Paula Newsome – Barry

By: Kelly Kearney

Q) The critics are raving about your new HBO show “Barry,” starring Bill Hader about a midwestern, down on his luck hitman that heads to Los Angeles for a job. Tell the fans a little bit about your character, Detective Janice Moss, and how she fits into the story.

Paula: Its really an amazing piece and what’s so special about it is that it has a little something for everyone. Bill Hader brings his fabulous comedy, but it also has this dark side. Like you said, it’s about this down on his luck hit man and let’s just say someone dies and Janice gets pulled in to investigate these murders. As she starts investigating, she gets pulled into this acting class where Gene Cousineau (Mr. Henry Winkler) is the acting teacher and he takes a liking to Janice.

Q) Janice falls into this unpredictable and sparky romance with Gene Cousineau played by Henry Winkler. What was it like working alongside Henry because your chemistry seems to be authentic and it shows on screen?

Paula: Thank you so much, it was so much fun, it was absolutely fun and he is a joy to be around. Being an actor, you just never know what you’re going to get. Taking that ride with Mr. Henry Winkler…[pauses] I just got to sit back and be honest and watch the hilarity ensue and he does it so well. It was a true joy to work with him. What was wonderful was I had so many people who, when they found out I was doing this show and playing opposite Henry, they told me, “Oh my God, Henry Winkler is the nicest man in Hollywood!” He’s just a kind guy. Something that was lovely about our characters’ storyline was that we got to both go places we don’t get invited to go a lot. They get to have a romance, an actual romance, that has swings of ups and downs and it is just fun! I don’t want to give away the end of it, but it is a very touching and fun and playful, unexpected ride. What I also really like about this piece, really so much, it has an element of danger too. The fact that Bill [Hader] is a hitman means a lot of people die, you know what I mean? I have to tell you, I didn’t know that he [sic] was such a good writer. I mean Bill and Alec [Berg] together, you just know what you’re going to get. It’s a fabulous working environment.

Q) Your co-stars are amazing, and the material is quirky, and at times dark while remaining down to earth but always hilarious. What was it that attracted you to the project? Was it the script, your character or the people tied to it that made you want to sign on?

Paula: At first, it was the casting director. Our casting directors are just amazing, Sharon Biali and Sherry Thomas. Whatever they get their hands on they’re like the best of the best. When they called me in and then I met with Bill, I was like, “Heck yes! I would be crazy not to do this!” First of all, let me tell you being an African American woman who is over the age of twenty-five, shocker [laughing], I’m over the age of twenty-five!  Having a character that is strong, that is vulnerable, that is funny, that is bossy, that’s like I am, like we are, like my peers are…It’s a joy to be able play her. It’s a joy to represent people like me because these opportunities are few and far between. I mean, how many times have you seen this? This is what I liked about it and it is what I love about the character.

Q) Where did you find your inspiration for this role? Were there any similarities between Janice and Paula that made it easier to get into her skin?

Paula: As an actor, it can be the most challenging thing in the world to play yourself and that’s the truth because there is no acting necessary. Sometimes it can feel more vulnerable and for me, in this particular situation, I was grateful for that. The similarities were being a single woman in in Los Angeles who gets this opportunity and it leads to this man who moves on her and its maybe a situation that she might not normally go for. Those are the similarities. A single woman who is strong and really good at her job and maybe because of that she is sometimes lonely at home.

Q) What’s been your favorite part of bringing Janice to life and what was the most challenging?

Paula: I have to say, I didn’t find it that challenging. It was easier for me because I liked playing her. It’s a great opportunity to play Janice and to give voice to women who look like me. Or maybe even don’t look like me, but to play a fully fleshed out and fully realized woman it was wonderful. I want to also say I think the glory of this role is that she was fleshed out by two men! Two men who were smart enough to listen to the women around them when they were like, “Nope, don’t do that. Nope, a woman would never do that. Yup, that would be funnier. Great! Do it this way.” You know what I mean?  They were smart and from the get go they just listened to all the women around them about how to flesh out these characters and that’s just smart! With this show, people get to see themselves and when people get to see themselves they lean in and want to watch it. This is what makes “Barry” amazing and why I’m so honored to be a part of it.

Q) Now that you’ve been in her shoes so to speak, what would you say makes Janice tick?

