Joy Osmanksi – Executive Decisions

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

A) My most current project is “The Loop.” I consider myself to be still working on it, especially since it is just coming out and we’re all so looking forward to that. Whenever I am asked this question, I always feel like it references the other aspects of my life, too. There is a screenplay that a friend of mine is developing that I am in that we’re in the beginning stages of. I can’t give too much information about it, but the prospects are looking very good for it to go forward as an actual film, which is very exciting. I am also working on my own projects, going out on auditions and just being a working actor. This is my very first job on TV, so for me this is all I can handle most of the time. Just thinking about what is going to be coming and not really knowing and being very excited about everything. This is really my focus right now.

Q) Please tell us the premise for your show “The Loop” and your character Darcy.

A) The premise might differ from various characters. From my perspective, the show centers around Sam (played by Bret Harrison) and he seems to be caught in between his work and his home life. They’re both equally hard and he’s constantly being yanked in two separate directions. So far, he isn’t being pulled completely one way, but both require 110% from him. Of course, he wants to do everything so the comedy that ensues comes from that constant struggle and conflict. It’s very funny because the stakes are very high for him in both of his worlds, which makes the results of his actions quite hilarious. My character is Sam’s sort of work nemesis, in the sense that I am just constantly undermining him. It’s not even thinly disguised hostility. It’s really open hostility because my character is dramatically over qualified for her job. Sam always comes in and asks Darcy very friendly general questions and ends up getting way too much information from her. Usually, it’s really negative information and I think he ends up being very sorry that he ever asked in the first place, but Darcy never hesitates to tell him exactly how bad her day is going. She never lets him get away with anything, which is also really fun.

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

A) As an actor, I think you are drawn to projects that are drawn to you. Once in a while, you read a character and then you instantly think, “I know who that is.” That happened for me with Darcy. Whether or not that meant that I am like her, I don’t know. I just recognized a lot of her frustration, her anger and a lot of her sarcasm. I connected to that almost immediately, especially in a corporate environment. As a show goes on, our writers really start developing the characters around the actor, which is such a blessing. To have them acknowledge your own personal strengths as an actor and bring that to life is so much fun to work with. The fact that there was so much creative give and take I think is what really what drew me to the project, and of course, the project itself. It’s hilarious and it’s really fun!

Q) Why is the show called “The Loop?”

A) It’s funny because I didn’t have any reference point for that. I was just as clueless as the next person as to the fact that it referenced Chicago’s transit system and the downtown area. My friends that live in Chicago, of course, were mortified that I didn’t know that! I think that it’s an analogy, also, for Sam’s constant fluctuation between his work and his life. He’s just going around and around in this perpetual circle of chaos and mayhem. Not only does it sort of give us a geographical location, but it’s just a wonderful image for his life.

Q) What is your most memorable moment from filming?

A) I have two! The dumpster moment where I was routing through garbage with Sam was in the pilot and it is my first memorable moment. I twas such a surreal thing to have this live dumpster at LAX to be filled with the cleanest garbage that you’ve ever seen! They actually coated the bottom of the dumpster with a mixture of Ovaltene and coffee grounds, which made me coming out smelling like a mocha! It was sort of amazing to be lifted into garbage and lifted out for the scene. That was really fun! The other moment, that I will never forget, is that in one of the episodes is when a dog attacks my character. That was really fun because I remember the animal handler came up to me before the scene, and he was very serious, and he said, “Now, I want you to understand that what we’re doing is quite dangerous. If this dog reaches you, he probably will bite you.” I said, “Okay,” and he said, “So, I want you to pay very close attention to the commands that I am going to give both you and the dog.” Then, he asks, “Will you help me make the dog mad?” I was like, “Okay?” I think what kept hitting me, in the process of doing the show, is that I could never imagine how bizarre and surreal the experience would be and yet how perfectly natural in the context of the show. The things that most people would see as fantasy are just every day life for these characters. That’s why I think the show is so much fun to do and there are going to be many more memorable moments, I am sure!

Q) Why should viewers take the time to watch “The Loop?”

