical woes, she's doing rounds of press to promote the second season of her Showtime series, Weeds (tonight, 10 ET/PT), and trying to rush home before son William, 2, finishes his nap. "I have to be there when he wakes up," she declares.
Parker has brought William back to the Big Apple after just finishing a three-month stint on the West Coast shooting Weeds, culminating in a trip to Disneyland.
Parker, a single mom, is mad for Mickey Mouse. "We were both in heaven!" she giggles. "A little cotton candy for mommy and a little cotton candy for (William)!"
Since moving to Manhattan two decades ago after attending the North Carolina School of the Arts, Parker won a Tony for playing a distraught math genius in Proof, earned nominations for Prelude to a Kiss and Reckless, and can't see herself living anywhere else.
Her leisurely drawl belies her quick wit. When asked whether the actress, whose relationship with Billy Crudup ended in 2003 while she was pregnant, is dating, she retorts with a sardonic grin. "What time is it? I don't think I'm with anyone anymore, so not!"
She is protective of William and smiles when told that he hasn't been seen in the tabloids. She and Crudup have never discussed their breakup, but the actor sees his son and, in fact, had spent the morning with him while she appeared on ABC's The View.
Now, Parker is taking a time out at La Lanterna, her favorite pizzeria, wearing a loose black-and-white Chaiken halter dress designed by pal Jeff Mahshie.
With her tan Prada loafers off to the side, Parker sprawls on a chair, her dark-red manicured toes on display. The admitted sugar fiend, who "ate like a sow" while pregnant, gets animated when discussing Manhattan bakeries that churn out the cupcakes she adores. She's torn between Billy's Bakery and Magnolia.
The next day is Parker's 42nd birthday, and she has planned to celebrate in typically quiet fashion, "just hanging out with my son."
She frequently takes William to the park and loves reading to him; two favorites are Dr. Seuss' Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Kit Allen's Swimsuit. "He has such a massive amount of books that I had to buy more bookcases," says Parker. "I love that I come into his room now and he's sitting there by himself, holding a book."
No wonder she's pleased. Before motherhood, muses Parker, she used to devour books. "I was looking at my books really longingly the other day," she says. "They're my long-lost friends."
Her "friends" have been on hold thanks in part to Parker's busy schedule working on Weeds, for which she won a Golden Globe. On the show, her character, Nancy, resorts to selling dope after her husband's death. "It wouldn't be my choice," she says, "but I haven't lived her life."
Parker and show creator Jenji Kohan have had disputes over character development but have settled their differences. "It's not my job to make it work," Parker says. "But there were times that I felt my character was put in the same situations a lot."
She would love to see Nancy pay a higher price for her career choice, particularly given her attraction to a DEA agent. Seeing her behind bars, says Parker, "would be a great episode. The kids could come visit!"
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