Special Report: Behind the scenes of NBC's "Medium"
Posted By: Bruce Mildwurf
(Mobile, Ala.) February 7 - It doesn't take a psychic to know the peacock
network has a new Monday night hit. It's a show about a woman struggling
to make sense of her dreams and visions of dead people. Episodes are
based on one woman's true stories.
Her name is Allison Dubois. Patricia Arquette plays the lead role in
nbc's new hit the Medium. She plays Allison Dubois. "I feel very
lucky to have what I have." said the real life Allison Dubois.
Dubois is the real life medium - the one who inspired the show.
The show's Los Angeles set is a long way from Dubois home in Phoenix,
Arizona. And while she's not always there to watch her alter ego on
the set, she makes sure to review he show's scripts ahead of time.
"Because I really like to see that it's authentically me."
said Dubois adding, "I don't want to be a carnival act so it's
important for me this be different than anything that's been done before
and it is."
Dubois says she was 6 years old when she first realized she was different.
"And I went to my great grandfather's funeral and I saw him in
my bedroom after the funeral and he said tell your mom I'm not in pain
anymore, I'm still with her and I'm okay."
But it was only in the last few years she says she became less haunted
by her paranormal abilities. "All I ever wanted to be was normal.
I've found out apparently I'm not because when they buy the rights to
your life story you realize you're absolutely not normal. I had to put
myself through the ringer to make sure it was real first. Once I established
it was real if this is what I have to do with the rest of my life then
I'm gonna do it well. And there's always gonna be people out there waiting
to disprove me or pull something apart but it doesn't take away what
I have." said Dubois.
Dubois said there was no other explanation for what she was doing other
than that she was communicating with energy that still survived death.
Dubois says she is able to see the future, talk to dead people and
read people's thoughts.
"You don't give a dentist candy. You don't buy a kitten for a
veterinarian and you don't plan a surprise party for someone like me."
said Patricia Arquette in a recent episode.
Arquette's character works for the district attorney's office helping
to solve mysteries with information from beyond. Between shots on location,
Arquette said, "I don't know if she understands why she's able
to do what she does. there's just a few people who happen to be born
with this special ability and they're very rare."
The real life Dubois has consulted on a variety of murders and missing
persons cases and says she often sees the crime through the killer's
eyes.
Dubois said she considers her power a blessing and a curse. "It's
a blessing because I can see and do things other people would give anything
to see and hear - the people that they love that died to be able to
help put someone away. But it's a curse because it's nothing you can
relinquish. It's nothing you can put on a shelf. It's a part of you."
Allison Dubois lives in Phoenix with her husband and three daughters.
She does private readings but is booked solid for at least a year.
