Mary Louise Parker will pass on actual weed, thank you very much

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So what if Mary-Louise Parker doesn’t indulge in a little bit of the green stuff?

For fans of Parker’s role as Nancy, the pot-peddling desperate housewife on Showtime’s “Weeds,” that little dose of reality might come as a surprise – even though she’s walked in her shoes for five years now.

But just because Parker, 46, doesn’t toke, doesn’t mean she’s judging you -- she also doesn’t think her hit show has lighted any sparks in the ongoing medical marijuana debate.

“I don’t know that I’m the best judge of that,” she says flatly. Marijuana ‘doesn’t seem quite as contraband. I don’t have that reefer madness, but so many people do it. I don’t know why they bother doing it. There’s nothing even remotely naughty about it. It’s like Sudafed. I was never interested in it. I just feel honestly, people make a really big deal about it.”

But that’s enough talk about Parker’s real life in pot. The fictional hemptress is back in the sixth season of the show, which premiered in August.

After youngest son Shane coldly murdered one of Nancy’s enemies (with a croquet mallet at that), the Botwins are faced to do what they do best – escape, this time picking up new identities along the way and evading the FBI. While Nancy is certainly never in the running for any ‘mother of the year’ awards, Parker points out that this season will be about her coming to terms with her lack of parenting skills.

“I kind of thought it was a really good opportunity for her to take some accountability and guilt for what she’s doing,” Parker said. “I wanted to see her be affected by what she’d done. Just so that it’s her fault.”

Parker said that while there will be moments this season when Nancy touches on her shortcomings toward her kids, “she can only go so far.”

Though the family is on the run, the show will continue its streak of surprising guest stars this season with Linda Hamilton, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Richard Dreyfuss all making appearances.

Parker is tightlipped about Dreyfuss’ role on the show.

“He’s amazing … just amazing. What I saw on screen, he’s just incredible. He has all the great mix of qualities,” she said of her co-star -– the two also star in the upcoming feature “Red.” “He’s so intelligent, that’s what makes his performance so incredible.”

One thing she isn’t tightlipped about: the likelihood of a romance between Nancy and Andy (Justin Kirk). And sorry to the Andy fans hoping to finally see him with Nancy, Parker doesn’t see it happening.

‘I don’t think so. He probably shouldn’t do that, right,’ she said, laughing. ‘I just love acting with [Kirk]. I love when there is a scene with the two of us. He surprises me. He’s one of my favorite people to act with … he’s one of my favorite people.’

As for the show returning for a seventh season? Not even Parker knows.

“Nobody has told me. I thought they would tell me by now. I don’t know. I honestly thought they would have announced it by now,” she said. “But you never know. They could call today and say it ain’t happening. I would be sad, I’d miss everybody.”

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

twitter.com/GerrickKennedy