#23: ANNALEIGH ASHFORD Wears a 'Happy Face' While Discussing The Drama Series and Shares Her Love For The Golden Girls and More TV Topics.
(Warning: There is a 'The Last of Us' season 2 spoiler during the discussion. If you have not watched and have not been on social media for months, proceed with caution.)
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Hey, where's the remote? It's time for ATV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome to TV Topics. This is your host, Stephen
Purzykowski. Today my guest is an actress
whose work covers stage and screen and crosses genres from
out there comedies to serious drama.
(00:24):
And she's multi talented too. But Tony was working in an
elevated dialogue and much more.I had the pleasure of seeing her
as Missus Lovett for her Tony nominated work in Sweeney Todd,
a dark, delicious treat of a performance.
She's currently starring as a woman whose serial killer father
suddenly forces himself back into her life in Paramount
Plus's Happy Face. Of course, I'm talking about the
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great Annalee Ashford. Hi, this is Annalee Ashford and
today I'm hanging out with Steven Prusakowski on TV Topics.
First of all, welcome, welcome to the show.
I've been watching your work foryears, Masters of Sex all the
way to Broadway and Sweeney Toddjust last year and that now
happy face. So it's been great watching your
career progress and grow and, and take all these very unique
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choices and not just sticking toone lane, but kind of wrangling
them all. Thank you so much.
Thank you. I've been really lucky that I've
gotten to play such a range of women.
You know, somebody told me once that they didn't know kind of
what I was going to be like because, you know, I play like
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such different women, and that was sort of the ultimate
compliment. Before we get into your work,
let's do some TV topics. Remember, there's no pressure,
no right or wrong answers, just a bit of fun.
I remember TV being one of my friends growing up as a kid.
One of my favorite and 1st memories of watching TV was with
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my grandpa watching Johnny Carson as a little girl.
And also I watched Saturday Night Live when I was a really
little person probably and appropriately so.
So those were absolutely formative to my comedy and also
the way that I look at the world.
And then I would also say that Iwatched Cheers and Smash.
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They were on after Johnny Carsonand Letterman.
You know, it's like Carson Letterman.
And then also, why was I up thatlate?
But they also were both very formative to me, also really
strong characters. The Golden Girls.
These are all, you know, multicam shows.
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And then as a young adult, I would also say that I watched
every episode of Sex and the City.
As I was moving to New York City, I watched The Wire.
You know, all all of these were really important shows to me
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growing up. Pretty wide range.
Yeah, I, I would say it's as rangy as, as my career has sort
of been that was as as rangy as as my sort of the, the way that
I adjusted TV as a kid was pretty rangy.
What better way to see differentparts of the world and meet new
people than through art and television, especially over the
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last 20 years or so, has really kind of open those doors to take
us all across the globe, different parts of even
different parts of the same community and different
households and really see the world through different,
different people's eyes, different perspectives.
Yeah, TV has absolutely explodedas a medium in the last 20
years. You know, we all talk about it
all of the time, but the way that we consume television now
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and the way that we have raised the expectation, we've raised
the bar on television is quite extraordinary.
You know, now the way that I view television, I, I think half
of it is I would consider 8 hourfilms, 10 hour films, 15 hour
films. You know, it's just, you know,
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artistically and the creative and the narrative have gone to a
level that's just quite extraordinary.
And is there one prime time showthat was your first that you
remember really loving the one that stands out?
I remember going to a party for the last episode of Cheers and
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like a. Family party like a friend and
family party together. To watch a friend and family
party. And I mean, I was a little kid
and like somebody dressed up as Norm and Cliff and I remember it
being really like a, a happy sadnight because nobody wanted it
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to end. And then it also was so funny.
So I I would say that was a landmark night for me.
I was a little kid. Yeah, well, that's an an
impactful episode too. You know, he, I think Sam turns
off the lights and shuts the doors and like, it's a true
goodbye. It wasn't kind of this
open-ended, you know, like it just ended.
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And no, it's like this is we're saying goodbye and everyone
reacted to it. It was a really beautiful final
episode, which feels impossible to do.
Yeah, our our local news stationdid in Buffalo, NY, did a very
cheesy version of of Eric Clapton's Tears from Heaven.
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Our Tears in Heaven. It was Cheers in Heaven.
And. Year what is it 30 years later,
my friend and I actually just a few days ago were texting lines
from it the cheesiest thing I'veever heard and I was like, my
God, this is it's amazing how much the world united over a a
30 minute sitcom and connected with it to make it.
You know, you're talking about it.
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I'm talking about it and and allthese years later to have that
impact on people. Also, my little boy loves The
Golden Girls, which is my other favorite all time show, and to
watch him experience The Golden Girls and have it be just as
funny and relevant as it was, you know, 40 years ago, it's
kind of thrilling. So that's another show that is
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absolutely formative in not onlyway that I look at TV, but also
the way that I perform comedy. Well that kind of takes me to my
next question. What show makes you laugh the
most Is maybe Golden Girls or something else influenced you or
something you go to for a pick me up?
I would absolutely say that Golden Girls is comfort.
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You know, if I'm on the road, I'm out of town, I can bop
around the channels and find an episode of The Golden Girls
somewhere and those 4 ladies give me comfort and absolutely a
laugh. I can't get through 1 episode
without laughing at least once. It's, it's funny how often it
comes up. What is it about that I, I was
not a Golden Girls fan. I, I watched it, it was fine for
me, but people love it. I, you know, in all ages too.
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It's not just people who watchedit back then.
It's people who started watchingit in and reruns and streaming.
The four women are such strong archetypes that it sets up a
comedy dynamic that allows us tolaugh at them and with them
every every episode. So I feel like that's part of
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the strength of the show. And then the other strength of
the show is the casting. Those four women were cast to
perfection. Their performances are, you
know, the very best. And then the writing also rose
to the Rose to the occasion as well.
There's some really, really smart, clean jokes and I just
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think it's one of the best of all time.
It when something lasts, you know that the writing and the
performances and the casting allcame together.
You know, they all just hit the right chord forever.
And which one do you associate most with?
Which were the four? Oh, I've, I love them all for
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different reasons, but I think that Bea Arthur has a special
place in my heart because of herhistory in the theater.
And I don't know why, but I havea special kinship for Betty
White because I feel like she's the one of the four of them that
I most like her and type, you know, like she also played
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different types of women throughout her career, which is
kind of similar to me. I don't know.
I have a similar kind of energy to Betty White.
Like I think I would play Rose if we did The Golden Girls right
now. I would be Rose.
I could see it. She she, her career lasted about
50 some years and everyone lovesher right up until her to her,
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you know, her last days. So she was on SNL not long
before, you know, when most people would be.
That's it. I'm done.
And she's out there making people laugh.
It's incredible talking, you know, bringing back SNL.
I'd like to be Betty White when I grew up.
That's a that's a good dream, good dream to have.
And what about shows that make you cry?
Is there one that stands out? Is there anything that's really
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moved you lately? I would say severance, I think
is really exciting. I think it makes you think about
the way that you navigate the world, the way that you choose
to disassociate from the world, makes me think about my children
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and how they're going to live ina world with so much technology.
And I think, I think it's, I think it's a gorgeous, beautiful
show that makes me really uncomfortable and sad and
heartbroken and excited. And so, yeah, I think it's one
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of my favorite shows of the year.
Yeah, some people watch it for different, you know, many
different reasons. But the idea of how technology
is changing everything, when I had kids, this it's not the
world it is now, and it's completely different.
And it scares the hell out of me.
And I just hope that we can all navigate it together and figure
out a way to to remain human andnot just give over to the
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technology that seems to be, youknow, kind of taking over every
aspect of us. Yeah, don't sever yourself.
I think it's sort of the point. Yeah, So what about ATV show
that you think would surprise your fans if they found out you
were watching? Sort of like something you go
to? It could be for any reason.
It could be a guilty pleasure. It could be something darker
than usual. It could be.
I don't I mean, I don't think this is going to be a surprise,
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but I watch a lot of trash reality who doesn't?