A) I ask myself that about everything I watch on TV. I am like, “Why am I sitting here spending time paying attention to these characters?” I think, for this show, if I had nothing to do with this show, one reason that it would draw my attention is the energy. Even when you see these little previews that are on TV, there is a palpable energy to it that I think would get my attention. From being a part of the show and knowing how good the writing is, I think it’s different than anything that people have seen on TV before. There is a whole new language that is introduced in the show, there’s a whole vernacular and a whole set of phrases that people are going to be repeating for days after they hear them on the show. That’s just part of the fun and it’s part of the genius of the writing that they invented all of these news for people to swear. You have a house full of four young people, and you think you know that situation, but there is always a various aspect of the show that makes it slightly different than anything that you’ve ever seen before. The same thing goes for the work environment. Yes, you have the boss who is sort of a curmudgeon and a dictator that is played so wonderfully by Phillip Baker Hall. Then, you have this other element, Mimi Roger’s character, who is this racy sexy hot Vice President of the company that constantly sexually harasses Bret’s character. I think that’s so wonderful because it’s such a wonderful switch. Then there is my character, who on the surface might seem a bit predictable, but then the things that come out of her mouth are just a fantasy for me to be able to say some of those things. I think it’s just the constant surprises. Just when you think you know a character, it will flip and surprise you and I think that will keep people’s attention and really delight audiences.

Q) Why did you decide to transition from theater to TV and film?

A) Most of my training is in theater, but I just didn’t know too much about television and film. It was something that I wanted to learn more about. I’ve always loved films and television and thought it is wonderful how it can reach so many people. The decision for me to move to LA was largely based on my ignorance to both mediums. I didn’t know very much about either one and wanted to see what it was like to go through the process for both of those areas. I’m grateful that I moved here and that things have turned out the way they have. I feel very strong ties to my theater background and I miss it very much. The opportunity to work on the show and to see what that life is like has been one of a kind.

Q) What do you do in your spare time?

A) Well, my husband and I just love to hang out. He works a lot, too, so we’re just really grateful for any time that we have together. We love to see movies. We’ve seen way too many movies! We have a dog and so we love to go out. We like to go camping and spend any time outdoors. I’m really happy when I am exploring a new place. I love going someplace without a schedule and just having all the time in the world to just follow what interests me. I like taking a road trip and stopping where you want to stop. That, to me, is true luxury and the simple things like that are what make me happy.

Q) You and your mother-in-law wrote a cookbook together. Why was this an important project to you?

A) I met my mother-in-law through her baking because I met my husband in college. She would send him these amazing care packages. These weren’t like Oreos; they were the most amazing cookies, brownies and cakes you’ve ever tasted. So, I had a very good impression of her long before I knew she was going to be my mother-in-law. When I met her, all those horrible stereotypes about mother -in-laws just weren’t true at all and we’re great friends. She already had this passion for cooking and baking and she had compiled all of these recipes over the years. I, of course, have been a most willing guinea pig. When she said she wanted to put them in a book, I thought, “Oh my gosh! Let’s do that!” Since I have a background in graphic design I drew a lot of the illustrations for it and helped her design it. We hope to publish it at some point! It’s going through some final stages of editing, but it’s been a really fun project for us to work on. Plus, because she lives across the country (she lives in Boston), it’s been a really nice way to keep us tied together.

Q) Now that it is 2006, what are you most looking forward to this year?

A) I am looking forward to the show! I am looking forward to seeing how it goes over. I am trying to be realistic about things because it is such a hard business and it’s not easy for any show. You just hope and pray that the thing you care so passionately about will do well, but you just have to also live truly in the moment because you have no control over those things. In 2006, I’m looking forward to letting go of the expectations and sort of being along for the ride, just as much as anyone else. I am just enjoying each thing as it happens because I think that things are still wide open for me right now that all I can do is sort of ride the wave, be happy, enjoy my family and friends and not get too carried away with trying to plan out the future. In my life, whenever I’ve done that, things have gone in the complete opposite direction. So, by now, I should know to just be patient, be open and jump into whatever comes my way!