WEBVTT 00:01.433 --> 00:02.600 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Voiceover] Funding for Overheard with Evan Smith 00:02.600 --> 00:06.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% is provided in part by MFI Foundation, 00:06.200 --> 00:09.633 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% improving the quality of life within our community. 00:09.633 --> 00:12.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Also by Hillco Partners, 00:12.233 --> 00:14.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a Texas government affairs consultancy. 00:14.833 --> 00:17.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation. 00:18.333 --> 00:20.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - I'm Evan Smith, she's a comedian and an actress 00:20.533 --> 00:23.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% whose credits include Mr. Show with Bob and David, 00:23.333 --> 00:25.566 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% The Larry Sanders Show and, most memorably, 00:25.566 --> 00:29.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% 24 and its miniseries reboot, 24: Live Another Day. 00:29.266 --> 00:32.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% She's Mary Lynn Rajskub, this is Overheard. 00:33.333 --> 00:35.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Evan voiceover] Let's be honest, is this about 00:35.633 --> 00:37.566 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the ability to learn, or is this about the 00:37.566 --> 00:39.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% experience of not having been taught properly? 00:39.766 --> 00:42.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% How have you avoided what has befallen 00:42.000 --> 00:43.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% other nations in Africa... 00:43.466 --> 00:45.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You could say that he made his own bed, 00:45.366 --> 00:47.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% but you caused him to sleep in it. 00:47.133 --> 00:48.533 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Now you saw a problem and, 00:48.533 --> 00:50.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% over time, took it on and... 00:50.100 --> 00:53.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Let's start with the sizzle before we get to the steak. 00:53.433 --> 00:54.866 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Are you gonna run for president? 00:54.866 --> 00:56.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I think I just got an "F" from you. 00:56.533 --> 00:58.666 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% This is Overheard. 01:02.600 --> 01:04.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Evan] Mary Lynn, welcome. - [Mary Lynn] Hi. 01:04.033 --> 01:05.866 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - [Both] Nice to see you. 01:05.866 --> 01:07.266 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - Very nice to meet you. 01:07.266 --> 01:09.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So, I'm catching you now as you're out on tour 01:09.933 --> 01:12.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% doing stand-up, which you do a fair amount of these days. 01:12.400 --> 01:14.033 align:left position:30%,start line:83% size:60% - Yes. Thank you for catching me. 01:14.033 --> 01:15.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Evan] Well, happy to catch you. 01:15.266 --> 01:16.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Everybody coming here at the last minute... 01:16.466 --> 01:17.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Evan] Thank you for being caught. 01:17.900 --> 01:19.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Mary Lynn] It's exciting. - [Evan] Good to have you. 01:19.433 --> 01:21.233 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% - Many of us know you through the front door as an actress. 01:21.233 --> 01:23.566 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% We know you from 24 or some of the other stuff you've done. 01:23.566 --> 01:25.533 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% You've been a comedian for a long time. 01:25.533 --> 01:28.500 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Do you self-define these days as a comedian who acts 01:28.500 --> 01:30.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% or as an actress who does stand-up? 01:30.266 --> 01:33.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - It's hard to say at this point. I don't really know. 01:33.666 --> 01:35.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Maybe there's no one or the other, it's both. 01:35.500 --> 01:39.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Yeah, I kind of change once I get on the road. 01:39.233 --> 01:41.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Last time...I just got into Austin, 01:41.500 --> 01:43.566 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% so things haven't gotten too crazy yet. 01:43.566 --> 01:47.100 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% Last night was pretty mellow, but I was just in Atlanta, 01:47.100 --> 01:51.233 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% and when I landed, I called my husband, 01:51.233 --> 01:53.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "I miss you, I don't know what I'm doing, 01:53.666 --> 01:55.100 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% "why am I doing this?" 01:55.100 --> 01:58.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And, then had a great show, and I don't usually 01:58.466 --> 02:00.233 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% go out that much, and then the comedians were like, 02:00.233 --> 02:02.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% "Come out with us!" and then ended up going out, having 02:02.666 --> 02:04.133 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% a crazy night. - [Evan] Yeah, it's a scene. 02:05.700 --> 02:07.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% You enjoy it, still. 02:07.233 --> 02:08.500 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% You've been doing this a long time, but you still enjoy it. 02:08.500 --> 02:10.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - I enjoy it, it's just the transition between, 02:10.433 --> 02:12.200 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "Why am I doing this?" and then, 02:12.200 --> 02:15.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% once I'm on the road and doing it, 02:15.200 --> 02:17.700 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% there's really nothing like it. 02:17.700 --> 02:19.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - And is it possible to do both at the same time? 02:19.666 --> 02:21.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Can you act during the day and then do stand-up at night? 02:21.733 --> 02:24.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Or do you have to take off a period of time to do 02:24.000 --> 02:25.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a season of 24 when you're filming? 02:25.666 --> 02:28.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - That's a good question. 02:28.400 --> 02:31.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% The last installment of 24, we were 02:31.133 --> 02:33.766 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% in London for five months, and 02:33.766 --> 02:38.500 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% even preparing to go to London 02:38.500 --> 02:39.933 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% was sort of like 02:39.933 --> 02:42.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% you're mentally in the space of 24. 02:42.366 --> 02:44.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And we were bringing the show back after four years. 02:44.466 --> 02:46.366 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% And so... 02:46.366 --> 02:48.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% even though I did have down time, 02:48.500 --> 02:50.233 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% enough time to go do stand-up, 02:50.233 --> 02:51.500 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% I was really focused on that. 02:51.500 --> 02:54.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% But by the end of my five months in London, 02:54.100 --> 02:56.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% if I knew I was gonna have a stretch of days off, 02:56.200 --> 02:58.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I started sort of investigating the scene 02:58.933 --> 03:01.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and going to comedy rooms and stuff like that. 03:01.200 --> 03:02.566 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Ready to get back in front of an audience. 