It's kind of it's kind of like a, you know, my guilty pleasure.
But I would say when it comes toscripted television, why do I
watch that as a surprise? I would say I try to watch as
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much as I can that I have friends on, you know, which is
always trying to make sure that I'm doing that.
And am I watching anything surprising?
I don't know. I feel like some of my surprise
favorites have not. I feel like I'm not that
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surprising. I love Drag Race.
I love the Housewives. That's where I live in reality
land and then in scripted land. I love comedies.
So of course I love Hacks, I love The Bear, I love Severance,
I love The Last of Us. I'm really enjoying the studio.
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See, I'm kind of, I kind of livein all genres, like the way that
I liked as an actor. You still enjoy the TV buffet,
it seems. You know this.
I love ATV buffet. Yeah, that's, that's how I am.
There's a few genres. I, I, I, I don't gravitate
toward, but when people say whatdo you want, there's no like
easy way to identify. And I think that's the best
thing, especially with the quality of stuff that's out
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there. Yeah, if it's good acting, good
storytelling, we're all on board.
Completely agree. Before we continue with some TV
topics, let's talk about your gripping work on Happy Face.
Why did you take on this role and what was it about it that
made you want to tell this story?
One of the things that's unique about this show, yes, it's a
story about true crime, but we're so often watching true
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true crime shows through the lens of the serial killer or
through the detectives trying tofigure out the serial.
Usually it's a male gaze. Not only is this a female gaze,
but it's also from the point of view of the family member of the
serial killer, which is something I don't think we often
are enlightened by. You know, this is a real woman.
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It's her real story. And it's about the guilt and the
shame that she carries for a crime that she did not commit
and how how this woman in real life really used this terrible
act of violence and has become an advocate for people who have
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been touched by the trauma of crime.
What was most interesting to play about the care, you know,
play with this and in this character was there's a there's
a constant inner struggle. Her inner life is unfortunately,
you know, going to forever be fraught.
She's in the struggle for the love that she has for this man
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before he became the monster. And, and what do you do if you
have a family member who commitsa violent act of or, you know,
atrocity, like, what do you do? You still knew them before they
did that. And how do you reconcile those
memories and that love? And it digs into some really
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dark places. So was there any apprehension
taking on the role because of that or is that more inviting to
you? Honestly, dark light, I always
feel like when you're doing something light, you have to
find the dark, and when you're doing something dark, you have
to find the light. And they're all extensions of,
you know, what's happening in the world.
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So I never think of projects like, oh, is this going to be a
dark one or a light? You know, I just think, is this
a great story? Is this an interesting
character? Will this make people think
about the world in a different way?
And in this instance, I really thought that the show would help
people question their consumption of true crime and
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and hopefully help remind peoplethat these are real people with
real stories and real lives. Did you do any research for the
role in like into serial killersor what was your approach?
Yeah, You know, I was really lucky that the show is based off
of a podcast. So not only did I have the
podcast as a reference, but Melissa also wrote a book about
her life. So I had her book, she's an exec
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producer on the show, so she worked really closely with our
great showrunner John Casicio. So I really between what was on
the page, her book and the podcast, I had a lot of material
to go with. Did.
You have conversations with her as well that you were able to
like, really happen. With her, you know, she was
available to me, but honestly, Ihad so much information from my
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script and from my research thatI actually, I, you know, didn't
need to reach out to her before filming started.
And I, I felt like I wanted to give her her privacy.
You know, she'd shared so much already.
I actually didn't need anything else.
And then, you know, as we've been sharing the show with
people, it's been really nice toget to know her and also learn
from her about her experience insort of the machine of true
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crime. One of the things that came up,
you know, my feelings about early on was the idea of this
loved one becoming a true stranger to who you are.
And then, you know, it captures some of that where, you know,
she wants to cut, cut him out ofher life.
But at the same time, there's blood, There's that that bond.
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And there is that old relationship that still is alive
in her. You know, there's still the
father daughter aspect of it. Yeah.
You know, I think what one thingthat the show does, the
storytelling of the show that's really successful, is that we
show so many moments of Melissa's childhood through
flashback. And it helps the audience
understand how she can be both horrified, embarrassed,
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mortified by who her father is, but still be conflicted with the
memories that she has of him. You know, if somebody took care
of you and loved you, it would be very it's almost impossible
to forget the good memories in the same way that it is to
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forget the bad. So in a lot of ways, those good
memories are are are absolutely also a source of trauma.
To remember somebody who is a monster fondly is really
confusing and complicated and a a source of trauma.
So I thought that was really interesting for the audience and
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then it was also really interesting for me as an actor
to play. Yeah, as you brought about true
crime and, and the way we consume it now is it becomes a
source of debate and Reddit forms where people kind of lose
that these are people at the core of this and it strips away
that and it becomes like almost a game.
And I'm I don't think it's a great thing.
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It's good that this kind of digsinto that a little.
Bit Yeah, You know, in real life, Melissa's advocacy work
has really been to have conversations that make the
public aware that there is a true crime industry and it is a
form of entertainment. But oftentimes many of the
families are not consulted. No one reaches out to them.
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They don't have any control or agency over any of their
narrative. And both on the victims side and
the perpetrator side, the, the families are re victimized by
the retelling of, of whatever violent act was committed.
You know, and it's a great reminder that both sides of the
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courtroom, their family will forever have a stain in their
lineage of whatever violent act was committed.
You know the victim's family andthe perpetrators family and
something that both families areconnected with unfortunately and
live with for the rest of their lives.
Doesn't end with the. Verdict and it doesn't end with
the verdict and it doesn't end with this generation.
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You know, it just continues on for generations through the
family line. You know, you have this family
secret or this, you know, again,that sort of staying on the
family tree. You know, one of the things that
I think my character struggles with so deeply is she carries
around this bag of guilt and shame.
And it's for, you know, for a sin that she did not commit, but
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because she couldn't stop it or she didn't know or she didn't
see it, she'll forever feel likeshe was to blame because she
didn't stop it. And, and so I think for the
audience, it really makes you take a deep dive into how, what
would that feel like and what would that look like?
It's especially in the true crime genre.
It's a point of view that we really just don't don't ever
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consider. Yeah, this is a very powerful
scene where she reveals to her father that she was a rape
victim and that was a reason forthe abortion.
And by doing so, she takes back some of the power that he has.
Can you break that down a littlebit for me?
Yeah. You know, the relationship
between Keith and Melissa, again, is so complicated because
it's not only steeped in this history of who the man was
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before he became the monster, but it's a constant game of
power between the two of them. And one of the ways that Melissa
actually finds power with him isis sometimes making him think he
has it, you know, and also I think she starts to find her own
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power when she's able to actually confront the past and
confront her own drama by confronting him.
Then he no longer wins, you know.
But yes, I think that scene is definitely a scene where she
takes her power back. And she also, it's a moment
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where you see empathy in his character, which is also
confusing and complicated because serial killers are so
lacking of empathy, you know, and that's what we learn about
them. So to see him, see him have
empathy for his daughter is botha conflict for the audience and
it's a conflict for the character.
Well, it's tough to read becauseearlier on he's kind of saying
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you are like me, you are a murderer for having this
abortion. And then when she says this is,
you know, the reason why and explains it, you're like, you
know, you do see that moment of empathy.
But do you believe it? Because this is someone who's
kind of wore the mask for for decades?
Probably. She says throughout the show, do
not believe him, do not believe him, do not believe him.
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The whole season she's like, don't listen to him.
And she's right the entire time.She's sort of the only person on
the planet that can really see through him.
And even then, she still feels like he has power over her and
is able to manipulate her. But watching her fight the good
fight is, I think what's interesting for us as an
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audience. Another part of his punishment
is that he does not have access to her, you know, and that
should be part of his punishment.
But unfortunately, because therewere years that he was so good
to her and that he loved her so much, it makes it even more
heartbreaking that he committed these horrible, heinous acts,
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you know, as you go, why didn't I see it?
