The TV Chick

When the opportunity arose to participate in a Q&A with Jane Lynch, I jumped at it. I adore her on Glee, and any chance to speak with the multi-talented powerhouse was something I was not going to pass up. Lynch guest stars on The Cleveland Show tonight on FOX at 9:30 pm, as Ms. Eck, a new substitute teacher who encourages Roberta to change her appearance. Anything that Jane Lynch does, she knocks out of the park. From Party Down to Julie and Julia to Glee–you name it, she can do it. Her recent golden globe nomination for Glee is just one of the many accolades I am sure she will receive throughout her amazing career. I’ve seen a little clip of Ms. Eck, and even from the small part I saw, Lynch is hilarious. We got to ask her about not only The Cleveland Show, but also Glee (of course), her lengthy career, and what her biggest challenge has been.

What do you think of your animated counterpart, I mean besides the fact that she’s a stone cold hottie?
Well yes she is, have you seen the rendering of her body?

Yes.
Yes, she’s quite something.  I think those guys are just so funny, that whole Seth MacFarlane empire over there on Wilshire Boulevard, and so I was thrilled to do it, and then when I read the script I was just blown away.  I love my character, she’s very bitter, her glory days are behind her, and she’s out to punish of course Roberta for being so pretty.

I love your character on Glee. When you get to say and do things as Sue or as Ms. Eck, things that you probably would never even consider saying and doing as Jane, is it liberating, cathartic, therapeutic for you?
It is.  I always say when I put on that track suit I have a license to say anything I want.  I think it’s probably very good therapy, because I’m a much nicer person at home because I get it all out at work, and that kind of contemptuousness and heinous behavior is just very shallowly below the surface for me so it’s kind of nice.  I don’t have to dig deep for it, but it’s great I can do it there on the set and then I don’t have to do it at home.

Obviously, Ms. Eck and Sue share some similar DNA, but I’m wondering if they were to sort of come face-to-face and throw down the gauntlet who would emerge victorious in a battle of the wits?
Sue Sylvester would rein supreme.  I think that Ms. Eck has a chink in her armor.  I think she’s got a little more sensitivity and is prone to self doubt whereas Sue Sylvester has none of that.

It’s funny because whether it’s these characters or your character in 40-Year Old Virgin or things like that, a lot of them tend towards the acerbic, but then the summer in Julie & Julia we really got to see a different side of you.  Was it fun to sort of play the other side of the coin in that?
Yes, somebody who’s kind of eccentric and joy is the first thing that erupts from her, it’s her first instinct is to find out what’s passionate and wonderful about the situation and I don’t play a lot of those people.  Yes, it was very liberating to just be open and passionate and curious and kind spirited.

Did you have any input into how your animated counterpart would look like?
No, not at all.  The rendering was set when I showed up for the reading, and she’s hilarious looking I think.

Did they show it to you before you started taping?
Yes.  We did a table read, which is really an amazing thing to do, because Mike does all the characters, and to watch him sit there and have a scene with himself is something to watch, it’s genius at work.  But yes, I did get to see the rendering before at the table read.  I haven’t seen the show though, just the rendering of my character.

What has [the year] been like for you?  I presume you’ve got increased media attention, what’s that been like?
It’s lovely, I do a lot of these things where I’m doing conference calls, and it’s promoting the show, and the whole Golden Globes thing has meant that I have kind of a second job at doing publicity and interviews, so it’s been a lot, but it’s just really great.

Do you have a speech ready?
No, not at all.

I do want to ask you about the whole award thing.  This is a lot of attention coming your way.
It is.  One of the things that, when you’re in it, it’s almost like you can’t feel it.  When I was home for Christmas, I was in Chicago, and my family is beside themselves in the light, thrilled that they have a family member on television, and when I see how excited they are, it kind of kicks in for me.  But when you’re in it it’s different, it’s kind of overwhelming, like for me I just choose not to feel anything at all.

You’ve played characters who are both powerful and forward, but as an actress you’ve been able to avoid the sign cliché of strong female or bitch stereotypes, because you really bring a sense of charm and personality to your characters.
Thank you.

Now that’s Glee’s taken off, do you think we’ll start seeing Sue Sylvester archetypes or other archetype of characters that you yourself have created with your great acting?
I don’t know.  I have no idea.  I think there’s always been kind of the strong, for me anyway, I’d go back to Eve Arden, the kind of strong acerbic, that kind of energy I think that’s been around for awhile, so like people probably continue to write parts for that kind of archetype.