03:02.566 --> 03:04.000 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% - Yeah. 03:04.000 --> 03:06.100 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - A lot of people who do comedy, and especially these days 03:06.100 --> 03:07.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% where people talk a lot about the things that 03:07.533 --> 03:09.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% influenced them as a kid, they'll say, 03:09.000 --> 03:10.866 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% "Well, I listened to George Carlin's records as a kid," 03:10.866 --> 03:13.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% or "Steve Martin," or "Andy Kaufman." 03:13.166 --> 03:16.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And, my understanding of your backstory here 03:16.133 --> 03:18.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% is that you didn't necessarily think, as a kid, 03:18.033 --> 03:20.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% "I wanna be a a comedian, I wanna do stand-up." 03:20.000 --> 03:21.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You don't necessarily have that same story. 03:21.700 --> 03:23.100 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - No, no, not at all. 03:23.100 --> 03:25.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% If anything, it was more of, "I want to be an actor." 03:25.366 --> 03:27.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% But I didn't even really think that. 03:27.066 --> 03:30.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I didn't really have the capacity to think that I was 03:30.900 --> 03:33.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% somebody who could do something like that. 03:33.666 --> 03:35.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You hear that a lot from people, maybe, 03:35.766 --> 03:38.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "I didn't know that was a possibility," or, 03:38.066 --> 03:41.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% especially with comedy, I just thought, 03:41.066 --> 03:44.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "I'm female, I'm kind of odd, 03:44.333 --> 03:47.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "I'm kind of an interior person." 03:48.933 --> 03:51.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And comedy was something where it was mostly 03:51.766 --> 03:54.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% a guy talking about his thoughts and being real... 03:54.766 --> 03:56.100 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - Right, extroverted. 03:56.100 --> 03:59.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Extroverted, but as time went on, 03:59.633 --> 04:02.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% it started with me doing performance art, 04:02.800 --> 04:05.033 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% and then people... 04:05.533 --> 04:08.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% my performance art was always performer-audience based 04:08.466 --> 04:11.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and I started getting laughter in places where I didn't 04:11.400 --> 04:13.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% necessarily intend to get laughter. 04:13.300 --> 04:15.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Sometimes good, sometimes not, right? 04:15.733 --> 04:19.133 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Exactly, and then I kind of started intersecting 04:19.133 --> 04:22.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% with my art school performance art world in 04:22.200 --> 04:24.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% San Francisco with other comedians, 04:24.466 --> 04:28.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and that was sort of a good... 04:28.333 --> 04:30.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I like how you called acting the "front door." 04:30.100 --> 04:32.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% It was a good back door into comedy 04:32.833 --> 04:37.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% in that it wasn't so intimidating. 04:37.000 --> 04:39.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% It was the same for me with acting. 04:39.666 --> 04:42.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I moved to Los Angeles to do live performance. 04:42.200 --> 04:44.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% If I had gone there thinking, "I'm gonna do this, 04:44.800 --> 04:47.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "I have my head shots, I've changed my name." 04:47.733 --> 04:49.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I would have known that I was gonna do it... 04:49.800 --> 04:52.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - No, no, Raskjub is awesome. I wouldn't actually... 04:52.900 --> 04:54.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% It's good. How many Raskjubs are there, right? 04:54.733 --> 04:56.600 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Mary Lynn] No. My family. - [Evan] Not very many. 04:56.600 --> 04:58.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - So, let's come to San Francisco in a second. 04:58.266 --> 05:00.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So, family...so you grew up in Detroit. 05:00.233 --> 05:01.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Mary Lynn] Yes, yes. - [Evan] In a suburb of 05:01.666 --> 05:04.966 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Detroit...Family is not in the entertainment business. 05:04.966 --> 05:06.366 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - Absolutely not. 05:06.366 --> 05:08.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - They must have thought, "How'd you end up...?" 05:08.766 --> 05:10.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% For them, this thought that you wanted to do 05:10.933 --> 05:12.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% what you're doing now must have been an interesting thing. 05:12.933 --> 05:16.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - I did some acting as a kid, and definitely in high school. 05:16.766 --> 05:18.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Like community plays and theater... 05:18.200 --> 05:20.133 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Yeah, and in high school it really was the only thing 05:20.133 --> 05:21.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that I could focus on or had any interest in, 05:21.966 --> 05:25.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and thankfully there was a pretty decent 05:25.133 --> 05:27.000 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% theater program at the school. 05:28.166 --> 05:31.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So they supported me in having that interest 05:31.500 --> 05:35.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and they certainly love what's happened, 05:35.266 --> 05:37.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and it's been really exciting for them. 05:37.900 --> 05:39.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - But it wasn't an obvious choice for you as a kid, 05:39.566 --> 05:40.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% given the environment in which you grew up, 05:40.966 --> 05:42.433 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% or the place you grew up. 05:42.433 --> 05:44.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Detroit in those days, a little bit of a different Detroit, 05:44.333 --> 05:47.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% maybe a more optimistic Detroit than there is now, right? 05:47.566 --> 05:50.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Yeah, I don't know, depending on who you talk to. 05:50.533 --> 05:53.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I haven't really been back in Detroit properly 05:53.200 --> 05:55.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% in the city for a while, but some people say 05:55.933 --> 05:58.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% there's a great art scene there now, 05:58.666 --> 06:00.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% which I would like to go and check out. 06:00.800 --> 06:02.766 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Lots of stuff happening, and 06:02.766 --> 06:04.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% hopefully a rebirth at some point. 06:04.766 --> 06:05.966 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - The city's coming back. 06:05.966 --> 06:08.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You went to art school in Detroit first, 06:08.033 --> 06:09.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% before going at San Francisco. - [Mary Lynn] Yes. 06:09.900 --> 06:12.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Different experience than being out in the West Coast? 06:12.366 --> 06:16.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Absolutely, I mean, I love Detroit a lot. 06:16.500 --> 06:19.