Lauren Ash – Superstore

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) Outside of “Superstore” what have you been busy working on?

A) The big thing for me is that I launched a podcast a few months ago. It’s called “Giving It up for Less.” And I have a bunch of my different friends on; I have my “Superstore” colleagues on and friends from my real life. Basically, it’s a podcast about oversharing. So, we all just sit around telling personal stories that are probably more personal than we should be sharing, but it’s been a lot of fun and people have been really supportive on social media – fans and stuff like that. It’s a really cool, fun project.

Q) Coming into this new season of “Superstore” we saw you at odds with Garrett. Now that he’s broken up with his girlfriend are you guys back to being friends or are you still frenemies at this point?

A) At this point I feel like there’s obviously still tension between Dina and Garrett (Colton Dunn). That will continue to stay in the air through Season 5. In terms of where they end up at the end of Season 5, I can’t speculate. I can’t comment because I truly do not know. I will say that obviously they have a very complicated path and that’s not something that is going to go away any time soon. I’m very curious to see what happens with that last relationship.

Q) When we last left Dina she was worn out from the holiday season. Talk a little bit about where we pick up.

A) Well, the big exciting thing coming January is we do get to meet Dina’s dad which is pretty awesome. He’s played by the amazing Dean Norris. I was really excited. Season 1 I improvised the line, “It’s just so hard to trust people after my dad left me at a gas station when I was a kid.” Ever since then I have been excited and kind of pushing our showrunners, “Can we please meet Dina’s dad?” So, this season in January we do get to meet him and see the relationship between them, which was just such a fun dynamic to play. So, I’m really, really excited about that episode.

Q) What was it like working with Dean? Did they have you do a chemistry read or did you guys just step in as father and daughter?

A) We just stepped into it. Dean is like a consummate professional and also like wildly talented. He’s just such a great guy, like a really, really nice person. We hit it off right away and just got into it. It felt really natural, so it was a breeze. It was a pretty cool thing.

Q) You have some incredible lines on the series. Do you have any favorite Dina moments?

A) Oh my gosh so many! I mean, one of my favorite moments is when she said, “It’s so hard to trust people since my dad left me at that gas station.” There are just so many. This season there are just so many. I’m really excited again about her dad. I mean, anything with her and Sandra (Kaliko Kauahi) is also very fun. I think the other one that sticks out in my mind from last season was when she told Sandra, “I wanna meet your mother so I can shove you back up inside of her.” I think that was one of the funniest thing she’s said yet.

Q) Is there much room for improv on the set?

A) Yeah, we do a lot of improv. A lot. Obviously, Mark McKinney has a comedy improv background. Plus, you have Colton and myself. We’re pretty lucky that we get everything scripted, but we always get a chance to improvise. Quite often they do use stuff that we improvise. Again, that whole thing with Dina’s dad started from a joke that I improvised in Season 1. The line got in and then became part of the cannon of the show. That’s one of the cool things about working on “Superstore.” You feel like you are creatively collaborating because you do get a chance to come up with stuff and throw stuff in and they actually do use it. It’s funny. That’s a really unique experience to have on a show. It makes me, as someone with an improv background, really excited to be part of it.

Q) Do you have any favorite people that you love to share scenes with the most or is it just great to work with the entire cast?

A) I think what’s fun is that every character has their own dynamic. So, it’s fun to kind of get to spread it around. What’s it going to be this week? Is there going to be some Dina and Mateo (Nico Santos) stuff? Is there going to be some Dina and Amy (America Ferrera) stuff? Everyone is so talented and we all get along so well that no matter what the pairings are we all have a lot of fun. I mean we do love some Amy-Dina dynamic. And I know that the fans really love that dynamic as well. So, every so often if we haven’t seen some good Amy-Dina stuff then America and I are inevitably like, “We need to get some more of those storylines,” so we start sending emails. [laughs] Again, by now in Season 5, it’s just fun to rotate through. Dina and Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) stuff is fun because that’s not a dynamic you get to see all of the time. Obviously, Dina and Glenn is also a joy. I could never just pick. I love everybody in my “Superstore” family too much to choose a favorite. [laughs]

Q) We absolutely love Dina and Amy’s friendship. What is it about them that makes them friends at this point?

A) Dina would say that she is Amy’s best friend and that Amy is her third best friend. I think what is fun about that dynamic is that Dina is obviously eccentric, but they are both really strong, independent women. And I think they really respect each other at the end of the day. I think if you asked Amy, she would say, “Yeah, Dina is my friend.” Season 1 that may have been a little bit different, but as of now I feel like they’ve shared a lot between the two of them – a lot of funny stuff but also you know in the episode where Dina is kind of grappling with PTSD after the tornado Amy is really there for her and I think that it’s really been nice to get to see them moment. Dina also ate meat for Amy! We can’t forget this! Dina was vegan for most of her entire life and she didn’t want Amy’s party to go awry and she did that for her. So, I think their friendship is really fun to build and the fans really love the dynamic between the two of them. Amy sometimes thinks Dina is a little ridiculous, but she also knows Dina gets stuff done and that’s something that Amy respects.

Q) With the union knocking on their door is Dina concerned at all or she ready to welcome the coming changes?

A) She’s still a little bit torn about that situation because she’s a real company woman, but she also sees the kind of implications and damage that that kind of thing could do. I think she’s still a little bit on the fence and a little bit torn. At the end of the day she is going to back up Amy. At the end of the day she’s going to land on the right side of the issue, but I think that’s been a tough one for her because it goes against her instincts.

Q) What do you think it is about “Superstore” that has made it such a fan favorite series?

A) I think the first thing, always and foremost, is the characters. I think that the characters are interesting and we all know people in our real lives that are like each of these characters. I think first it’s relatable as these are all kind of like people you have met before. I also think it’s an easy concept to get. If you’ve never worked in one of those stores you probably have set foot in one of those stores so it’s easy to get that dynamic more so than knowing what it is like to be a hot doctor working in a hospital. [laughs] I think it’s just kind of a relatable premise. I think the final thing that has happened organically is how the show kind of started to talk about real issues that are going on in the world and in America. I think we’ve somehow stumbled into a way that we’re able to address things without being heavy handed or it kind of being crammed like it’s a very special episode. I think it would be disingenuous for us to not address those things. We’re representing a real cross section of this country and I think it’s great we’ve been able to talk about so many things. Mateo’s storyline alone is so timely. I think it’s really important and I think it’s a really cool thing that people have responded to.

Q) What would you like to say that to everyone who is a fan supporter of you and the work that you do?

A) The only reason why anyone can be successful in this industry is because people like what they are doing. Fans and supporters are the reason we have jobs and the reason why we’re able to do our show. If no one watches the show then you don’t have a job. I mean, I can’t thank those people enough – people who show me so much love on social media. Even if I can’t respond to everybody I definitely try and read everything that people send to me. It’s just so lovely to know there are people out there who appreciate what you are doing and what you are putting out. This has definitely been my favorite character that I’ve ever gotten to play. There has been just so much love for Dina. I can’t thank people enough. Again, they are the reason why we continue and it’s always nice to meet people in real life. I think sometimes people may be a little intimidated to approach me because they think I’m scary like Dina, but I would say I’m not. I’m always happy to say “hi” and it’s always nice to meet people who are fans of the show and me.