Elisha Cuthbert – One Big Happy

By starrymag | April 29, 2015

Q) So first of all I’d just love to know what the response has been like for you that you’ve been receiving since the show has started to air?

A) Well, I feel like the episodes that we put out were strong, and we got the feedback mostly from social media, and from what I’ve gathered everyone is really excited and getting interesting in my character in relating to her and loving the show. So we’ve got nothing but really great responses in a short period of time which is fantastic, and I think the ratings too kind of reflect that as well which is all you can really ask for. So I feel like I’ve been getting all good stuff all around which doesn’t always happen so I’ll take it.

Q) We are dying to know if Lizzy has a job?

A) he did have a job at the start in the pilot, and I think that it ended up getting not specified or got taken out of the dialogue in some form that would be more (Liz Sylvan). But I think she was involved in working in not publicity but possibly marketing in some way because everyone was wondering how does Lizzy have this house and affords amazing house in Silver Lake, so she’s obviously got a good job which I don’t know if we’ve specified what it is yet.

Q) I wanted to know how Ellen DeGeneres was involved in this show. Was she on set a lot? How was she around you guys?
A) Well I think the best thing for us was that we got to shoot at Warner Brothers studios where she shoots her daytime show. So that made it – I think really easy for her to kind of pop over and see what we were doing and get involved in that way. She would come in and warm up the audience before tape nights which was so huge and so thrilling for the audience that was there to see a new show that they had never ever seen before, and it got everyone so excited. I mean any time Ellen is around it causes quite a frenzy rightfully so. So it was amazing, she was really supportive. And I think it was really lucky for us that we were so close in proximity to where she is because if we would have been at any other lot, I think it would have been really hard to have her kind of stop by as frequently as she did so we got lucky in that aspect.
Q) And in this last episode, A Tale of Two Hubbies can you give us any teasers of what’s in store for those two?

A) Well it’s definitely a continuation of last week’s episode when Martin came to town so you’re really going to get to sort of see where that episode takes Kelly and Nick’s characters more primarily, but I think we put in a nice button on it for the season. I think the audiences will be really satisfied where we leave them off, but I think there will be also that thing where there will be more places to go with it. It’s a really nice season finale episode.

Q) Can you give us an idea as to when you finish shooting Season 1 and what you’ve been doing with yourself in terms of other projects or other things that you have going on?

A) Yes. We finished in the fall of last year so end of October beginning of November-ish if I recall so we’ve been done for quite some time now. And because we were a mid-season airing show it felt even longer to the time of our air date, but I like that we ended up that way. It seemed like that was the right place for us. And in the meantime, I went back to Canada and have been developing some of my own TV shows for Canada specifically and also did a movie for Courtney Cox who directed a film called Just Before I Go, starring (Shawn William Scott) that’ll be coming out soon as well. So yeah just been busy with that and now we wait and see what happens with the show after this season which will come up soon. As you guys know the up fronts are in May so I don’t have too long to wait.

Q) Can you talk a little bit about working with Liz Feldman and what kind of input she provided to you with regards to the character and kind of that working relationship you had?

A) Well we hit it off pretty quickly. I mean Nick when Nick Zano really kind of introduced us and was my biggest champion in wanting me to get the part and be a part of the show with him because he had already been set as the Luke character and we had a great meeting. We had a great few dinners together prior to shooting. Liz took me out with a lot of her friends and was in sort of that circle – in her circle of friends and we just you know – we had a lot of things in common ironically and also had a lot of great ideas for the character specifically with her you know being a little bit A type a little bit uptight about certain things. But yet I also wanted to bring a kind of quirkiness to her too because sometime type A characters are written so uptight that they’re not loose enough to have fun almost like – I think of it like Charlotte from Sex and the City. I didn’t want to go down that path with the character and Liz didn’t either. So she’s got a little bit of that Type A which makes sense, but at the same time she also is a big goofy which lends itself to us having a lot more fun with playing with the character.
Q) Can you tell us some of your favorite scenes from the season that you filmed?