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% That was a really exciting time in my life because 06:19.833 --> 06:22.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I kind of went to art school because I wasn't a 06:22.366 --> 06:25.700 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% good student, I didn't... 06:25.700 --> 06:27.800 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% study very much. 06:27.800 --> 06:29.133 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% College wasn't...I just thought, 06:29.133 --> 06:30.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "Ehh, I don't wanna do that, 06:30.400 --> 06:33.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "I'm gonna have to take subjects over again 06:33.766 --> 06:36.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% "that I was never interested in the first place, 06:36.333 --> 06:37.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "or I'm gonna have to get a job." 06:37.933 --> 06:41.066 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% So I found art school just to 06:41.066 --> 06:43.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Evan] Perfect pause. - [Mary Lynn] to not have to 06:43.533 --> 06:45.933 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% do any of those, and I thought, 06:45.933 --> 06:48.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Oh, let me try to draw something, 06:48.766 --> 06:51.933 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% "and get a portfolio," 06:51.933 --> 06:53.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% not really knowing what I was doing, 06:53.366 --> 06:57.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and once I got in there, it was just like, 06:57.200 --> 07:00.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% it spoke to my heart in bigger ways. 07:00.366 --> 07:01.800 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - It took immediately. 07:01.800 --> 07:06.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - It was really exciting because I really didn't even know 07:06.000 --> 07:09.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% what a sculpture was, so it was really exciting 07:09.433 --> 07:12.100 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% to get a basic understanding of everything. 07:12.100 --> 07:15.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And being in Detroit was really fun. 07:15.200 --> 07:17.433 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% But there was a lot of, like, 07:17.433 --> 07:22.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Found Scrap Metal Object" art making. 07:22.533 --> 07:26.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% There was one class where we had to 07:26.866 --> 07:29.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% document churches that were 07:29.400 --> 07:31.766 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% falling apart in Detroit. 07:31.766 --> 07:34.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Evan] Uplifting. - [Mary Lynn] Very uplifting. 07:35.533 --> 07:37.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - So you made the decision to go West, because 07:37.466 --> 07:40.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% you thought, "Maybe there'll be a different vibe out there." 07:40.200 --> 07:44.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Yes, and I loved San Francisco immediately. 07:44.100 --> 07:47.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% It's such a gorgeous place, and that was just 07:47.900 --> 07:49.700 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% really exciting and fun for me. 07:49.700 --> 07:53.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I just rode the bus for fun, you know. 07:53.700 --> 07:56.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - See the environment out there. 07:56.466 --> 07:57.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I'm interested in what you said about 07:57.933 --> 08:00.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% the performance art giving way to what became comedy, 08:00.733 --> 08:02.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% or even "alternative comedy" is the phrase that we hear. 08:02.900 --> 08:05.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You were part of a scene out there of people... 08:05.233 --> 08:07.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% We talked before about Patton Oswalt, 08:07.633 --> 08:09.866 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% somebody who you saw early, and who actually has 08:09.866 --> 08:12.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% recently, in his book, documented what that scene 08:12.733 --> 08:14.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% was like at the time, both in the Bay Area and 08:14.633 --> 08:16.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% then migrating down to Los Angeles. 08:16.600 --> 08:18.233 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Seems like a really exciting time, and a lot of 08:18.233 --> 08:21.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% really great people came out of that comedy world. 08:21.666 --> 08:24.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - It really was, I feel very lucky 08:24.033 --> 08:28.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% because I was meeting comedians in San Francisco, 08:28.433 --> 08:30.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% because a lot of comedy clubs were closing, 08:30.700 --> 08:32.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% but the alternative scenes were starting, 08:32.466 --> 08:34.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% so they were mixing with local poets. 08:34.966 --> 08:39.166 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And it was Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt, and then a 08:39.166 --> 08:43.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% group of people said, "We're going to LA to do live shows." 08:43.000 --> 08:47.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And I had no reason to go or not to go. 08:47.400 --> 08:49.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I just thought, "Well, that sounds fun, and 08:49.300 --> 08:51.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "that's what I'm interested in doing... 08:51.033 --> 08:53.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - That's the next thing to do. - [Mary Lynn] live shows." 08:53.033 --> 08:55.633 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% and it was Jack Black, 08:55.633 --> 08:56.966 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% and David Cross, 08:56.966 --> 09:00.566 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% and Will Ferrell, 09:00.566 --> 09:02.966 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% just tons of people, it was a really amazing scene. 09:02.966 --> 09:06.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I felt really lucky to have happened 09:06.500 --> 09:07.933 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% into that group at that time. 09:07.933 --> 09:09.900 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - How did your style develop? 09:09.900 --> 09:12.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You are not the sort of person I imagine 09:12.666 --> 09:14.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% writing a bunch of jokes and then 09:14.266 --> 09:16.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% going out on stage and then, tell a joke. 09:16.600 --> 09:19.000 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Your personality is particular, 09:19.000 --> 09:21.200 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and your comedy is particular. 09:21.200 --> 09:23.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So how did your own understanding 09:23.833 --> 09:25.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% of your own version of comedy develop? 09:25.733 --> 09:28.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Well, in LA at that time, it was a great time to do comedy 09:28.933 --> 09:31.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% because everybody, the comedians... 09:31.466 --> 09:33.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% like Patton Oswalt, he was very polished, 09:33.966 --> 09:36.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and he knew how to be funny, but in these smaller rooms, 09:36.766 --> 09:41.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% people were much more personal and the comedy was 09:41.366 --> 09:44.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% more storytelling and it was more therapeutic, almost. 09:44.700 --> 09:47.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% You would see comedians saying things that they 09:47.633 --> 09:51.