Finding Her True North And a Rugged Romance

"Jack and Marin are very different than the two of us," Heche said. "But I think when people watch [the characters], they feel our truth, the opportunity that we have to share our lives. It is kind of lovely to work like that."

Tupper and Heche work on their scenes at home both together and separately, which gives the on-screen relationship "a chance to be a little more seasoned," he said. "I don't ever feel like I'm working when I'm rehearsing at home."

Tupper, who modeled Jack's character after his "kooky uncle Buddy," said the role illustrates a basic element of the show.

"Jack is someone who found his center in the wilderness," he said. "He found he could be okay living alone. His parents left him early on, and he managed to find a center anyway. I think of him as such a mountain man, very self-reliant."

Heche said the geographic location "has brought Marin to a literal grounded place in her life."

"I walk out of my house and am surrounded by trees 10 times as tall as I am," she said. "It's so different than city streets, with trash cans on every corner, and people hustling and bustling about. I think that's what comes across in our show, that when you live with nature, it allows you to have a clear understanding of your place on this earth."

MEN IN TREES

Wednesdays

10 p.m., ABC

James Tupper's Disco Fever

James Tupper was reluctant to reveal a secret: "I am very embarrassed to admit this, but I like to dance to disco," he said.

Tupper, who said he enjoys all music from that era, said he and the rest of the "Men in Trees" cast "go out to dance all the time, even though there are not a lot of discos around. It's good to play together that way."

Tupper's disco skills have impressed co-star Anne Heche. "She says I should play John Travolta in a remake of 'Saturday Night Fever,'" he said.