A) Yes well there was a lot. It’s funny when you shoot in front of a live studio audience it’s all very thrilling to be honest. And it’s all very new to me because this is the first time I’ve ever been in front of a studio audience in my career so it’s been interesting. But I would say the scene in the hospital when Luke’s kind of – me and Kelly are fighting over Luke and who can take care of him better and he’s sort of coming up and down from the bed I thought that was well played and really funny. My stuff with (Steve Valentine) he played Martin is last week’s episode was a lot of fun too. Yeah you know I’ve watched now all six and really happy with everything and really thrilled with the way the cast came together and how we all sort of jelled so quickly together. It was a lot of fun, but it also shows on television too which makes me really happy.

Q) I just want to know what was one of the most memorable reactions you’ve gotten from a man about the show?

A) Well you know what I like hearing is because when we first started the show and we were trying to explain it to the press prior to it coming out, this idea of Luke and Lizzy and Prudence all starting a family together it seems very you know modern. The best that I’ve heard is that I had actually just spoken to a writer in New Zealand who had said that he has a really good friend who has the same family situation as Luke and Lizzy and Prudence. And just the feedback in which the people are not too shocked or you know fascinated with the idea that more so that people are relating to our family dynamic and this style of show and these group of people. So for me you know there was always that oh it might be shocking which seems crazy to us but obviously was on people’s radar and then for us to have the show come out and it really not be anything sort of out of the norm and people really responding to and if not more so relating to it was amazing.

Q) What was one of your favorite moments working with Ellen?

A) Well it’s always exciting when she’s around to be honest. I think one of the most exciting moments was not so much when we’re all working together and collaborating but when we went on her show to promote the show. It was so weird because it’s like here we all three of us were now in this – you know different scenario in which she was asking us about the show, but when she’s on set she’s the boss and has really great input and really ideas. But then as a talk show host to be there on like the biggest daytime show on television it was kind of crazy and amazing and sort of surreal. Here we were now promoting it, it was a really nice moment, and to be able to do it with her makes it even better.

Q)  Around the time that the show premiered you said in some interviews that you know the scariest thing probably was going to be a multi-camera show in front of a live audience, and now that you’ve got the season under your belt how scary was it and are you more comfortable are you enjoying it? Can you just talk to us about that a little bit?

A) You know what it is, the fear went away but the nerves still stay. And even after six seasons I don’t think it’s every going to go away I think every time we go into tape nights there is just going to be nerves that will not sort of dissipate until we really get you know into the filming part of it which is great for me. Luckily as much as I’m sort of nauseous and nervous all day once I get the first scene under my belt and out of the way it’s sort of smooth sailing after which is great, but the nerves do not go away which is why it makes it so special and why the energy is so unique in front of an audience because you’re dealing with that adrenaline rush and you’re dealing with the fear of messing up and the nerves that go along with it. So it’s going to be interesting. I watched an episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s show on Crave, and he was talking about how it never got easier even after all those seasons of Seinfeld because it’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of work to do a multi-camera show, but at the same time it’s super rewarding. So I anticipate that it’ll always be difficult but in a great way if that makes any sense.

Q) Do you feel true what they say that you know that multi-cameras may be a different kind of comedy that you’re doing? I mean you have done you know a lot of other comedy work. Do you feel you have to work differently as a comedian?

A) Yes. I think you have to like hold for the laugh which is super unusual. There is a timing aspect to it that’s different. There’s you know this dance that goes on between actors in which you’re holding for their laugh, they’re holding for yours. There’s a pace that has to happen organically that develops as you go, and I think it kind of becomes second nature but when you first start it’s very unusual. So yeah you have to talk louder, sometimes you feel like you’re overacting and then you watch it back and you go it looked totally normal. It’s very very different very different, but it’s great because I think it really does lend itself to comedy and it suits comedy very well because there’s room to breathe. You know the jokes will happen and there’s a lot of time for the audience to take in what’s happening and the pace is nice. So it suits it I’m really enjoying it or did enjoy it the six that we did.