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% would never have the opportunity to say in a comedy club 09:51.833 --> 09:54.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% where it was all about the joke and all about competing 09:54.833 --> 09:57.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% to be the best in that environment. 09:57.000 --> 09:59.866 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% So that's what was really exciting to me, was that people, 09:59.866 --> 10:02.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% those moments between the joke where you see 10:02.433 --> 10:04.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% somebody's personality, and a lot of the shows 10:04.733 --> 10:07.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% at that time were all people's personality. 10:07.600 --> 10:09.500 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% But for me in particular, 10:09.500 --> 10:11.333 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% I was just really... 10:11.333 --> 10:14.633 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% socially... 10:14.633 --> 10:17.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% kind of terrified, but for some reason, 10:17.233 --> 10:20.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I was really drawn and compelled to perform. 10:20.033 --> 10:24.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I think, looking back, it was sort of my own neuroses. 10:24.766 --> 10:28.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I needed to do that in order...not to survive, 10:28.733 --> 10:31.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% not to be that dramatic, but it really was something 10:31.900 --> 10:35.700 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% I couldn't really...my personality is probably more 10:35.700 --> 10:39.033 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% of a painter, but I really needed to 10:39.033 --> 10:41.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% communicate and be around people. 10:41.366 --> 10:42.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - It was an outlet for you. 10:42.633 --> 10:45.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - It was an outlet in more ways than one. 10:45.900 --> 10:49.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I was driven by needing the social scene and needing 10:49.033 --> 10:51.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the creativity and needing the expression. 10:53.533 --> 10:55.533 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% - Were you influenced by anybody? 10:55.533 --> 11:00.300 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% I'm trying to think about an equivalent to your style... 11:00.300 --> 11:02.133 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% Steven Wright, somebody who was more of an 11:02.133 --> 11:04.500 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% observational person, who kind of comes at things 11:04.500 --> 11:06.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% from the side rather than the way you'd imagine. 11:06.766 --> 11:08.966 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I'm trying to think about if there are people who 11:08.966 --> 11:11.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% you might have seen as influences or people who maybe 11:11.300 --> 11:12.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% you might have admired at that time and thought, 11:12.566 --> 11:14.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Well this is the kind of comedy I enjoy." 11:14.700 --> 11:16.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - I was very much influenced by 11:16.333 --> 11:19.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the people that were around me at that time. 11:19.166 --> 11:20.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - Right, your contemporaries. 11:20.333 --> 11:22.033 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - We'd talk backstage, it was 11:22.033 --> 11:25.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Karen Kilgariff and Janeane Garofalo and 11:25.200 --> 11:27.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% all the people we just mentioned. 11:27.033 --> 11:29.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% That was so exciting, to see people doing things 11:29.833 --> 11:33.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that were out of the box and doing stuff because 11:33.066 --> 11:35.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% they felt like doing it, you know? 11:35.333 --> 11:37.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Jumping ahead now, I think about it, 11:37.633 --> 11:39.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a lot of the people you've mentioned have 11:39.733 --> 11:42.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% gone on to be very mainstream big successes. 11:42.666 --> 11:44.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Will Ferrell's the obvious example of that, 11:44.966 --> 11:48.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Karen Kilgariff, 11:48.166 --> 11:49.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% there were a number of other people who were 11:49.833 --> 11:52.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% associated with that scene in San Francisco 11:52.066 --> 11:54.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% or Los Angeles who went on to be part of either 11:54.166 --> 11:55.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Mr. Show or the Ben Stiller Show. 11:55.666 --> 11:58.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Before that, some of the people who were associated 11:58.300 --> 12:00.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% later with Larry Sanders, as you were, 12:00.500 --> 12:03.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% that's some extraordinary comedy you're mining. 12:03.800 --> 12:06.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Those people, and to see how that scene has become 12:06.666 --> 12:09.866 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% kind of the mainstream scene...it's been a real transition. 12:09.866 --> 12:11.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And of course, you ended up on one of the most 12:11.466 --> 12:15.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% popular network shows of our lifetimes, right? 12:15.533 --> 12:17.166 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Mary Lynn] Yes, that was... - [Evan] Hard to imagine? 12:17.166 --> 12:19.266 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - Also, unexpected. 12:19.266 --> 12:21.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Something you didn't necessarily set out to do. 12:21.766 --> 12:26.100 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - I was around for a lot of those early Mr. Shows. 12:26.100 --> 12:30.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I don't know how much it really happens like this anymore, 12:30.066 --> 12:33.666 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% with the internet and people filming their own things 12:33.666 --> 12:37.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and having the ability to quickly do that, 12:37.300 --> 12:39.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% but it was Bob Odenkirk and David Cross doing live shows 12:39.933 --> 12:44.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% to test the material that would become that TV show. 12:44.033 --> 12:47.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And they would throw me in there and 12:47.366 --> 12:50.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I was almost kind of like a mascot, 12:50.133 --> 12:52.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I didn't really know what was going on. 12:52.633 --> 12:55.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I loved performing, but I almost feel like it's 12:55.300 --> 12:58.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% only now that I'm a more well-rounded person 12:58.166 --> 13:00.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and kind of putting together the pieces of... 13:00.700 --> 13:04.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% It's not all some big experimental art piece. 13:04.466 --> 13:06.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - But if you look back at the chaos that was the 13:06.733 --> 13:08.966 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% basis for that show, as you describe it, it actually 13:08.966 --> 13:12.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% held together remarkably well and really was something. 13:12.466 --> 13:14.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And people generally regarded it, 13:14.233 --> 13:15.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I know there was a Rolling Stones story 13:15.600 --> 13:16.