How did I miss it? And how could he have done this?
And the questioning of how and why and even is this in my
blood? Is this of me?
That is something that's really hard to live with.
Being able to judge somebody who's you're not connected to is
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one thing, but having those ties, especially after you said
that you had this life together and then everything just flips
and it's a completely, it's not just a new chapter.
It's like a new book. This is not the person I knew.
This is not the relationship I knew.
You can't turn it off. So how do you deal with it?
How do you move forward and and how do you not have that in you
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with worrying that? Well, if that was him, is some
of that in me because I'm a a product of of this person not.
Only is he going to pass this down to me, but is it going to
be passed down to my children? Is this, is this something
that's passed down so you worry about your family for
generations? Yeah, it's quite scary the
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working with Dennis Quaid though, So he does a great job
and and he's he's as of late, you know, he's been, he was the
hero forever that was growing up.
He was always like the good guy and over the last couple of
years, especially with the substance and now this, he's
really played some despicable people.
What was it like working with him?
He was fantastic to work with. You know, so often we talk about
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the chemistry that you need withanother actor when you're
playing opposite them in a romantic sense.
But I would say that it's equally, if not more important
to have chemistry with somebody that you're playing family with,
especially a father daughter andespecially a father daughter who
really love each other or, or did.
And so we were really lucky as actors.
We've just had a natural easy familial chemistry.
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And, you know, he truly is one of our finest actors.
And one of the things that you said about his his work is that
he, you know, usually plays the good guy.
We love Dennis Quaid. You know, we have all these
incredible memories of him and all these wonderful
performances. And I think that's what makes
him so wonderful in this role isthat you trust him, you like
him. And then you remember who he is
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and how bad he is. And it makes him more
manipulative. It makes it gross.
And it makes you feel kind of icky when you like him for a
moment or two and then you remember how bad he is.
Yeah, it's, I mean, it's you getthose moments where you go,
well, you when you think, oh, it's this is a guy that we all
loved how quick that changes andyou know, it just as a viewer,
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how do you handle that? How do you process that?
And then to put yourself in her shoes, it's 10 times more
powerful. Yeah, he's, you know, he's doing
the thing that you need to do. When you play villain, you don't
know that you're the villain andyou make sure you're likable.
I like that. So I was curious what you were
hearing back from the fans of the series.
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Have there been any responses that have moved you?
Yeah, You know, I think people are really interested in the
show in the way that people are interested in true crime shows.
You know, they want to know who the murderer is.
They want to know what happened.But what's been really
heartwarming is people are really aware of one of the
themes of our show, which is howdo you consume true crime and
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are you aware of the real peopleand the real victims?
And I think, I think people are really struck by the question of
what would you do if this was you and what would you do if it
was your family? So yeah, it's been, it's been a
great ride so far. And your work in Broadway as
Misses Lovett was brilliant and Sweeney Todd absolutely loved
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it. How was preparing for a role
that was like that larger than life performance compared to
something that's more internalized and trauma driven
as this in this role? Yeah, You know, I come to every
role with the same technique, which is the basics of the
basics of the basics. What do you want?
How are you going to get it? What are your obstacles?
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What are your relationships? What are the given
circumstances? What is the world?
And then the medium really informs the tone and the feel
and the choices you make. So while they were completely
different characters, they were completely different mediums.
I would say that the process wasthe same.
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And do you have a preference forwhat which you like to play
Broadway or? Honestly, I just like to act, so
I'll do anything. The thing that I love about
being on stage is that I have the communion with a live
audience every night. We live, we breathe together.
The moment lives in the moment, and it only exists once in that
time and space and place. And also, I get immediate
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feedback about the tempo and therhythm and the feel.
And I have control over the editing because I edit and, and
then in Tvi get to, I get to lean back and lean in and depend
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on the editor. I don't have to edit.
I get to enjoy the communion that I have with the camera and
I get to connect with the audience with, you know, through
the lens so they can see behind my eyes into my soul.
You know, on stage I have to show you my soul, but on camera,
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I just, I, I, you just get to see it.
So I love both mediums, and for totally different reasons.
Speaking of different mediums and genres, I've heard in an
interview earlier that you wouldlike to be in a Marvel film.
Is that still true, and if so, is there a character or some
role you'd like to fit into? I would like to be in any Marvel
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film. Sure.
Put a Cape on me, put some gloves on me.
I'll play somebody's weird aunt.I'll be the next Aunt May.
And when they need a new one, everybody's.
It seems like everybody's good right now.
But, you know, whatever, no? No particular hero or something
that you would like to play or villain.
(28:32):
I will literally play anybody. I will play anybody they want me
to. I would, I Speaking of, I have
my little boys. I'm in my little boys room right
now. It's not funny.
Yeah, I would do anything. I would play.
I'll play all the people. Any anybody they want me to
play, I'll do. I'll go into any universe.
Have you watched all the films with him?
(28:53):
Yes, but like, I have to admit that I'm not like I can't like
give you the timeline the way that my husband and my son can.
But yeah, I've watched like all of them.
It's good stuff. I'm I would love to be on
probably in the funnier ones because I love when there's some
levity, like Spider man guardians for those.
Those franchises are kind of more up my alley because they're
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funny. But like I'd like to be, I'll be
I'd love to be one of the witches in the world of Agatha.
Bring it on. I I could see that as well.
I was going to say Guardian sounds like a great pick, but
you know what? Agatha might even be a better
pick. Yeah, I'll do whatever.
Literally, I will. I will.
I will join the blip. I'm rooting for you.
I'd love to see you. So let's close out with a few TV
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topics questions your you grab your remote control and when you
do a genie flies out and he gives you one TV based wish.
He says which TV show do you want one more season of and it
could be a prequel season. It can be an extra season tucked
in between existing seasons or it can be 1 tag down at the end
and it's the same crew. It's this is a magic scenario.
(30:02):
Same crew, no time has passed soyou have free reign to just
magically add one season. What series would it be and why?
I'm going to say the comeback with Lisa Kudrow.
I want to see more. I know we kind of ended that
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story, but like, I'd like to seesome more.
I love, I love that character somuch and I'd love to play with
her. I'd like to be on it.
That'd be fun. That'd be great.
She was. It was a very cringe series.
That's kind of where it existed.Isn't that cringe zone where
you're watching her and like oh.So uncomfortable.
(30:43):
Yes, completely uncomfortable. I can't remember where it ended.
I thought it was a little more hopeful ending.
Was it? Yeah, but like, let's keep
going. What happened?
Like, you know, what happened now, what's going on with your
character now, Like every 10 years I'd like to like pick back
up and see what's going on with her.
Especially as the the entertainment landscape has
(31:04):
shifts over and over and over again.
Yeah, like what would that character be like on social
media? I can't even imagine.
That would be a great episode orgreat season.
Yeah. What do you prefer when you're
for your TV viewing, binge watching or weekly watching?
I love weekly watching. I miss appointment television.
I think it gives us all a conversation to have together.
(31:27):
I think it's more communal, and I think that there's a reason
that it worked for decades, because I think that
entertainment is actually about community.
And when there's an appointment every week, it keeps us in
community. But when you can go off and
watch and binge by yourself, youlose that community.
(31:48):
So I don't know, I kind of like appointment television.
Yeah, I, I agree. I can understand some binging,
but it's like for the past showsthat have like 10 seasons
already. But if you're a live show airing
right now, an active show, you know, I think we've seen
especially in the last few years, just yesterday.
I don't know if you, I don't know if you watched the The Last
(32:09):
of Us, and I'm not going to giveanything away.
Oh my God, I don't play the gametoo so I didn't know that was
coming. That was like it blew my mind.
I played the game with my daughter who but.
You didn't know it was coming. I didn't know it was coming.
I didn't. I knew it was coming on the on
the on the TV series. But see, we're having, we're
having community right now aboutthis.
Yeah, and if you go online, everyone's talking about it and
(32:32):
the reactions are all from the how dare they to how dare they,
But I totally understand it and it killed me.
It's the best TV ever, but I hate it.