Q) Your character is best friends with Luke, have you and Nick become close outside of the show?

A) We were close before the show. We worked together on Happy Endings. He played Penny’s fiancée on the show, and we also have the same manager. So when we first met we had a lot in common and sort of hit it off and then when he got set to play Luke on this show lucky for me he thought of me for Lizzy and called me up and really convinced me to do the show because maybe like you’ve heard I was very skeptical of whether or not I’d be able to deliver especially being in front of a live audience. So he was really the one that gave me the confidence to do it and I owe him a lot for that. And even with that now it’s – you know our relationship as friends has grown even more so being able to work you know day in and day out and it’s developed into a very nice friendship. He’s so easy to work with, he’s so collaborative and supportive. He’s just a really really great guy. I mean he grew up with all women so he’s really good with Kelly and I and he’s just a wonderful person.

Q) How would you like to see the relationship between Lizzy, Luke, and Prudence grow in possible future episodes?

A) Well I mean I like the fact that Prudence and Lizzy don’t quite see eye to eye all the time. I mean it just makes sense and it really works for where they’re at. I think it’s going to take time for the two of them to become really close. I think she cares about Prudence, but I still think there’s a lot of like that – how much does she trust her? I don’t she quite trusts her 100% yet which is interesting. And then obviously Luke and Lizzy are going to be Luke and Lizzy as they are now for you know the duration of however long the show goes for because their friendship has been for so long and you know what you see is what you get. But it’ll be interesting to see them as parents at some point if we get to do that. There is going to be something interesting to tap into.

Q) What have you learned about Lizzy by watching the show now and has anybody pointed anything out to you that maybe you didn’t see when you were going through and actually filming the show and now that you’ve said, “Oh my God I see it now?”

A) Well I realized that as big as I thought I was doing – like you know as far as like feeling like I was playing it too broad, watching it back I realized there’s room for more which is insane to me. I mean I was to the point like I don’t think I can play this any bigger, but it seems to work you know which is fascinating in the grand scheme of things. So it felt right and it looks right to me. The funny thing is is that which is a nice compliment but kind of funny too is where people are like oh you’re really funny, we didn’t know you could be funny and I was like (ohh), and I was on a comedy for three years before this so that’s interesting, but it’s a compliment and I’m glad that people are finding her funny and amusing. You know you see little things that you want – sort of character traits but you don’t know if the audience will pick up on them the way you felt like you put them out there but they did work. You know like when she’s around beautiful women she gets a little uncomfortable and stutters and can’t form a sentence. And I think you know that works in it played to me anyways so I mean going forward if we get to keep doing it I think we keep those little things you know. We keep the fun things that work and you get rid of things that just don’t stick, but those are things that the actor knows and you know the writers see and play to those you know to those qualities and those traits. It’s fun – that’s all the fun stuff right, like developing the character and forming her into a real sort of person with real sort of nuances and things that’s the fun stuff.

Q) I want to know if Liz has given you any idea about what would happen for Lizzy in Season 2 if you guys are picked up?
A) I think if we got picked up for Season 2 there would be so much in her being pregnant. I don’t think we want to rush that. If we got a full second season it would – you know I don’t think the baby would come until at least the very end. I think there’s going to be some really funny stuff in her being uncomfortable and having the big belly and you know Luke and Prudence sort of catering to her. I think there would be a lot of funny stuff in that, and just to go back to that first thing, that one scene where she’s in the doctor’s office. I mean more stuff like that would be so fun going forward but you know getting on the scale and improvising that sort of sound effects when I’m bringing back the weight because she’s embarrassed by how heavy she’s gotten. I thought this is so – I was almost embarrassed because I thought this was too much and people love it you know. So I thought gosh as embarrassed as I was about the choice I made there people – they liked it you know so I was like okay this is good we’re going somewhere.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*