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that talked about it as one of the greatest 13:16.933 --> 13:18.133 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% sketch comedy shows of all time. 13:18.133 --> 13:19.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - No, yeah, those guys were brilliant. 13:19.800 --> 13:22.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Look at how influential it was on so much else. 13:22.766 --> 13:26.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - Absolutely, I think I was very 13:26.100 --> 13:28.700 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% chaotic in my own 13:28.700 --> 13:30.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% approach, I didn't really know what was going on. 13:30.366 --> 13:33.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Those guys were always brilliant and very focused 13:33.033 --> 13:37.500 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and kind of magical together, worked very hard to make that. 13:37.500 --> 13:39.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - I wanna ask you about Larry Sanders because that 13:39.833 --> 13:41.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% still looms large in everyone's mind, 13:41.533 --> 13:44.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and you know you had a great opportunity there. 13:44.866 --> 13:46.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And I wanna ask about how you got 24 13:46.733 --> 13:48.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and the experience of making that program, 13:48.233 --> 13:50.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% because again, we have all now kind of embraced 13:50.833 --> 13:54.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% long format, episodic television, that kind of a drama 13:54.300 --> 13:56.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% you can throw a rock and hit one 13:56.333 --> 13:58.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% these days on television and off. 13:58.700 --> 14:00.266 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% 24 was kind of revolutionary in 14:00.266 --> 14:01.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% its own way at the time that it came on. 14:01.966 --> 14:03.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Talk about Larry Sanders. 14:03.633 --> 14:07.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% How daunting it must be to be with some of those guys, 14:07.300 --> 14:09.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Shanlding and Rip Torn and Tambor 14:09.433 --> 14:12.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and all those guys who are just amazing, even back then. 14:12.000 --> 14:14.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - It really was, and I feel very lucky that I was 14:14.300 --> 14:17.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% sort of able to learn on the job. 14:19.133 --> 14:23.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Per episode, I would have a scene or two, 14:23.333 --> 14:25.466 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% or three, maybe, 14:25.466 --> 14:27.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% so it was just enough to keep me from 14:27.200 --> 14:30.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% not completely freaking out and melting down 14:30.833 --> 14:35.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% because I really was learning while I was doing it. 14:35.533 --> 14:40.166 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I remember I just learned so much about acting and comedy. 14:41.900 --> 14:46.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% There was one moment where Gary Shandling said to me, 14:46.400 --> 14:50.533 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% it was some line of, 14:50.533 --> 14:52.966 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "Yeah, I'm gonna do that later." 14:52.966 --> 14:55.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Some normal line, and he looked at me 14:55.500 --> 14:58.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and said, "What are you thinking?" 14:58.400 --> 15:02.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And I said, "I was thinking, I'll do that later." 15:02.200 --> 15:05.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Kind of just thinking just what I said. 15:05.133 --> 15:08.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He's like, "No, well, but what else are you thinking about?" 15:08.800 --> 15:11.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He just called me out in that moment, 15:11.433 --> 15:13.166 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and I sort of never looked back. 15:13.166 --> 15:16.566 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He was telling me about subtext, which is 15:16.566 --> 15:20.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the bedrock of being a good actor is that 15:20.400 --> 15:22.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% maybe you have other things going on 15:22.500 --> 15:24.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% inside of you other than the thing 15:24.266 --> 15:27.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that you're saying, and he completely recognized 15:27.433 --> 15:31.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% that I didn't have any other intentions or thoughts 15:31.900 --> 15:36.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% or feelings in that moment, and... 15:36.100 --> 15:39.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% again, I had already filmed a couple takes, and so... 15:39.833 --> 15:41.500 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - Just changed everything. 15:41.500 --> 15:43.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - It was really fun for me. 15:43.100 --> 15:46.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And I had a proclivity for that, so I was going 15:46.366 --> 15:49.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% in the right direction, I just was very untrained. 15:49.800 --> 15:51.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - So how did you get from that to 24? 15:51.266 --> 15:52.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% If you think about Mr. Show and Larry Sanders, 15:52.833 --> 15:55.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% they're both subversive shows, 15:55.400 --> 15:58.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and they're clearly comedy shows. 15:58.200 --> 16:00.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% 24, subversive in its own way, 16:00.466 --> 16:02.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% but the exact opposite of those shows. 16:02.333 --> 16:05.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - It's funny, because a lot of places I go, 16:05.000 --> 16:07.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% people only know me from 24. 16:07.566 --> 16:10.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I recently, a few years ago, did a guest spot on 16:10.233 --> 16:14.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Modern Family, and one of the creators, 16:15.800 --> 16:18.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I said, "I think I know him from years ago, 16:18.466 --> 16:20.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "and I don't know if he knows me. 16:20.066 --> 16:22.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% "I know they know me enough to give me this job." 16:22.766 --> 16:24.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And he came and he sat down next to me and he goes, 16:24.700 --> 16:27.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Now, can you believe you were on 24?" 16:27.633 --> 16:29.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And that was the way he said hi to me, 16:29.766 --> 16:32.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and I just had a good laugh because... 16:32.400 --> 16:34.266 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - He knew you from the old days. 16:34.266 --> 16:36.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Yeah, and there's a lot of people in the business 16:36.266 --> 16:39.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% that are now sort of, "Oh, she's doing comedy again," 16:39.766 --> 16:42.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% because there's a huge chunk of time where 16:42.066 --> 16:44.033 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% I was just something 16:44.033 --> 16:46.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% completely different. - [Evan] You were just Chloe. 16:46.300 --> 16:47.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% So, how did that happen? 16:47.233 --> 16:49.366 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% How did it come to you, and how 16:49.366 --> 16:52.