Jean Villepique – A.P. Bio

By starrymag | September 3, 2020

By: Kemberlie Spivey

 

 

 

Q) “A.P. Bio” was originally on NBC network, now it has transitioned over to Peacock streaming service. How will the show be affected following this transition?

 

A) Well, I think the running times can be more flexible. I mean, we are not going to have a full hour which would be so great. I think a usual sitcom is like twenty-one minutes without ads. I think we can go twenty-three or twenty-four and there is definitely more of an edge. The creator, Michael O’Brien, loves darkness, weirdness, things people are afraid to do. So, I think this gave him a more creative freedom and there is definitely more swearing.

 

Q) One of the relationships I admire on the show is between Stef, Mary and Michelle. Tell us what’s to come for these three in the new season?

 

A) Lyric Lewis who plays Stef had a baby right as the pandemic was starting. She went to the hospital, had a baby, came home and the world was on lockdown. When we were shooting in January and February, we had a season offer for ten episodes and we only were able to do eight because of COVID. We had to stop, so she was eight and a half months pregnant at the end. I mean, nine months at the end. Nine months pregnant, so we definitely evolved into the storyline. We could not hide it nor do we want, to so it was very bonding for the three of us. We don’t know who the man is. There wasn’t a prominent man in Stef’s life so we explore who the father is and how the baby came to be. That’s really fun. There are definitely more papers, and we are out of the school so more. I love those ladies and we are really lucky to get to work together.

 

Q) What have you found challenging about portraying Michelle?

 

A) I don’t know if anything is. She is similar to me, unfortunately. She has a really short fuse and goes from like really sweet to a ball of wild rage. It’s pretty fast and I really love that. I don’t find it challenging. I find it so fun. The writers give us great gifts and the weirder the better. I love when she freaks out, gets mad and she is creepy. I guess it was already shown in the preview like she gets these condoms delivered to school for health and gets a free dildo. She is so excited that she is showing Ralph Durbin (Patton Oswalt) the package. I like it, I guess.

 

Q) What are some of your favorite episodes that viewers should look out for in Season 3?

 

A) There is a special celebration in Toledo – they have a special holiday that they celebrate that is unique and very weird. We had this wild decorated set and everyone dressed up crazy. My husband Keith and I do like a fundraiser and we are donating things. Keith donates things that are vulnerable to him. There is a miscommunication. I guess that holiday will be unique. Toledo holiday is really fun. I got to do physical comedy there. There is one night where Stef, Mary (Mary Sohn) and Michelle go out on a mission to find some information about the birth father. That was really fun. There is a really weird episode…I’m not sure I’m supposed to say this or not. Jack (Glenn Howerton) gets stuck in the school over vacation and it’s very bizarre. You can’t tell what’s real or not. We did really cool camera tricks. We got to be other than our normal selves.

 

Q) Going into this season, who were you hoping to share more scenes with?

 

A) Definitely Paula Pell. She’s a genius. Like she wrote for “Saturday Night Live” for years. She’s a force of nature and a force of goodness on this planet. She could improvise her whole character and it would be perfect. She’s very generous to play with. It’s like playing instead of working. I worked on comedies before where it’s not that funny or people don’t really like each other. It’s kind of stiff and weird. Jokes are getting delivered, but this is like dancing and playing around with each other. She is such a genius. In Season Two I got to do an episode where I cut my bangs and we were in the office together. The group scenes we have are the most fun. The more the merrier. The students. We rarely get to see the students and they are so wonderful.

 

Q) What have you enjoyed and appreciated about working on A.P. Bio?

 

A) To be a part of a show that got a lot of heart. To be a part of an assembly that is a collection of wonderful people. There are people that I want to hang out with and we do hang out outside of work. They are not only funny but they are good-hearted, activists and interesting. People I learn from. To even be able to work as an actor, I am sure actors say this all the time, but it’s so true. I waited at a lot of tables in Chicago. To be able to have a job, I am so grateful for that.

 

Q) Who would you love to have as a guest star on “A.P. Bio?”

 

A) Idris Elba. Stephnie Weir is really brilliant. A lot of us came from Second City in Chicago including the creator Michael O’Brien. I knew him there and Mary Sohn. A lot of the writers and Stephnie Weir was on “MadTV.” I used to understudy for her in Chicago for Second City and she is such a brilliant talent. I would love to have her be on the show. Kristen Wiig. We had Niecy Nash on the first season. I would love it if she came back. Anyone from “Reno 9-1-1.” That show is so funny. We do get a lot of “SNL.” John Mulaney is a guest star this season. Why not? Julia Louis Dreyfus. She’s free right.

 

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching Season 3?

 

A) I hope it’s efficacious to watch. I think that we might be. We are having fun when we are making it. I know the writers have fun in the writer’s room. We get to shoot it. The directors are great, so I hope they not only laugh at the show but get a feeling of being included in the fun. Also, that they feel proud that they fought for this show to come back. We were cancelled. It was done and then Patton started this online campaign saving “A.P. Bio.” The fans were just fierce, loyal and championed the show way beyond our wildest dreams. And it worked. That happens all the time and it doesn’t work. I hope they feel a sense of ownership and pride, too. They made this happen.

 

Q) Do you have any other upcoming projects that you can share that fans should keep an eye out for?

 

A) I wish. I have done some podcasts but everything pretty much stopped. So, this is it. You can watch my Instagram accounts. It’s very barf sometimes – it’s pictures of my son.

 

Q) What would you like to say to the fans that supported your work all of these years?

 

A) I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I hope that they like this show enough that it is a gift to thank them. I really don’t know what to say. That positivity is life-changing and really humbling. I am really glad when we make the show, we are in this bubble at the studio we are all laughing and then we put it out there. It’s not like live theater. A lot of us came up doing improv. Especially Lyric, Mary and I are used to doing live shows with audiences. You get used to immediate feedback and you know it’s not working. You also know when people love something. With TV shows, it’s sorta of out there and you’ll feel it. We felt this huge wave come back to us.