Paula: When I think of Janice, I think of three words: fierce, I think of funny and I think of fragile. What’s lovely about her, especially when she meets Gene Cousineau, is that she becomes flexible as well. I think the ultimate strength is in flexibility.

Q) The finale was intense, and your performance was so moving. How did you prepare for your last scene?

Paula: Thank you so much. I have a fabulous woman who helps me run lines on the show. She’s an actress and her name is Aris Mendoza and she helped us run lines. Since she’s an actress, I asked her to read stage directions off camera during the scene where I was reading off the computer, that way everybody would know where we were and what we were shooting. The camera would know when to push in and after that it was kind of like the plie, the last scene of the show. It made it very easy because I really wanted everybody to be on the same page and for it to be honest. So, my preparation was having my script read to me by my dialect coach [Mendoza] so everybody could come together on the same page. The key was running the lines with her, another actress, so when Bill enters the scene, it made it very easy. I’m an actor and the best thing is just being honest, to know where this thing was going. And I just wanted to be as honest as possible each and every second of that scene.

Q) Paula, you’ve had a long and successful career and you’re truly a “triple threat.” From Broadway, to TV, to starring opposite some of the best names in the film business, what motivates you to keep searching for new and challenging projects?

Paula: First of all, you have the best questions! This is the best interview and I really appreciate your candor and really honest questions. Anyway, to answer, in the very beginning I had a voice that I had to get out and connect and express something that maybe I wasn’t expressing in real life. It was really a drive and a push, but today I express that stuff in my real life. I’m a 3D person now, but because acting is so much of who I am if somebody were to ask what I would do if I wasn’t an actor I don’t know the answer. I help people overcome trauma, but I don’t do that to make a living. I do that because it brings me joy to help people. Honestly, outside of being an actress, I don’t know what else I would do. So, its so much a part of the fabric and the make up of who I am, leaning in and waiting for the next opportunity, waiting for the next offer, going on the next audition, reading the next script. It’s just part of who I am. You know what I mean? Anything else would be unnatural like going to work without wearing your clothes.

Q) As an actor, what would you say has been your most fulfilling and gratifying experience of your career?

Paula: If we weren’t counting “Barry,” because that’s a dream role, I will give you two other ones. The first one was when I got the opportunity to play Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” which was a two person show about Billie Holiday. It was thirty pages of monologues and thirteen songs and the ebbs and flows and hills and valleys of her life were a joy to play. Lastly, there was a show that I did here in Los Angeles called “City of Angels.” It was an hour-long drama starring Blair Underwood, Octavia [Spencer] was in it, Viola [Davis] was in it and Vivica [Fox] was in it. Working with all these future Emmy and Academy Award winners was a great opportunity. I had always been more of a comedienne and that’s where I had done most of my work, but with this I could show both sides of the pendulum.  I knew I had it, but that was the first time I got to show that I had both ranges. I got to play a woman whose heart was broken and the things she did because of it. It was a wonderful experience.

Q) Speaking of the best, your performance in “How to Get Away with Murder,” opposite Viola Davis, must’ve been inspiring both as an artist and as an African American woman in this business. What was it like acting with Viola and did you take something from that experience that you brought with you to other projects?

Paula: To tell you the truth, Viola and I are friends. The best thing about working in that situation was seeing a sister at the top, number one on the call sheet as we say, who was headlining the show and the reason why they chose her is because she is her. Do you know what I mean? So, for me, the best part about that was seeing another African American woman flourish and succeed because of who she is, BECAUSE OF who she is, not because of what she chose to be, but for what she is. It should inspire all of us. It’s a gift, the opportunity was a gift.

Q) What’s next for you Paula? Besides “Barry,” are you working on anything else the fans can keep an eye out for?

Paula: I will tell you this, I worked and worked for a long time and I’m very grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given but, “Barry” has kind of been a game changer. People have begun to notice me and see me differently and as a result a lot of offers are coming my way. So, I can’t really say specifically yet because we are still in the agreement phase, but it’s possible I could do more theater. It’s possible…[pauses] You know, I can’t say for sure just because we are still in the negotiation phase, but what’s ahead is very exciting.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is fan and supporter of you and your work?

Paula: I would just say thank you. I’m an actor and my focus and vision has been to just to be as honest as possible because I want people to be able to see themselves in everyone I portray. I want them to see their heart, I want them to see their heartbreak, to see their wants, to see their desires, to see their losses. I just thank them because my joy and my desire has always been to represent them.