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% did you decide you wanted to do it? 16:52.233 --> 16:54.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - I got a call from my agent and she said, 16:54.666 --> 16:57.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "They want to read you for this." 16:57.466 --> 17:00.533 align:left position:30%,start line:83% size:60% And I rarely got drama auditions, 17:00.533 --> 17:03.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and I had recently had a horrible drama audition. 17:03.033 --> 17:07.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I think it was for CSI or something... 17:07.366 --> 17:10.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% For like, you know, Abused Woman. 17:10.300 --> 17:12.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Evan] Dead Body. - [Mary Lynn] Dead Whatever. 17:12.833 --> 17:16.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% It's weird because it's not that I... 17:16.133 --> 17:20.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I believed in my ability, but it's almost 17:20.833 --> 17:24.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the transition of coming into the audition room, 17:24.600 --> 17:28.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and once I did the part I believe I was good and fine, 17:28.533 --> 17:30.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% but it was walking in the room and going, 17:30.400 --> 17:34.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Hey guys, so this woman in the scene is all..." 17:34.066 --> 17:38.466 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I'm sure they were like, "What is wrong with this girl?" 17:38.466 --> 17:43.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I was just being probably silly and uncomfortable and odd, 17:43.266 --> 17:46.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and they were all so serious, 17:46.566 --> 17:49.200 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and the part was so serious, 17:49.200 --> 17:51.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and I thought, "Well that was horrible, and 17:51.000 --> 17:52.833 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "I don't wanna do that again." 17:52.833 --> 17:54.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Not gonna get it, it's gonna be fine. 17:54.500 --> 17:56.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - And so my agent said, "They really wanna see you." 17:56.900 --> 18:01.233 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% And I said, "Ah, it's hot today. 18:01.233 --> 18:03.666 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% "I don't wanna drive. 18:03.666 --> 18:05.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "I just had this CSI thing." 18:05.400 --> 18:07.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And she said, "They really wanna see you." 18:07.100 --> 18:08.600 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% (sigh) Okay. 18:08.600 --> 18:13.533 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% So, it's the next day and I watch two or three... 18:13.533 --> 18:15.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and I started Season 3 - [Evan] You came in Season 3, 18:15.933 --> 18:17.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% you were not there in the beginning. 18:17.333 --> 18:19.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - So it was already kind of a thing, 18:19.000 --> 18:21.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% so I crammed as many episodes as I could 18:21.333 --> 18:23.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% before the meeting, and I go in there, 18:25.233 --> 18:29.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and Joel Surnow, the creator, he meets me in the hallway. 18:29.000 --> 18:33.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% This never happens, and again it's one of these 18:33.366 --> 18:35.233 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% awesome...he says, 18:35.233 --> 18:36.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "Well, I think you're great, and 18:36.633 --> 18:38.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "we wanna write a write a part for you." 18:38.300 --> 18:40.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - We're gonna write a part for you. 18:41.033 --> 18:43.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And there was a part on the page, 18:43.100 --> 18:45.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% but really there was nothing to it yet because 18:45.700 --> 18:47.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% every time they start a new season, they've gotta cast 18:47.700 --> 18:50.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the whole...each different plot line 18:50.633 --> 18:52.066 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% they have a cast of characters, 18:52.066 --> 18:54.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and there's always new people in the CTU, 18:54.400 --> 18:57.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and so it was just, "Yes, Jack." "No, Jack." 18:57.666 --> 19:01.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And I said, "Well, thank you, I can go home now. 19:01.500 --> 19:03.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "You just validated me whether..." 19:03.000 --> 19:05.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I didn't believe it was gonna happen necessarily, 19:05.800 --> 19:07.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% but really, as an actor, you're like, 19:07.700 --> 19:10.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% "Great, that's gonna keep me going for another year or two." 19:10.766 --> 19:12.966 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% The fact that someone would even say that because 19:12.966 --> 19:15.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% you don't know if it's gonna happen or not. 19:15.333 --> 19:16.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% And we're talking and he says, 19:16.566 --> 19:17.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "So, what do you think of the show?" 19:17.900 --> 19:19.333 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% I said, "I think it's great." 19:19.333 --> 19:21.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He said, "You don't really watch the show, do you?" 19:21.433 --> 19:24.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Because he knew that once people watch it, 19:24.033 --> 19:27.766 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% they love it, and since I had just watched a few episodes 19:27.766 --> 19:30.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% to kind of cram it I was like, "Yes, it's a fantastic show." 19:30.700 --> 19:32.400 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% And he called me out, he knew. 19:32.400 --> 19:35.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "But you're not really a 24 fan." 19:35.200 --> 19:39.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And I was like, "No, I just watched it last night." 19:39.066 --> 19:42.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% So he had seen me in a movie called Punch-Drunk Love, 19:42.833 --> 19:44.533 align:left position:30%,start line:83% size:60% directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, 19:44.533 --> 19:47.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and I play a bossy overbearing sister to 19:47.333 --> 19:50.566 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Adam Sandler and he liked that quality, 19:50.566 --> 19:55.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that special quality that I had, and... 19:55.600 --> 19:57.000 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% I think it was... 19:57.000 --> 19:58.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - That may have been the best thing 19:58.300 --> 20:01.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that came out of that whole movie, right? 20:01.200 --> 20:03.666 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% It's a pretty good movie. 20:03.666 --> 20:06.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - I like the movie. 20:06.066 --> 20:07.800 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - But look what it did. 20:07.800 --> 20:08.966 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% So he liked that, and he said, 20:08.966 --> 20:11.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "I want Mary Lynn for this show." 20:11.733 --> 20:13.166 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% And they didn't imagine this as 20:13.166 --> 20:15.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a character who would be on the show for... 20:15.266 --> 20:17.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Mary Lynn] Absolutely not. - [Evan] You had the most 20:17.300 --> 20:19.