Yes, it's a it's a very unique thing, but you don't get that.
If you watched that last week and I'm, you know, I'm 10
episodes ahead. Moving on to where the and we
also you need the time to process.
I was just going to say you can't like just jump into the
(32:54):
next one. You have to like, process,
access it and figure out what you think and feel about it.
That's actually too like a part of art is you have to like,
digest it and figure out what itmeans.
So what was your reaction when you saw that happen?
I didn't believe it. I was like, no, this isn't
happening. Well, that can't be it.
That's oh, no, Oh, no. It's just like a Game of Thrones
(33:16):
moment. Oh no.
But oh, this is good storytelling because it's real
and it's dangerous. And when you, I think what's
interesting about what's happened with television right
now is when anything can happen and there's nothing's off the
table, then it makes it makes it, it makes it exciting.
(33:43):
You don't know. You really don't know what's
going to happen from week to week.
It makes it so the audience can't get ahead of the show.
And I was hoping for a moment I was like, I wanted some kind of
last minute salvation. I wanted some kind of cheat to
say, wait, this didn't happen orme too, it was fixed.
But then I at the same time I was like, no you this is the way
it has to be. Yeah, I know.
(34:03):
To get us to the next chapter. It was wild.
Such good conflict, you know, like as storytellers, it's like
the more conflict the better. Oh my God, Talk about conflict.
So it's great. So what about favorite theme
song? Is there one that you cannot
skip? You, you know, maybe you sing or
dance to it as well. I would say, well, I like to be
(34:27):
positive theme song because I doit, which is that's kind of fun
because it's me. I'm kidding.
That would be a first for an answer.
I love that. Do you have other theme songs
that stand out? Let's see.
But I obviously I always sing along to that one, but like, who
doesn't love The Golden Girls? I know I keep talking about The
Golden Girls over and over againand cheers, they're both
(34:48):
amazing. So those two for me because
they're also like my favorite shows too.
Yeah, The Golden Girls in Cheersare, I'm sorry, The Golden Girls
in Friends are two. They come up very often, not
just for this question, but thatpeople seem to have connected
with, and it doesn't matter how old, if you watch them, it seems
(35:09):
those stand out. I'd like to find out what the
magic is and bottle it and sell it down the line.
Well, again, think of those archetypes.
They're like so clear in Cheers too, like extremely clear
archetypes of these characters that you connect with
immediately because you know whothey are.
Going back to TV deaths, if there's one TV death you could
stop, which would it be? And now I'm wondering if you
(35:34):
would stop 1. Well, I don't know if I'm
allowed to talk about it becauseit would be a spoiler.
Oh. It's really recent.
You know what? No, I think you can because it's
it's out there. It's on the Internet, Yeah.
I would stop that one. I don't want that to happen.
I want to see them keep acting together.
So that was one I would totally stop.
I'm very curious what the how the fans are going to read this
(35:54):
season because even playing the game it takes you in places you
don't expect and it would it be a different series without it
And I'm curious if they could pull it off because it worked
well in the game. Also, who would have thought
that this beautiful show came from a beautiful video game?
Like what wild world we live in?Last season especially had some
moments the relationship with Nick Offerman and your Co star.
(36:19):
Marie. Marie Yes.
Oh, it's fantastic. It was beautiful.
I love that show. I think it's fantastic.
It also, it's really uncomfortable to watch it
sometimes because it takes us back to the pandemic days, you
know? But yeah, I think it's it's
gorgeous. I love it.
And is there 1 show that you used to watch that has not aged
(36:40):
well for any reason and you can't believe you used to like
it? I don't think it's that it's not
aged well, I just think watchingSex and the City reruns this
like wild because it was so cutting edge for when it came
out and it just makes you look at the late 90s and early 2000s
with a fun eye. Just makes me feel old.
(37:04):
So it's a positive in a way. Yeah, nothing.
I don't. It doesn't make me cringe.
There are when you watch sitcomsfrom different eras, there are
jokes that you're like, whoa, wewould never tell that joke now,
you know, there's so much of that.
But but yeah, I mean, anything that I really watch that's old,
(37:25):
it's it's held up so well. What's the greatest moment in TV
history? The greatest moment in TV
history. This is really hard.
I would say when Carol Burnett came down the stairs in in the
curtains, yes, that's one of my favorite moments.
(37:47):
That's. It's going back there, but yes,
that's great. That's kind of a light.
That's kind of a silly one, but I that's one of my favorite
moments. OK, yeah, that's the thing.
It's, it's open to interpretation and it doesn't,
you know, there are the moments that everyone talks about and
there's the moments that affected you that that's just
what we're looking for. Yeah, that's like one of my
favorite moments of comedy. I love a staircase and I also
(38:12):
like, I love when something's sofunny that you can't breathe.
It's, we need more of that, though.
I, I think we've, I think we're,we've shifted away from comedy.
There are some, there's some great, you know, funny series
out there. I think you said you watched the
studio, right? Yeah, it's super funny.
I love hacks. Hacks, yes, but there's just not
enough enough of it out there. It's like.
(38:34):
Agreed. Gotten darker and darker.
You know why? Because it's really hard to be
funny. I think it's harder.
Before you can really laugh at somebody, you have to kind of
understand the character who's telling the joke.
If you don't have that perspective, then I don't think
the joke can really land as wellor resonate.
Yes, you got it. So final question, if you had a
(38:55):
magic door, one that allowed youto access and to live in ATV
show whenever you wanted to, popping in and out and as you
exited your world, that world paused so you didn't miss
anything. In real life you wouldn't be
giving anything up, but you can walk into whatever show any
time, which would it be? And one more thing I want to add
to this question is you are not just a bystander watching from
(39:18):
the outside. You live in and kind of fit into
this world. I would say that this is so
insane that I'm about to say this.
Anne of Green Gables. I love that world so much.
I love that era. I love that time and space and
(39:41):
place. I love how simple it was and how
beautiful it was that are LittleWomen.
Like, I don't know why, but I love those eras.
I would love to just like come in for a bit and hang out with
Marmee and Joe or Anne and DianaBerry and then pop out because
that would be it for me. Did you watch Anne with an?
EI, did you know I'm It was really beautiful.
(40:04):
It was kind of dark for me. It was a little bit darker than
I was. I love the book so much.
And the books are like a little bit lighter.
But yeah, I just, I love that world.
Like that and like I even like the Little House on the Prairie.
There's nothing going on but people being people with others.
That's it. Doing things, sitting around the
(40:26):
fire. Reading, Telling stories,
Poetry. Yeah.
Beautiful. It'd be nice to have that pause
and just go into something and say, wait a second, I have a
moment to breathe. Absolutely.
Thank you so much for your time today.
Thank you so much. I loved you on Broadway.
Thanks. Seeing you bring that character
to life, live and in real time was just something amazing.
(40:47):
Thank you. And I was so happy to see you
nominated for that. Thanks to get to see you live
and just just bigger than life and just dominating every scene,
not in a bad way, but just. Like, thank you.
It was really something special and I'll never forget it.
Awesome. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Thanks for stopping in on TV
topics, I really appreciate yourtime.
(41:07):
You too have a good one. Bye.
Thank you Annalee for stopping by and being part of TV Topics.
Be sure to check out her work onHappy Face.
Also check out her Emmy nominated performance in Welcome
to Chippendales and so much more.
Keep tuning into TV topics and be sure to subscribe on Spotify
or Apple podcast or wherever youfind your podcast.
(41:29):
And if you really enjoy the show, please give it a five star
rating. It really helps.
You can also follow TV topics onInstagram at TV under score
Topics. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned for more TV topics. TV Topics is produced by Steven
Przykowski. ZAP.
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for ATV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome to TV Topics. This is your host, Stephen
Purzykowski. Today my guest is an actress
whose work covers stage and screen and crosses genres from
out there comedies to serious drama.
(00:24):
And she's multi talented too. But Tony was working in an
elevated dialogue and much more.I had the pleasure of seeing her
as Missus Lovett for her Tony nominated work in Sweeney Todd,
a dark, delicious treat of a performance.
