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You’ve worked across stage, sketch, and television. How do you think your comedy roots shape how you approach dramatic roles, or vice versa?
I think maybe comedy roots help you approach a tragic scene by making sure you’re still on your toes within it, instead of falling into the trap of playing a mood. It’s active. You play swimming instead of drowning, if that makes sense. Like, if you’re in a scene where you drown, what you actually want to play is “trying to stay alive,” and it’s the circumstances that insist you drown.
When you’re building a character, where do you usually start? From the inside out, or does the visual world help lead the way?
I always start with the language. The words they use when they speak plus the words the writer uses to describe them opens the whole world. What do they want and how do they go about getting it? It’s all on the page. When costumes and HMU begin, it is so exciting to collaborate and find out more about how this character lives and sometimes it really changes your previous ideas.
You’ve played some wildly different women. What draws you to a role, and what makes you say “yes”?
Unemployment. Seriously, I think people should know that the majority of actors aren’t being sent scripts to mull over and decide on- we are hustling for the next gig and auditioning. Maybe the top 2 percent are like that? The rest of us are hustling.
How do you keep yourself creatively grounded when the industry pulls you in different directions, especially with social media and constant visibility?
I’ve been completely off social media for about three years. I recently recovered my passwords because NBC wanted me to and also, I hired a dolphin to run it. That way I don’t have to look, and dolphins don’t really get that invested in land-based issues.
What have you learned about leadership from being part of ensemble casts in shows like Claws or your upcoming Stumble?
I hope that I have learned that being professional, kind, and curious is the only way to be. There are 200 other people there with big lives and ideas and I want to do great work in a way that allows them to do their best work too. I’ve also learned everybody needs to be hydrated, checked on, and to feel loved.
What drives you to always tell the “satirical truth” in your work?
Satire is special because it allows us to not only point out hard truths about ourselves as humans but also to laugh at them. It’s a slight subversion, a quirky lens change that helps us hold on, even awful shit a little more lightly. I think St Francis of Assisi had it right when he said to “wear the world as a loose garment.”
What’s a role you’ve played that made you rethink how you approach improv, theatre, and digital comedy?
All three at once?! I don’t know that there is one!
POYKPAC was ahead of its time in terms of digital sketch work. What lessons did you learn early in that field that you’ve carried with you throughout your career?
I learned that I tilt my chin up too far when I speak and that will make the camera see right up your nose. We also learned to write, create our own work, be scrappy in pursuit of said work, and fight to the death over jokes.
How did you prepare for your role in Stumble? Combining mockumentary and cheerleading must have been a first for you.
This is my first mockumentary! So, looking at the camera was so hard. I mean, you spend 20 years pretending the camera/audience isn’t there and not breaking the fourth wall and all of the sudden there is this added element of behavior and awareness. I definitely rewatched “Cheer” and read Monica Aldama’s autobiography. I also watched Daytona competitions and my favorite Christopher Guest movies.
If you were to “coach” your younger self, what would your pep talk sound like?
Pssst! Look a monkey! JK, made you look. Why did you think there would be a monkey in here? I like your imagination, and I also wish a monkey was in here. Let’s worry less about boys and diets starting now. Deal?
What keeps you creatively inspired and fulfilled outside of your professional life? What helps you recharge?
God, I wish I had some eccentric hobby. But mostly laying down? I can’t recharge upright. As far as creatively inspired, definitely seeing theatre, reading, watching shows, being quiet in the park, listening to music/podcasts. As far as being fulfilled outside of professional life, laughing with a good friend and volunteering are the special sauce.
What’s some of your favorite comedic media to consume? Do you watch and listen to comedy for inspirational purposes?
I love old screwball comedies like His Girl Friday and I love parodies like Airplane and Get Smart. I love anything fast and funny with sight gags played straight. Arrested Development is so good for that. David Wain movies are great for that. Anything Key and Peele is dynamite. I definitely watch comedy for inspirational purposes.
CREDITS:
Profile: Jenn Lyon
Photographer: Tyler Patrick Kenny
Hair: Patrick Kyle
Makeup: Allyson Wisel
Stylist: Andrew Gelwicks