When Mary-Louise Parker stops by for some kitchen table talk, she tells Rachael how sometimes people confuse her with the pot-dealing mom she plays on Weeds. "Some man pulled up to me," she says, "when I was waiting for a taxi and he was like, 'Hey, can I buy a big fat one from you?' I was holding a diaper bag and a baby! I was like, 'Well, do you want a graham cracker? I can't really help you out!'"

The busy mother of two (she's also starring in The Spiderwick Chronicles) explains how she's been able to balance work with being a mom. "I made a playroom on set of Weeds so they have somewhere to play," she says. " And they love Kevin Nealon -- he brings his banjo and plays for them." She's also careful to shield her children from the paparazzi -- especially after seeing how they deal with her co-star in The Assassination of Jessie James, Brad Pitt. "They hunt him. It's inhumane," Mary-Louise says. "As the media has gotten more and more salacious, they're just ruthless. As people, I think it's our duty to protect children at whatever cost. And they really exploit the children of celebrities. It feels really immoral to me. It's not fair ... there should be laws against them."