‘Eyewitness’ Star Julianne Nicholson On Playing Sheriff Helen Torrance On The New USA Network Thriller [SPOILERS]

Julianne Nicholson opened up about playing her role as Sheriff Helen Torrance on USA Network’s new crime thriller “Eyewitness.”

Helen was a hotshot homicide detective in Buffalo, N.Y., before she moved to Tivoli where she now works as the town sheriff. While the most interesting aspect of Helen’s life is arguably her line of work, the first two episodes of the series managed to show other sides of her character by giving viewers a look to her personal life.

“I think that is one of the exciting things about playing Helen, she is not just a sheriff. She also has her home life,” Nicholson said in a recent interview with Parade.” I think we can wear our armor in our jobs and certain aspects of our life and then we can be someone else in another part of our life.”

The 45-year-old actress said that putting on Helen’s sheriff uniform had helped her a lot in getting into her character. “I felt different wearing that very special, polyester uniform and the boots.” Nicholson said. “It was very helpful in informing who that character was for me. … I don’t want to say they were neutering because I think she was still very much a woman, but it wasn’t about being a man or a woman, it was about the job and that is exciting to me. It is not about gender.”

When asked whether the show will explain why Helen left Buffalo for Tivoli, Nicholson said: “Yes, yes, yes, yes. All will be revealed. Sunday night is episode 3, and, I believe, it’s in episode 4 that it’s revealed what happened to her. So we will know that. And it does very much inform the rest of the series.”

According to the synopsis for this Sunday’s episode, Helen enlists FBI agent Kamilah Davis’ (Tattiawna Jones) help in finding Bella (Katie Douglas) — a potential witness in the triple murder that took place in the series premiere.

Helen, however, shouldn’t trust agent Davis, because as seen in the sneak peek for the episode, FBI special agent Ryan Kane (Warren Christie) — who is secretly the man responsible for the killings — tasks agent Davis to keep an eye on Helen.

“You want me to shut her down?” agent Davis asks agent Kane.

“Do it,” he replies.

“Eyewitness” Season 1, episode 3, entitled “Bella, Bella, Bella,” airs on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 10 p.m. ET on USA.