Jean Villepique – A.P. Bio

By starrymag | March 15, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on? 

 

A) I shot three episodes of “Sharp Objects” for HBO which premieres this summer and four episodes for the animated show “BoJack Horseman” for Netflix, as well weekly improv shows at UCB and playing live music in LA.

 

Q) Please tell us the premise for the series “A.P. Bio” and about your character Michelle.

 

A) “A.P. Bio” is about a disgraced Harvard professor, Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton), who had to return to his home town of Toledo Ohio and teach high school.  My character, Michelle Jones, is the heath teacher at Whitlock. She, Mary (Mary Sohn) and Stef (Lyric Lewis) love Toledo and help keep Jack in check. We give him dating advice and show him the ropes, but we are more likely to make fun of him than to be impressed by him. Michelle is a lovely weirdo— a sweetheart, but with an edge. Confidently peculiar.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

 

A) The creator, Mike O’Brien for starters.  I knew him when we both worked at The Second City in Chicago.  He always stood out because he had his own strong voice when so many others were trying to imitate their teachers or the people they saw on stage.  And I’ve loved Mike’s writing on “SNL” and especially 7 Minutes in Heaven.  I laughed out loud at every page when I read the pilot. I remember I was on a place reading it and I knew I looked like a jerk, but I didn’t care.  Mike is brilliant.  And when Mary Sohn was cast I flipped out because she has been one of my closest friends in LA for a while. Mary is one of the smartest and funniest people I have ever met. It’s a dream job.  Oh!  And Lorne Michaels and Seth Meyers?!  Seth is also from an improv background.  It’s not just that improv people are guaranteed to be funny, it’s that we speak the same language. There’s less ego— it’s about what’s best for the scene, for the show, and it’s 100% collaborative.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to your role that wasn’t in the initial breakdown?

 

A) The initial breakdown was for someone who is prudish and conservative, and I think (I hope?) I added a weirdness to that.  Michelle liked being bullied by Mary and Stef. I feel like she’s the youngest sibling who tags along and will say yes to anything to play along. Maybe the youngest sibling who gets a giant Sharpie mustache from her sisters before church? She likes being a part of the trio, even if it means her lunch got stolen a few times.

 

Q) Talk about working alongside Glenn Howerton.

 

A) I learned a lot from Glenn. His days were so long and so full— his character has these monster monologues full of Harvard vocabulary words and he was able to nail them AND keep it fresh every time.  He has the experience to not just perform brilliantly, but to be aware simultaneously of the framing, the marks to hit, the lighting and how what he is doing will be edited— he has both the small picture and the big picture going at the same time.  Amazing.

 

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that has come naturally to you or have you had to work at it?

 

A) Thank you very much!  I think I learned that from my parents who are/were both really funny in different ways.  My dad was a dinner party joke teller and mom had little voices for all our stuffed animals and used to make up silly songs for us. And then years of doing improv shows helped me get more precise. Timing is about listening, it’s musical.  So, practice is…critical. [laughs] See how funny that was?

 

Q) What was your favorite episode of the show to film?

 

A) I loved the second episode!  Niecy Nash is someone I’ve been a fan of for a long time.  That was amazing.  She’s the best!  And there’s a let’s-say “special moment” at the end of the episode where Michelle shines.  In her truly weird way. While the song Baker Street plays—heaven!

 

Q) What were some of your most memorable moments from filming “A.P. Bio?”

 

A) It’s a haze of hummus and fruit salads in the break room— the teachers did a lot of dancing together, which I loved, and Lyric and Mary and I got to improvise every episode and made each other laugh— those two are AMAZING!  So, yes, laughing with mouthfuls of weird portions of a variety of lunches.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Are you looking forward to the instant fan feedback to episodes?

 

A) I’m looking forward to any kind feedback, yes!  Also, my mother always used to say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”  So, that would be cool too.

 

Q) What do you do in your spare time?

 

A) I love to play music— I play soft rock covers from the 70’s and 80’s with my friend Kit Pongetti and we always used to joke that we should play in a grocery store or elevator because that’s where that music lives.  Recently our local grocery store added a wine bar and has live music so my favorite thing is getting to play Bee Gees songs at the Gelson’s in Silver Lake while people are buying oranges six feet away.  And jigsaw puzzles.

 

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure viewers know about “A.P. Bio?”

 

A) I want them to know that it keeps getting weirder!  Every week we would get a new script and I couldn’t believe what the students were doing or saying…I love the students the most. As the episodes continue, we will get to know them more individually and everyone is going to fall in love. They are amazing. Can’t say it enough. Get ready to fall in love.