She's currently starring as a woman whose serial killer father
suddenly forces himself back into her life in Paramount
Plus's Happy Face. Of course, I'm talking about the
(00:46):
great Annalee Ashford. Hi, this is Annalee Ashford and
today I'm hanging out with Steven Prusakowski on TV Topics.
First of all, welcome, welcome to the show.
I've been watching your work foryears, Masters of Sex all the
way to Broadway and Sweeney Toddjust last year and that now
happy face. So it's been great watching your
career progress and grow and, and take all these very unique
(01:07):
choices and not just sticking toone lane, but kind of wrangling
them all. Thank you so much.
Thank you. I've been really lucky that I've
gotten to play such a range of women.
You know, somebody told me once that they didn't know kind of
what I was going to be like because, you know, I play like
(01:28):
such different women, and that was sort of the ultimate
compliment. Before we get into your work,
let's do some TV topics. Remember, there's no pressure,
no right or wrong answers, just a bit of fun.
I remember TV being one of my friends growing up as a kid.
One of my favorite and 1st memories of watching TV was with
(01:49):
my grandpa watching Johnny Carson as a little girl.
And also I watched Saturday Night Live when I was a really
little person probably and appropriately so.
So those were absolutely formative to my comedy and also
the way that I look at the world.
And then I would also say that Iwatched Cheers and Smash.
(02:13):
They were on after Johnny Carsonand Letterman.
You know, it's like Carson Letterman.
And then also, why was I up thatlate?
But they also were both very formative to me, also really
strong characters. The Golden Girls.
These are all, you know, multicam shows.
(02:34):
And then as a young adult, I would also say that I watched
every episode of Sex and the City.
As I was moving to New York City, I watched The Wire.
You know, all all of these were really important shows to me
(02:55):
growing up. Pretty wide range.
Yeah, I, I would say it's as rangy as, as my career has sort
of been that was as as rangy as as my sort of the, the way that
I adjusted TV as a kid was pretty rangy.
What better way to see differentparts of the world and meet new
people than through art and television, especially over the
(03:16):
last 20 years or so, has really kind of open those doors to take
us all across the globe, different parts of even
different parts of the same community and different
households and really see the world through different,
different people's eyes, different perspectives.
Yeah, TV has absolutely explodedas a medium in the last 20
years. You know, we all talk about it
all of the time, but the way that we consume television now
(03:39):
and the way that we have raised the expectation, we've raised
the bar on television is quite extraordinary.
You know, now the way that I view television, I, I think half
of it is I would consider 8 hourfilms, 10 hour films, 15 hour
films. You know, it's just, you know,
(04:01):
artistically and the creative and the narrative have gone to a
level that's just quite extraordinary.
And is there one prime time showthat was your first that you
remember really loving the one that stands out?
I remember going to a party for the last episode of Cheers and
(04:27):
like a. Family party like a friend and
family party together. To watch a friend and family
party. And I mean, I was a little kid
and like somebody dressed up as Norm and Cliff and I remember it
being really like a, a happy sadnight because nobody wanted it
(04:48):
to end. And then it also was so funny.
So I I would say that was a landmark night for me.
I was a little kid. Yeah, well, that's an an
impactful episode too. You know, he, I think Sam turns
off the lights and shuts the doors and like, it's a true
goodbye. It wasn't kind of this
open-ended, you know, like it just ended.
(05:09):
And no, it's like this is we're saying goodbye and everyone
reacted to it. It was a really beautiful final
episode, which feels impossible to do.
Yeah, our our local news stationdid in Buffalo, NY, did a very
cheesy version of of Eric Clapton's Tears from Heaven.
(05:30):
Our Tears in Heaven. It was Cheers in Heaven.
And. Year what is it 30 years later,
my friend and I actually just a few days ago were texting lines
from it the cheesiest thing I'veever heard and I was like, my
God, this is it's amazing how much the world united over a a
30 minute sitcom and connected with it to make it.
You know, you're talking about it.
(05:50):
I'm talking about it and and allthese years later to have that
impact on people. Also, my little boy loves The
Golden Girls, which is my other favorite all time show, and to
watch him experience The Golden Girls and have it be just as
funny and relevant as it was, you know, 40 years ago, it's
kind of thrilling. So that's another show that is
(06:12):
absolutely formative in not onlyway that I look at TV, but also
the way that I perform comedy. Well that kind of takes me to my
next question. What show makes you laugh the
most Is maybe Golden Girls or something else influenced you or
something you go to for a pick me up?
I would absolutely say that Golden Girls is comfort.
(06:33):
You know, if I'm on the road, I'm out of town, I can bop
around the channels and find an episode of The Golden Girls
somewhere and those 4 ladies give me comfort and absolutely a
laugh. I can't get through 1 episode
without laughing at least once. It's, it's funny how often it
comes up. What is it about that I, I was
not a Golden Girls fan. I, I watched it, it was fine for
me, but people love it. I, you know, in all ages too.
(06:58):
It's not just people who watchedit back then.
It's people who started watchingit in and reruns and streaming.
The four women are such strong archetypes that it sets up a
comedy dynamic that allows us tolaugh at them and with them
every every episode. So I feel like that's part of
(07:20):
the strength of the show. And then the other strength of
the show is the casting. Those four women were cast to
perfection. Their performances are, you
know, the very best. And then the writing also rose
to the Rose to the occasion as well.
There's some really, really smart, clean jokes and I just
(07:48):
think it's one of the best of all time.
It when something lasts, you know that the writing and the
performances and the casting allcame together.
You know, they all just hit the right chord forever.
And which one do you associate most with?
Which were the four? Oh, I've, I love them all for
(08:12):
different reasons, but I think that Bea Arthur has a special
place in my heart because of herhistory in the theater.
And I don't know why, but I havea special kinship for Betty
White because I feel like she's the one of the four of them that
I most like her and type, you know, like she also played
(08:36):
different types of women throughout her career, which is
kind of similar to me. I don't know.
I have a similar kind of energy to Betty White.
Like I think I would play Rose if we did The Golden Girls right
now. I would be Rose.
I could see it. She she, her career lasted about
50 some years and everyone lovesher right up until her to her,
(08:57):
you know, her last days. So she was on SNL not long
before, you know, when most people would be.
That's it. I'm done.
And she's out there making people laugh.
It's incredible talking, you know, bringing back SNL.
I'd like to be Betty White when I grew up.
That's a that's a good dream, good dream to have.
And what about shows that make you cry?
Is there one that stands out? Is there anything that's really
(09:19):
moved you lately? I would say severance, I think
is really exciting. I think it makes you think about
the way that you navigate the world, the way that you choose
to disassociate from the world, makes me think about my children
(09:42):
and how they're going to live ina world with so much technology.
And I think, I think it's, I think it's a gorgeous, beautiful
show that makes me really uncomfortable and sad and
heartbroken and excited. And so, yeah, I think it's one
(10:04):
of my favorite shows of the year.
Yeah, some people watch it for different, you know, many
different reasons. But the idea of how technology
is changing everything, when I had kids, this it's not the
world it is now, and it's completely different.
And it scares the hell out of me.
And I just hope that we can all navigate it together and figure
out a way to to remain human andnot just give over to the
(10:29):
technology that seems to be, youknow, kind of taking over every
aspect of us. Yeah, don't sever yourself.
I think it's sort of the point. Yeah, So what about ATV show
that you think would surprise your fans if they found out you
were watching? Sort of like something you go
to? It could be for any reason.
It could be a guilty pleasure. It could be something darker
than usual. It could be.
I don't I mean, I don't think this is going to be a surprise,
(10:50):
but I watch a lot of trash reality who doesn't?
It's kind of it's kind of like a, you know, my guilty pleasure.
But I would say when it comes toscripted television, why do I
watch that as a surprise? I would say I try to watch as
(11:12):
much as I can that I have friends on, you know, which is
always trying to make sure that I'm doing that.
And am I watching anything surprising?