In previous interviews you have mentioned that Sue will actually be singing in an upcoming episode.  I’m wondering if you’re excited for that challenge?
I am, I‘m very excited about it.  I of course can’t tell you, because it’s top secret, but I’ve recorded already and I’ve had several dance rehearsals, it’s going to be fun.

What is it like sort of stepping into the studio for the first time, putting the headset on, and really laying down a track?
Well that’s a great question, because it’s fantastic, and it’s kind of a dream come true because I love to sing.  I got to record singing in A Mighty Wind and that was a dream come true as well, so I had done that before.  It’s not as easy as one thinks, you have to be right on pitch-wise and you have to be right on time-wise, and I always thought I was very good at those things, but according to Adam, I am not.  He had to direct me several times.

I know obviously no spoilers, but can you say whether or not it’s in the Madonna episode or not, because that’s the one thing everyone’s been wondering?
You know what, Ryan always tells me, top secret, Jane, top secret, so I can’t say.

Lately your roles have been sort of like an authoritarian role, how do you keep them fresh and new whether it’s live action or animation?
Yes, I did Another Cinderella Story and Troop Mom and I’m just really mean people in all of them.  I’m very conscious of digging in and try to find a different place so that I don’t feel like I’m repeating myself and that would be boring for me too, but yes there is definitely a common thread with all of them there.  Authoritarian and sarcastic and they don’t give people the benefit of the doubt kind of a character, and yes, I’ll dig a little deeper and a little to the left or a little to the right to try to find something. There’s usually something in the writing that will help me focus on something a little different than the others.

Can we expect more voice acting from you?
Yes, I would love to do more and I continue to, I even auditioned for stuff too.  I did voiceover for several years, radio and television voice over in the mid 90s and I really enjoy that work, nothing better than voicing a character, so it’s great work and it’s fun, and yes, I love doing it.

What’s it like recording for you in the studio in comparison to say a live action performance?
You don’t have to worry about what you’re wearing, you’ve got the script in front of you, and it doesn’t involve your body, it’s all about your voice, and it’s really fast work.  It’s also very lonely work, because you’re by yourself, very rarely do you do it in a group.  You act with yourself and somebody else kind of mumbles the lines back at you, if at all.  So seeing your work in something animated, you realize how little you have to do with all of it.  It’s always a surprise and it’s always exciting to see, because you never really know, you’re kind of isolated in that booth all by yourself.

Do you find any difficulties in transferring, like going from one project to another when it’s live action versus animation?
No, you just kind of kick into it.

You mentioned that you’re doing voice work for Shrek 4? Can you talk a little more about that?
I’m playing a character called Gretchen and I’m an ogre and there are a lot of ogres in this particular Shrek.  It kind of goes back in the life of time, kind of like It’s a Wonderful Life and I play one of the ogres and it’s a lot of fun.

You’ve done TV, you’ve done movies, now animated shows, plays as well, what would you say has been the biggest challenge for you in your career so far?
Gosh, dancing, that’s it, just dancing.  Everything else I just kind of flow into and it’s fun. Dancing is the thing that I have to work ten times harder than everybody else.

I know you can’t spoil too much obviously Glee wise, but what can we see in the back nine from Sue Sylvester?
It’s kind of more of the same, but with different twists and new, the agenda stays the same, but the tactics change a little bit.

You’re going to sing in the back nine, I know that you said that was sort of a dream for you, will we see maybe more than one musical number?
I don’t know, I’ve only read the first three scripts, so that’s all I know.

A lot of actresses talk about how once they get past a certain age it’s difficult to find good parts and it’s difficult to get work.  You seem to have broken that trend by getting busier and busier as you go along.  What do you put it down to, how do you think you’re doing it?
I know that it is a reality that it’s harder for women after 40, but I started working at 40, and I think it’s just because I’m a character actress and my particular brand of it is more mature and it’s not something I was able to be cast at when I was younger and fresh faced, so I had to wait until my age caught up which happens to be the tricks in my little arsenal.

