She's a regular on NBC's Hannibal, which is too scary for her sons to watch. But her turn as an affable witch in Room on the Broom, soon out on DVD, is totally kid-friendly.

Q. After playing so many serious roles, was it fun doing an animated film?

A. I've worked on a couple of animated pieces before, like The Simpsons. It's a whole other world. Lots of fun, but harder than you would imagine.

Q. Did you score cool points with your sons, who are 6 and 4, doing Room on the Broom?

A. I've read the book to them probably 10,000 times, which is one of the reasons I was interested in the voiceover role. But they don't know I did it. Actually, they don't really know what it is I do. I'd rather keep it from them as long as possible because I'd rather they like me not because of what I do for a living, but because of the mom I am.

Q. How do you deal with the challenges of having an 18-year-old daughter and the little guys? Must make your head spin sometimes.

A. I'm lucky because my girl is very grounded, self-aware and self-motivated. With the boys most of my day is reacting to what they throw at me—making messes, climbing and somersaults, broken bones. You do your best and the rest is just patience.

Q. What's your guilty pleasure?

A. I don't really have one! I've been thinking of downloading some of the TV series people are so obsessed with, but then my brain starts telling me I should be researching a new project or something productive. But I do hold regular game nights, when I invite friends over to play cards and guessing games. I make a main dish and they bring vegetables or salads.

Q. What are your Halloween plans?

A. So far I haven't made any costumes. All I know is that my youngest wants to dress up as Luke Skywalker, the same thing my daughter wanted when she was 5!