I don't know. I feel like some of my surprise
favorites have not. I feel like I'm not that
(11:33):
surprising. I love Drag Race.
I love the Housewives. That's where I live in reality
land and then in scripted land. I love comedies.
So of course I love Hacks, I love The Bear, I love Severance,
I love The Last of Us. I'm really enjoying the studio.
(11:58):
See, I'm kind of, I kind of livein all genres, like the way that
I liked as an actor. You still enjoy the TV buffet,
it seems. You know this.
I love ATV buffet. Yeah, that's, that's how I am.
There's a few genres. I, I, I, I don't gravitate
toward, but when people say whatdo you want, there's no like
easy way to identify. And I think that's the best
thing, especially with the quality of stuff that's out
(12:19):
there. Yeah, if it's good acting, good
storytelling, we're all on board.
Completely agree. Before we continue with some TV
topics, let's talk about your gripping work on Happy Face.
Why did you take on this role and what was it about it that
made you want to tell this story?
One of the things that's unique about this show, yes, it's a
story about true crime, but we're so often watching true
(12:39):
true crime shows through the lens of the serial killer or
through the detectives trying tofigure out the serial.
Usually it's a male gaze. Not only is this a female gaze,
but it's also from the point of view of the family member of the
serial killer, which is something I don't think we often
are enlightened by. You know, this is a real woman.
(13:02):
It's her real story. And it's about the guilt and the
shame that she carries for a crime that she did not commit
and how how this woman in real life really used this terrible
act of violence and has become an advocate for people who have
(13:23):
been touched by the trauma of crime.
What was most interesting to play about the care, you know,
play with this and in this character was there's a there's
a constant inner struggle. Her inner life is unfortunately,
you know, going to forever be fraught.
She's in the struggle for the love that she has for this man
(13:45):
before he became the monster. And, and what do you do if you
have a family member who commitsa violent act of or, you know,
atrocity, like, what do you do? You still knew them before they
did that. And how do you reconcile those
memories and that love? And it digs into some really
(14:06):
dark places. So was there any apprehension
taking on the role because of that or is that more inviting to
you? Honestly, dark light, I always
feel like when you're doing something light, you have to
find the dark, and when you're doing something dark, you have
to find the light. And they're all extensions of,
you know, what's happening in the world.
(14:27):
So I never think of projects like, oh, is this going to be a
dark one or a light? You know, I just think, is this
a great story? Is this an interesting
character? Will this make people think
about the world in a different way?
And in this instance, I really thought that the show would help
people question their consumption of true crime and
(14:47):
and hopefully help remind peoplethat these are real people with
real stories and real lives. Did you do any research for the
role in like into serial killersor what was your approach?
Yeah, You know, I was really lucky that the show is based off
of a podcast. So not only did I have the
podcast as a reference, but Melissa also wrote a book about
her life. So I had her book, she's an exec
(15:10):
producer on the show, so she worked really closely with our
great showrunner John Casicio. So I really between what was on
the page, her book and the podcast, I had a lot of material
to go with. Did.
You have conversations with her as well that you were able to
like, really happen. With her, you know, she was
available to me, but honestly, Ihad so much information from my
(15:31):
script and from my research thatI actually, I, you know, didn't
need to reach out to her before filming started.
And I, I felt like I wanted to give her her privacy.
You know, she'd shared so much already.
I actually didn't need anything else.
And then, you know, as we've been sharing the show with
people, it's been really nice toget to know her and also learn
from her about her experience insort of the machine of true
(15:53):
crime. One of the things that came up,
you know, my feelings about early on was the idea of this
loved one becoming a true stranger to who you are.
And then, you know, it captures some of that where, you know,
she wants to cut, cut him out ofher life.
But at the same time, there's blood, There's that that bond.
(16:13):
And there is that old relationship that still is alive
in her. You know, there's still the
father daughter aspect of it. Yeah.
You know, I think what one thingthat the show does, the
storytelling of the show that's really successful, is that we
show so many moments of Melissa's childhood through
flashback. And it helps the audience
understand how she can be both horrified, embarrassed,
(16:44):
mortified by who her father is, but still be conflicted with the
memories that she has of him. You know, if somebody took care
of you and loved you, it would be very it's almost impossible
to forget the good memories in the same way that it is to
(17:08):
forget the bad. So in a lot of ways, those good
memories are are are absolutely also a source of trauma.
To remember somebody who is a monster fondly is really
confusing and complicated and a a source of trauma.
So I thought that was really interesting for the audience and
(17:28):
then it was also really interesting for me as an actor
to play. Yeah, as you brought about true
crime and, and the way we consume it now is it becomes a
source of debate and Reddit forms where people kind of lose
that these are people at the core of this and it strips away
that and it becomes like almost a game.
And I'm I don't think it's a great thing.
(17:51):
It's good that this kind of digsinto that a little.
Bit Yeah, You know, in real life, Melissa's advocacy work
has really been to have conversations that make the
public aware that there is a true crime industry and it is a
form of entertainment. But oftentimes many of the
families are not consulted. No one reaches out to them.
(18:16):
They don't have any control or agency over any of their
narrative. And both on the victims side and
the perpetrator side, the, the families are re victimized by
the retelling of, of whatever violent act was committed.
You know, and it's a great reminder that both sides of the
(18:38):
courtroom, their family will forever have a stain in their
lineage of whatever violent act was committed.
You know the victim's family andthe perpetrators family and
something that both families areconnected with unfortunately and
live with for the rest of their lives.
Doesn't end with the. Verdict and it doesn't end with
the verdict and it doesn't end with this generation.
(18:59):
You know, it just continues on for generations through the
family line. You know, you have this family
secret or this, you know, again,that sort of staying on the
family tree. You know, one of the things that
I think my character struggles with so deeply is she carries
around this bag of guilt and shame.
And it's for, you know, for a sin that she did not commit, but
(19:28):
because she couldn't stop it or she didn't know or she didn't
see it, she'll forever feel likeshe was to blame because she
didn't stop it. And, and so I think for the
audience, it really makes you take a deep dive into how, what
would that feel like and what would that look like?
It's especially in the true crime genre.
It's a point of view that we really just don't don't ever
(19:49):
consider. Yeah, this is a very powerful
scene where she reveals to her father that she was a rape
victim and that was a reason forthe abortion.
And by doing so, she takes back some of the power that he has.
Can you break that down a littlebit for me?
Yeah. You know, the relationship
between Keith and Melissa, again, is so complicated because
it's not only steeped in this history of who the man was
(20:13):
before he became the monster, but it's a constant game of
power between the two of them. And one of the ways that Melissa
actually finds power with him isis sometimes making him think he
has it, you know, and also I think she starts to find her own
(20:33):
power when she's able to actually confront the past and
confront her own drama by confronting him.
Then he no longer wins, you know.
But yes, I think that scene is definitely a scene where she
takes her power back. And she also, it's a moment
(20:57):
where you see empathy in his character, which is also
confusing and complicated because serial killers are so
lacking of empathy, you know, and that's what we learn about
them. So to see him, see him have
empathy for his daughter is botha conflict for the audience and
it's a conflict for the character.
Well, it's tough to read becauseearlier on he's kind of saying
(21:20):
you are like me, you are a murderer for having this
abortion. And then when she says this is,
you know, the reason why and explains it, you're like, you
know, you do see that moment of empathy.
But do you believe it? Because this is someone who's
kind of wore the mask for for decades?
Probably. She says throughout the show, do
not believe him, do not believe him, do not believe him.
(21:40):
The whole season she's like, don't listen to him.
And she's right the entire time.She's sort of the only person on
the planet that can really see through him.
And even then, she still feels like he has power over her and
is able to manipulate her. But watching her fight the good
fight is, I think what's interesting for us as an
(22:02):
audience. Another part of his punishment
is that he does not have access to her, you know, and that
should be part of his punishment.
But unfortunately, because therewere years that he was so good
to her and that he loved her so much, it makes it even more
heartbreaking that he committed these horrible, heinous acts,
(22:24):
you know, as you go, why didn't I see it?