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% episodes of any character in the 20:19.566 --> 20:22.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% history of the show other than Jack. 20:22.000 --> 20:23.000 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - It's amazing. - [Evan] Other than 20:23.000 --> 20:24.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Kiefer Sutherland. 20:24.066 --> 20:25.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - And when I started it was like, 20:25.466 --> 20:26.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Okay, we want you to do two episodes." 20:26.666 --> 20:28.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "Okay, we want you to do four episodes." 20:28.100 --> 20:30.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And it was like that for a good three, four years. 20:30.566 --> 20:32.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - No guarantee it was gonna keep going. 20:32.200 --> 20:33.133 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% - No. 20:33.233 --> 20:35.466 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% What's Kiefer Sutherland like? 20:35.466 --> 20:36.700 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Did you enjoy working with him? 20:36.700 --> 20:37.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Mary Lynn] Yeah. - [Evan] You know, 20:37.666 --> 20:39.200 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% his reputation is kind of big... 20:39.200 --> 20:42.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% What did you think about working with him? 20:42.066 --> 20:44.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - He's great, he's one of those guys who... 20:45.466 --> 20:48.133 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% We all know his history as an actor. 20:48.133 --> 20:50.400 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% He's somebody who has the pedigree and the dedication, 20:50.400 --> 20:54.033 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% and he comes out of a certain school of acting. 20:54.033 --> 20:59.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I really learned a lot from him about how to... 21:00.833 --> 21:03.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He's a star, he's the star of the show. 21:03.733 --> 21:05.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He drives that show, he's the real thing. 21:05.633 --> 21:09.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And for somebody like me, I tend to try 21:09.066 --> 21:11.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% to avoid things or, even things that I love, 21:11.800 --> 21:14.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I'm just like, "Nyuh, we'll see about that." 21:14.700 --> 21:17.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And he's somebody who really jumps into it, 21:17.300 --> 21:19.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and really has a dedication, and he sets the pace 21:19.366 --> 21:22.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% for that show, and I think that's a really... 21:22.466 --> 21:25.100 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% That's a really hard character to be, 21:25.100 --> 21:28.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% if you think about it, because half of 24 is... 21:28.766 --> 21:31.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I don't wanna say ridiculous, it's an amazing show, 21:31.300 --> 21:32.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% half of it is like, unbelievable. 21:32.666 --> 21:33.633 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% - It's fantastical. 21:33.633 --> 21:35.100 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - It's fantastical. You're like, 21:35.100 --> 21:36.566 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% "No way would that ever happen." 21:36.566 --> 21:40.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% The other half is rooted in real things that are happening. 21:40.833 --> 21:42.933 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% And he rides that line. 21:42.933 --> 21:45.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - He threw himself fully into every episode. 21:45.533 --> 21:48.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - But in a sense that he didn't... 21:48.233 --> 21:49.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% I don't know quite how to articulate it, 21:49.900 --> 21:53.900 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% but it's not like he...you believe him as that guy. 21:53.900 --> 21:56.633 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He's not over the top, and he's not too understated. 21:56.633 --> 21:59.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He knows how to play it, and I think there's 21:59.666 --> 22:02.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% very few people that can pull that off. 22:02.200 --> 22:05.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Except that you made that character you, 22:05.066 --> 22:07.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and indistinguishable from you, and in fact, 22:07.200 --> 22:09.400 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% we've talked to you for a short little time here, 22:09.400 --> 22:11.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% you get a sense of the personality that you have 22:11.300 --> 22:12.533 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and the personality of the characters 22:12.533 --> 22:15.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% are not that different. - [Mary Lynn] Really? 22:15.433 --> 22:17.800 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - Don't you think you made that 22:17.800 --> 22:19.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% character to be more like you? 22:19.633 --> 22:21.033 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% - Yes. 22:21.033 --> 22:23.233 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Was the character necessarily written to be that way? 22:23.233 --> 22:24.533 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Or did it just basically happen 22:24.533 --> 22:25.733 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% because of how you evolved it? 22:25.733 --> 22:29.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - They wrote to me, and I did my version 22:29.366 --> 22:33.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% of what I would be like if I were a computer genius 22:33.333 --> 22:35.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% who could save the world from a terrorist attack. 22:35.200 --> 22:36.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - Right, nothing big, no. 22:36.633 --> 22:38.566 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% But if you go back to the time you were in art school, 22:38.566 --> 22:39.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% or the performance art you did, or the comedy scene 22:39.933 --> 22:41.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% on the West Coast, would you have imagined 22:41.900 --> 22:43.500 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that this would have been the part 22:43.500 --> 22:44.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that would have been the defining part? 22:44.866 --> 22:46.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Mary Lynn] Never. - [Evan] You would agree 22:46.066 --> 22:47.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% that is the defining part of your career? 22:47.400 --> 22:48.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Mary Lynn] Yes. - [Evan] People probably 22:48.600 --> 22:50.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% see you on the street and, if they're 22:50.033 --> 22:51.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% gonna yell anything, they'll probably yell, "Chloe." 22:51.033 --> 22:52.500 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% - Absolutely. 22:52.500 --> 22:54.500 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - You're comfortable with that, you're good with that? 22:54.500 --> 22:56.700 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - Sure, what am I gonna do? 22:56.700 --> 22:58.933 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% - Well, nothing. 22:58.933 --> 23:00.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% It wasn't the answer exactly that I was looking for. 23:00.733 --> 23:02.366 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% But that's okay. 23:02.366 --> 23:03.866 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - I'm learning, I'm learning. 23:03.866 --> 23:05.000 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - We have a couple minutes left. 23:05.000 --> 23:06.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% So TV has been a big part of your... 23:06.866 --> 23:08.600 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% you've done a bunch of parts in movies... 