Was it hard hanging on until you got to that point with something like this?
Right.  I had a day here and there where I would get discouraged that I wasn’t a big star, but I’ve kind of made a living ever since I was like 27, not a great living, but enough for me.  For me actually being able to pay my rent and eat and perform is enough and I did that for many years.  And then I had some good years in there too where I made pretty good money, but I’m at a different point in my career now where I get to kind of sit back and let some things come to me whereas I had to be a lot more aggressive when I was younger.  There were moments when I would get discouraged, but I don’t know that I always thought that I would get to a point where I would work all the time, but I was okay about it as long as I got to perform I was happy.

Do you think that those kind of [roles in Mighty Wind and Best In Show] gave you a leg up on really putting the character of Sue together?
Yes, actually. I think so, because when we do Best in Show and A Mighty Wind and Christopher Guest movies, we have to create the characters and improvise and when you improvise you really have to know who your character is.  You have to be very thorough in creating a character, whereas when you do a television show you can kind of float by on what they give you, but we kind of have a whole cloth to create with Best in Show.  It kind of makes me more aggressive and demand more from myself when I do a script at show, I see it as being creative, my character process I think is probably a little more creative than if I hadn’t done that kind of work where I had to create something out of whole cloth, that’s why I think I can push things maybe to the nth degree, because I’m used to doing that from having to make it up on my own.

We saw kind of a hint of a nicer side earlier in the season, is that the last we’re seeing of that, is that all over?
I think that will always come back.  I think there’s a decency to Sue, she just really enjoys being an awful person.  She really gets great glee if you will out of being a terrible person, but there were three or four different moments I think in the last 12 episodes where you saw kind of a decency, kind of a rationality that wasn’t there before.  I think she just really enjoys shocking people.

Is there a possibility that you might be directing an episode of Glee in the future?
That’s a great question, because I think I’d like to, and I will say here, yes, I want to do that.  I haven’t spoken to anybody about it, but I love directing and I love calling the shots.  I think it would be a great place to do it and because the directors we get and the writers we have are just so amazing and our DP is great, because you have to have a great DP if you want to be a great director.  I think I’m learning at the feet of many masters.

What this last year has meant to you and have you heard from any famous fans?
Famous fans?  Every once in awhile I’ll run into somebody who I recognize from something and they’ll say something very nice.  Yes, it’s been great in that life and really gratifying.  I feel like there’s nothing better than being satisfied with your work and feeling really good about your work and everybody else kind of chiming in on that.  In a way I’ve had a peak experience in the last year and I’m really grateful for it and it’s one of those things where you say, “Well, I can die now if I had to.”

Don’t do that.
I won’t, I won’t, I have no intention of that.

Since the call is about the animation, The Cleveland Show, I was wondering when you were growing up, when you were coming up, what animation Saturday morning cartoons or series struck you as very funny and odd and subversive as a kid?
Subversive, I wasn’t a subversive kid.  I watched Bam Bam and Pebbles and the Jackson Five, I remember that, and I liked the Flintstones.  There was nothing really subversive. I don’t think there was anything then, I watched Speed Racer and all that stuff.

Today, what female actress, who’s comedic chops, do you really enjoy or enjoy working with?
A long list.

I know that you work with so many great actresses, but if you could give me a short list of people you really admire.
Sure.  Jennifer Saunders, amazing, Ilene Brennan I think is just amazing, and I really like Eve Arden, I’m a big fan of Eve Arden, of course she’s no longer with us.  Let’s see who’s out there…

Jennifer Coolidge, you do a lot of work with, I was just wondering if she’s one?
Yes, she’s one, I can barely keep a straight face, yes.  She’s a tough one to work with because she’s just so nuanced and weird and you never know what’s going to come out of her mouth and it’s usually brilliant.

Do you have a favorite line in The Cleveland Show coming up as your character that stuck in your brain?
Yes, I laugh almost every day about “look at this fupa,” which I don’t know if you know what it means, but it’s a hilarious reference to the fat right about the groin area.

Would you like to do a straight on dramatic role?
I think there’s humor to any role and I think that if you look at all the great actors in this world, they can also do comedy.  So like a straight on drama role, like someone very heavy, I don’t have much sympathy for very heavy characters, there’s got to be something funny about them to make them tolerable.  So yes, I certainly wouldn’t mind that at all.  It would also feel good to exercise some with those muscles and to challenge myself in kind of a different venue.

With all the media attention, do you feel like you have to make that next step very carefully, whatever the next project will be on your hiatus or anything else coming up?
You know what, I never make decisions carefully.  I don’t think I’m going to start now.

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