How did I miss it? And how could he have done this?
And the questioning of how and why and even is this in my
blood? Is this of me?
That is something that's really hard to live with.
Being able to judge somebody who's you're not connected to is
(22:44):
one thing, but having those ties, especially after you said
that you had this life together and then everything just flips
and it's a completely, it's not just a new chapter.
It's like a new book. This is not the person I knew.
This is not the relationship I knew.
You can't turn it off. So how do you deal with it?
How do you move forward and and how do you not have that in you
(23:04):
with worrying that? Well, if that was him, is some
of that in me because I'm a a product of of this person not.
Only is he going to pass this down to me, but is it going to
be passed down to my children? Is this, is this something
that's passed down so you worry about your family for
generations? Yeah, it's quite scary the
(23:24):
working with Dennis Quaid though, So he does a great job
and and he's he's as of late, you know, he's been, he was the
hero forever that was growing up.
He was always like the good guy and over the last couple of
years, especially with the substance and now this, he's
really played some despicable people.
What was it like working with him?
He was fantastic to work with. You know, so often we talk about
(23:45):
the chemistry that you need withanother actor when you're
playing opposite them in a romantic sense.
But I would say that it's equally, if not more important
to have chemistry with somebody that you're playing family with,
especially a father daughter andespecially a father daughter who
really love each other or, or did.
And so we were really lucky as actors.
We've just had a natural easy familial chemistry.
(24:09):
And, you know, he truly is one of our finest actors.
And one of the things that you said about his his work is that
he, you know, usually plays the good guy.
We love Dennis Quaid. You know, we have all these
incredible memories of him and all these wonderful
performances. And I think that's what makes
him so wonderful in this role isthat you trust him, you like
him. And then you remember who he is
(24:31):
and how bad he is. And it makes him more
manipulative. It makes it gross.
And it makes you feel kind of icky when you like him for a
moment or two and then you remember how bad he is.
Yeah, it's, I mean, it's you getthose moments where you go,
well, you when you think, oh, it's this is a guy that we all
loved how quick that changes andyou know, it just as a viewer,
(24:55):
how do you handle that? How do you process that?
And then to put yourself in her shoes, it's 10 times more
powerful. Yeah, he's, you know, he's doing
the thing that you need to do. When you play villain, you don't
know that you're the villain andyou make sure you're likable.
I like that. So I was curious what you were
hearing back from the fans of the series.
(25:16):
Have there been any responses that have moved you?
Yeah, You know, I think people are really interested in the
show in the way that people are interested in true crime shows.
You know, they want to know who the murderer is.
They want to know what happened.But what's been really
heartwarming is people are really aware of one of the
themes of our show, which is howdo you consume true crime and
(25:40):
are you aware of the real peopleand the real victims?
And I think, I think people are really struck by the question of
what would you do if this was you and what would you do if it
was your family? So yeah, it's been, it's been a
great ride so far. And your work in Broadway as
Misses Lovett was brilliant and Sweeney Todd absolutely loved
(26:02):
it. How was preparing for a role
that was like that larger than life performance compared to
something that's more internalized and trauma driven
as this in this role? Yeah, You know, I come to every
role with the same technique, which is the basics of the
basics of the basics. What do you want?
How are you going to get it? What are your obstacles?
(26:23):
What are your relationships? What are the given
circumstances? What is the world?
And then the medium really informs the tone and the feel
and the choices you make. So while they were completely
different characters, they were completely different mediums.
I would say that the process wasthe same.
(26:46):
And do you have a preference forwhat which you like to play
Broadway or? Honestly, I just like to act, so
I'll do anything. The thing that I love about
being on stage is that I have the communion with a live
audience every night. We live, we breathe together.
The moment lives in the moment, and it only exists once in that
time and space and place. And also, I get immediate
(27:08):
feedback about the tempo and therhythm and the feel.
And I have control over the editing because I edit and, and
then in Tvi get to, I get to lean back and lean in and depend
(27:28):
on the editor. I don't have to edit.
I get to enjoy the communion that I have with the camera and
I get to connect with the audience with, you know, through
the lens so they can see behind my eyes into my soul.
You know, on stage I have to show you my soul, but on camera,
(27:49):
I just, I, I, you just get to see it.
So I love both mediums, and for totally different reasons.
Speaking of different mediums and genres, I've heard in an
interview earlier that you wouldlike to be in a Marvel film.
Is that still true, and if so, is there a character or some
role you'd like to fit into? I would like to be in any Marvel
(28:11):
film. Sure.
Put a Cape on me, put some gloves on me.
I'll play somebody's weird aunt.I'll be the next Aunt May.
And when they need a new one, everybody's.
It seems like everybody's good right now.
But, you know, whatever, no? No particular hero or something
that you would like to play or villain.
(28:32):
I will literally play anybody. I will play anybody they want me
to. I would, I Speaking of, I have
my little boys. I'm in my little boys room right
now. It's not funny.
Yeah, I would do anything. I would play.
I'll play all the people. Any anybody they want me to
play, I'll do. I'll go into any universe.
Have you watched all the films with him?
(28:53):
Yes, but like, I have to admit that I'm not like I can't like
give you the timeline the way that my husband and my son can.
But yeah, I've watched like all of them.
It's good stuff. I'm I would love to be on
probably in the funnier ones because I love when there's some
levity, like Spider man guardians for those.
Those franchises are kind of more up my alley because they're
(29:16):
funny. But like I'd like to be, I'll be
I'd love to be one of the witches in the world of Agatha.
Bring it on. I I could see that as well.
I was going to say Guardian sounds like a great pick, but
you know what? Agatha might even be a better
pick. Yeah, I'll do whatever.
Literally, I will. I will.
I will join the blip. I'm rooting for you.
I'd love to see you. So let's close out with a few TV
(29:40):
topics questions your you grab your remote control and when you
do a genie flies out and he gives you one TV based wish.
He says which TV show do you want one more season of and it
could be a prequel season. It can be an extra season tucked
in between existing seasons or it can be 1 tag down at the end
and it's the same crew. It's this is a magic scenario.
(30:02):
Same crew, no time has passed soyou have free reign to just
magically add one season. What series would it be and why?
I'm going to say the comeback with Lisa Kudrow.
I want to see more. I know we kind of ended that
(30:23):
story, but like, I'd like to seesome more.
I love, I love that character somuch and I'd love to play with
her. I'd like to be on it.
That'd be fun. That'd be great.
She was. It was a very cringe series.
That's kind of where it existed.Isn't that cringe zone where
you're watching her and like oh.So uncomfortable.
(30:43):
Yes, completely uncomfortable. I can't remember where it ended.
I thought it was a little more hopeful ending.
Was it? Yeah, but like, let's keep
going. What happened?
Like, you know, what happened now, what's going on with your
character now, Like every 10 years I'd like to like pick back
up and see what's going on with her.
Especially as the the entertainment landscape has
(31:04):
shifts over and over and over again.
Yeah, like what would that character be like on social
media? I can't even imagine.
That would be a great episode orgreat season.
Yeah. What do you prefer when you're
for your TV viewing, binge watching or weekly watching?
I love weekly watching. I miss appointment television.
I think it gives us all a conversation to have together.
(31:27):
I think it's more communal, and I think that there's a reason
that it worked for decades, because I think that
entertainment is actually about community.
And when there's an appointment every week, it keeps us in
community. But when you can go off and
watch and binge by yourself, youlose that community.
(31:48):
So I don't know, I kind of like appointment television.
Yeah, I, I agree. I can understand some binging,
but it's like for the past showsthat have like 10 seasons
already. But if you're a live show airing
right now, an active show, you know, I think we've seen
especially in the last few years, just yesterday.
I don't know if you, I don't know if you watched the The Last
(32:09):
of Us, and I'm not going to giveanything away.
Oh my God, I don't play the gametoo so I didn't know that was
coming. That was like it blew my mind.
I played the game with my daughter who but.