23:08.600 --> 23:11.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - That was the worst...I give the worst answers. 23:11.133 --> 23:12.433 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - No, that's okay, it's fine. I just keep going. 23:12.433 --> 23:15.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - I'm such a petulant child, "Yeah, I dunno. 23:15.466 --> 23:18.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% "What do you think?" I'll work on that. 23:18.766 --> 23:20.866 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - We'll just edit that out in post. 23:20.866 --> 23:25.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - For my Oscars speech, "Yeah, cool, you guys. I guess." 23:25.266 --> 23:29.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - You're continuing to work in TV, or what passes for TV. 23:29.433 --> 23:33.166 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% You had mentioned that you had just done a pilot for Amazon. 23:33.166 --> 23:35.333 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Mary Lynn] Yes. - [Evan] I guess that's TV. 23:35.333 --> 23:36.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Right? Do we think of Amazon and Netflix 23:36.966 --> 23:38.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - [Mary Lynn] Sure is. - [Evan] ...and Hulu and 23:38.466 --> 23:43.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% all those non-connected, cable-corded shows as TV? 23:43.033 --> 23:46.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - In Hollywood, in the world of getting acting jobs, 23:46.266 --> 23:48.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% it's as much TV as anything else. 23:48.800 --> 23:50.966 align:left position:10%,start line:5% size:80% - In fact, if you look at the award nominations, 23:50.966 --> 23:53.666 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% which you know are worth basically the statues 23:53.666 --> 23:55.633 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% that are produced for them, so what? 23:55.633 --> 23:58.966 align:left position:20%,start line:5% size:70% But it's all Netflix and Amazon and a lot of the 23:58.966 --> 24:01.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% cable programs that maybe once upon a time 24:01.633 --> 24:03.966 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% wouldn't have been thought to be... 24:03.966 --> 24:08.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Right, from my end as an actor and a performer 24:08.733 --> 24:13.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% you look for interesting, good material that has integrity, 24:13.066 --> 24:16.266 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and then you hope for eyeballs on it. 24:16.266 --> 24:18.166 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Obviously you hope the project comes together, 24:18.166 --> 24:20.033 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and then you want viewers, 24:20.033 --> 24:22.833 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% so that's the interesting part for me. 24:22.833 --> 24:25.300 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% I loved working with Amazon. 24:25.300 --> 24:28.133 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% They really took time and care 24:28.133 --> 24:30.666 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% to put together all the aspects of it. 24:30.666 --> 24:32.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% We'll see how it comes out, we'll see if people watch it. 24:32.800 --> 24:34.633 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - And the principal creative force behind that program 24:34.633 --> 24:38.000 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% was somebody who had been connected with the film Nebraska. 24:38.000 --> 24:43.000 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - Yes, the writer of the pilot wrote the movie Nebraska, 24:43.133 --> 24:47.266 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% the directors...the husband and wife team that directed 24:47.266 --> 24:50.766 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Little Miss Sunshine, 24:50.766 --> 24:53.033 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% and it's about a kid who 24:53.033 --> 24:54.633 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% sees imaginary people. 24:54.633 --> 24:56.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% He's 19 years old. 24:56.066 --> 24:58.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I play his mother, Chris Parnell plays his father, 24:58.433 --> 25:01.233 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and we're very well-meaning, and we don't know whether 25:01.233 --> 25:06.066 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% to have him committed or not, and we support him 25:06.066 --> 25:08.800 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% but we let him know he's not normal, and... 25:08.800 --> 25:10.000 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% - I'm guessing it's a comedy. 25:10.000 --> 25:11.700 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - It's a comedy, it's a very dry comedy. 25:11.700 --> 25:15.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% But the people that he's talking to, you see them 25:15.200 --> 25:17.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% as an audience member, you see what he sees, 25:17.333 --> 25:22.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% so it was Shaquille O'Neal and Flea... 25:22.400 --> 25:23.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Actually, I don't know if I'm supposed to be 25:23.900 --> 25:26.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% saying this or not...you'll cut this out if I'm going 25:26.700 --> 25:28.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% to get in trouble, right? - [Evan] Nobody on PBS knows 25:28.800 --> 25:31.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% who Flea is except for you and me, so it's okay. 25:31.066 --> 25:34.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - I think that's supposed to be a surprise announcement 25:34.033 --> 25:36.433 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% for later, I got carried away. 25:38.333 --> 25:39.666 align:left position:30%,start line:83% size:60% With the relaxed atmosphere here. 25:39.666 --> 25:41.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - I like you carried away, that's good. 25:41.633 --> 25:44.300 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Mary Lynn Raskjub, great to have a chance to talk to you 25:44.300 --> 25:46.900 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and fun to go back and listen to your stories. 25:46.900 --> 25:48.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Thank you. Thanks for having me. 25:48.466 --> 25:50.233 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% - Good luck with everything you're doing. 25:50.233 --> 25:52.766 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Mary Lynn Raskjub, thanks very much. 25:52.833 --> 25:55.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Voiceover] We'd love to have you join us in the studio. 25:55.200 --> 25:58.933 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Visit our website at klru.org/overheard 25:58.933 --> 26:01.200 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% to find invitations to interviews, 26:01.200 --> 26:03.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Q and A's with our audience and guests, 26:03.300 --> 26:06.266 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% and an archive of past episodes. 26:06.333 --> 26:08.600 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - The fictional TV show that's in Californication, 26:08.600 --> 26:11.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% I play a writer on that show, and I was surrounded by men, 26:11.033 --> 26:16.033 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and I really hated men, and instead of being nude 26:16.766 --> 26:18.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% and having sex like everybody does on that show 26:18.933 --> 26:23.333 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% I got to trade that for vomiting, so that was a really... 26:23.333 --> 26:25.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - [Voiceover] Funding for Overheard with Evan Smith 26:25.433 --> 26:29.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% is provided in part by MFI Foundation, 26:29.333 --> 26:32.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% improving the quality of life within our community. 26:32.833 --> 26:35.200 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Also by Hillco Partners, 26:35.200 --> 26:37.633 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a Texas government affairs consultancy. 26:37.633 --> 26:41.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% And by the Alice Keberg Reynolds Foundation.