You didn't know it was coming. I didn't know it was coming.
I didn't. I knew it was coming on the on
the on the TV series. But see, we're having, we're
having community right now aboutthis.
Yeah, and if you go online, everyone's talking about it and
(32:32):
the reactions are all from the how dare they to how dare they,
But I totally understand it and it killed me.
It's the best TV ever, but I hate it.
Yes, it's a it's a very unique thing, but you don't get that.
If you watched that last week and I'm, you know, I'm 10
episodes ahead. Moving on to where the and we
also you need the time to process.
I was just going to say you can't like just jump into the
(32:54):
next one. You have to like, process,
access it and figure out what you think and feel about it.
That's actually too like a part of art is you have to like,
digest it and figure out what itmeans.
So what was your reaction when you saw that happen?
I didn't believe it. I was like, no, this isn't
happening. Well, that can't be it.
That's oh, no, Oh, no. It's just like a Game of Thrones
(33:16):
moment. Oh no.
But oh, this is good storytelling because it's real
and it's dangerous. And when you, I think what's
interesting about what's happened with television right
now is when anything can happen and there's nothing's off the
table, then it makes it makes it, it makes it exciting.
(33:43):
You don't know. You really don't know what's
going to happen from week to week.
It makes it so the audience can't get ahead of the show.
And I was hoping for a moment I was like, I wanted some kind of
last minute salvation. I wanted some kind of cheat to
say, wait, this didn't happen orme too, it was fixed.
But then I at the same time I was like, no you this is the way
it has to be. Yeah, I know.
(34:03):
To get us to the next chapter. It was wild.
Such good conflict, you know, like as storytellers, it's like
the more conflict the better. Oh my God, Talk about conflict.
So it's great. So what about favorite theme
song? Is there one that you cannot
skip? You, you know, maybe you sing or
dance to it as well. I would say, well, I like to be
(34:27):
positive theme song because I doit, which is that's kind of fun
because it's me. I'm kidding.
That would be a first for an answer.
I love that. Do you have other theme songs
that stand out? Let's see.
But I obviously I always sing along to that one, but like, who
doesn't love The Golden Girls? I know I keep talking about The
Golden Girls over and over againand cheers, they're both
(34:48):
amazing. So those two for me because
they're also like my favorite shows too.
Yeah, The Golden Girls in Cheersare, I'm sorry, The Golden Girls
in Friends are two. They come up very often, not
just for this question, but thatpeople seem to have connected
with, and it doesn't matter how old, if you watch them, it seems
(35:09):
those stand out. I'd like to find out what the
magic is and bottle it and sell it down the line.
Well, again, think of those archetypes.
They're like so clear in Cheers too, like extremely clear
archetypes of these characters that you connect with
immediately because you know whothey are.
Going back to TV deaths, if there's one TV death you could
stop, which would it be? And now I'm wondering if you
(35:34):
would stop 1. Well, I don't know if I'm
allowed to talk about it becauseit would be a spoiler.
Oh. It's really recent.
You know what? No, I think you can because it's
it's out there. It's on the Internet, Yeah.
I would stop that one. I don't want that to happen.
I want to see them keep acting together.
So that was one I would totally stop.
I'm very curious what the how the fans are going to read this
(35:54):
season because even playing the game it takes you in places you
don't expect and it would it be a different series without it
And I'm curious if they could pull it off because it worked
well in the game. Also, who would have thought
that this beautiful show came from a beautiful video game?
Like what wild world we live in?Last season especially had some
moments the relationship with Nick Offerman and your Co star.
(36:19):
Marie. Marie Yes.
Oh, it's fantastic. It was beautiful.
I love that show. I think it's fantastic.
It also, it's really uncomfortable to watch it
sometimes because it takes us back to the pandemic days, you
know? But yeah, I think it's it's
gorgeous. I love it.
And is there 1 show that you used to watch that has not aged
(36:40):
well for any reason and you can't believe you used to like
it? I don't think it's that it's not
aged well, I just think watchingSex and the City reruns this
like wild because it was so cutting edge for when it came
out and it just makes you look at the late 90s and early 2000s
with a fun eye. Just makes me feel old.
(37:04):
So it's a positive in a way. Yeah, nothing.
I don't. It doesn't make me cringe.
There are when you watch sitcomsfrom different eras, there are
jokes that you're like, whoa, wewould never tell that joke now,
you know, there's so much of that.
But but yeah, I mean, anything that I really watch that's old,
(37:25):
it's it's held up so well. What's the greatest moment in TV
history? The greatest moment in TV
history. This is really hard.
I would say when Carol Burnett came down the stairs in in the
curtains, yes, that's one of my favorite moments.
(37:47):
That's. It's going back there, but yes,
that's great. That's kind of a light.
That's kind of a silly one, but I that's one of my favorite
moments. OK, yeah, that's the thing.
It's, it's open to interpretation and it doesn't,
you know, there are the moments that everyone talks about and
there's the moments that affected you that that's just
what we're looking for. Yeah, that's like one of my
favorite moments of comedy. I love a staircase and I also
(38:12):
like, I love when something's sofunny that you can't breathe.
It's, we need more of that, though.
I, I think we've, I think we're,we've shifted away from comedy.
There are some, there's some great, you know, funny series
out there. I think you said you watched the
studio, right? Yeah, it's super funny.
I love hacks. Hacks, yes, but there's just not
enough enough of it out there. It's like.
(38:34):
Agreed. Gotten darker and darker.
You know why? Because it's really hard to be
funny. I think it's harder.
Before you can really laugh at somebody, you have to kind of
understand the character who's telling the joke.
If you don't have that perspective, then I don't think
the joke can really land as wellor resonate.
Yes, you got it. So final question, if you had a
(38:55):
magic door, one that allowed youto access and to live in ATV
show whenever you wanted to, popping in and out and as you
exited your world, that world paused so you didn't miss
anything. In real life you wouldn't be
giving anything up, but you can walk into whatever show any
time, which would it be? And one more thing I want to add
to this question is you are not just a bystander watching from
(39:18):
the outside. You live in and kind of fit into
this world. I would say that this is so
insane that I'm about to say this.
Anne of Green Gables. I love that world so much.
I love that era. I love that time and space and
(39:41):
place. I love how simple it was and how
beautiful it was that are LittleWomen.
Like, I don't know why, but I love those eras.
I would love to just like come in for a bit and hang out with
Marmee and Joe or Anne and DianaBerry and then pop out because
that would be it for me. Did you watch Anne with an?
EI, did you know I'm It was really beautiful.
(40:04):
It was kind of dark for me. It was a little bit darker than
I was. I love the book so much.
And the books are like a little bit lighter.
But yeah, I just, I love that world.
Like that and like I even like the Little House on the Prairie.
There's nothing going on but people being people with others.
That's it. Doing things, sitting around the
(40:26):
fire. Reading, Telling stories,
Poetry. Yeah.
Beautiful. It'd be nice to have that pause
and just go into something and say, wait a second, I have a
moment to breathe. Absolutely.
Thank you so much for your time today.
Thank you so much. I loved you on Broadway.
Thanks. Seeing you bring that character
to life, live and in real time was just something amazing.
(40:47):
Thank you. And I was so happy to see you
nominated for that. Thanks to get to see you live
and just just bigger than life and just dominating every scene,
not in a bad way, but just. Like, thank you.
It was really something special and I'll never forget it.
Awesome. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Thanks for stopping in on TV
topics, I really appreciate yourtime.
(41:07):
You too have a good one. Bye.
Thank you Annalee for stopping by and being part of TV Topics.
Be sure to check out her work onHappy Face.
Also check out her Emmy nominated performance in Welcome
to Chippendales and so much more.
Keep tuning into TV topics and be sure to subscribe on Spotify
or Apple podcast or wherever youfind your podcast.
(41:29):
And if you really enjoy the show, please give it a five star
rating. It really helps.
You can also follow TV topics onInstagram at TV under score
Topics. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned for more TV topics. TV Topics is produced by Steven
Przykowski. ZAP.
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