From hookers to lawyers, or from “hot pants to long pants,” as she describes it, Annabelle Gurwitch’s career has run the gamut. Best known for her stint on Dinner and a Movie, Gurwitch’s latest project is Fired. She recently sat down with us to talk about her new book and her career.

Where are you originally from and what was your childhood like? Where do you call home now?

I’m originally from Mobile, Alabama. I grew up in a lot of places around the country, mostly Miami Beach. I moved to New York when I was 18 to go to NYU, lived there for about 10 years and now I live in Los Angeles.

What was my childhood like? Gosh. Having moved around a lot, this is the thing that drives people to show business. People who grew up in lots of different cities and had to adjust or in my case, not talk for a year because you had a southern accent and you moved to Delaware and that was embarrassing. I’m just another one of those people who ended up in show business because I have a short attention span.

We were doing some research on you and according to IMDB; you were a writer for Thundercats in 1985. How did that job come about and what was the experience like writing for a classic Saturday morning cartoon show?

My original interest when I moved to New York was in theater and I did a lot of avant guard theater and when you collaborate with people, you do a lot of writing with them too – writing and performing pieces together. So I was always interested in writing and one of my best friends, who was one of the producers of Supersize Me, she had a job for Telepictures and I think we wrote one or two episodes of Thundercats together and that remains on IMDB, which makes me laugh so hard because we were in college and we didn’t know what we were doing. But I loved that show.

What episode of Thundercats did you write?

I’m going to really be embarrassing myself if I tell you I remember the exact episode we wrote, which was about how the Thundercats’ souls were being captured in their sleep and they were being held hostage and made to do things against their will in their sleep. It was their dream selves that were being held hostage and they had to find a way to save their dream selves. This is a very big pot smoking enduced type episode that we wrote from my years of smoking pot.

At least you have something to show for it.

Yes, a Thundercats episode to memorialize my interest in the dreams and occult … and pot smoking.

You’ve also appeared on a number of big name TV shows, including Miami Vice, Murphy Brown, Tales from the Crypt, talk about some of your experiences on those shows and which one you enjoyed working on the most.

That’s very funny you should ask that because this week I’m shooting an episode of Boston Legal and I’m shooting it with Candice Bergen and actually the episode I did of Murphy Brown with Candice was my first job I did in Los Angeles. I was just writing this piece for the LA Times about how I’ve gone from hot pants to long pants. As an actor, you find yourself in different stages in your career. For many years, I played prostitutes. I was a prostitute against my will on The Equalizer. I liked being a prostitute on Miami Vice. I was a prostitute in the 19th century in a movie called Where the Hell’s That Gold?!!? And then, I was everyone’s secretary. I was Candice Bergen’s secretary, Betty White’s secretary, you name it, I “secretaried” it. And now I’m in my lawyer stage. Right now, I’m in the movie Shaggy Dog being an attorney and I’m in Boston Legal as an attorney. It’s really fun. Actually, I like being the boss.

Most people probably remember you as the host of Dinner and a Movie on TBS. How did you get that job and what was it like being a part of that show? Do you have any favorite moments from your time hosting that show?

We did that show for such a long time and Paul Gilmartin and I spent so much time together that literally I would pull his ear hair out as we’d stand on the set, he was like my second husband. You get very close. One year, we gave up deodorant together; you know what I’m saying? You get too close. I also was pregnant with my son when I was on that show and I went through a lot of very big moments in my life.

We had an enormously great time doing that show. When we first started doing the show, nobody knew what we were doing at TBS and we really were under the radar, which is a really fun place to be on television. We just did whatever we wanted. Of course, as the years went on and the show was very successful for them, we got more oversight. But, I’ll tell you, those early couple years when really and truly people in Atlanta just didn’t even notice us, that was terribly, terribly fun.

Probably my all time favorite show we did was with Dave Foley from Kids in the Hall on the show. He was in a movie that I can’t even remember now where he had one line. He came on and he did this whole sketch about how he had the back story for his character with the one line and how his character was based on a French film about this character. We made this sketch where it was a take off of the French film, it was just completely ridiculous. We really took it to the end of what you could take it. The Dave Foley episode of Dinner and a Movie was my all time favorite. If I could only remember the movie that it was – but that was sort of beside the point.

We think that’s what was interesting about that show – the movie was secondary to everything else that was going on.

It was like doing a long form improv, but we always had something to fall back on, which was the movie and the cooking. The show was really about Paul and my cantankerous relationship, which was really true. We used to fight all the time, but in a way that’s enjoyable – not like “I hate you” fight, but we just naturally had so many different points of view from each other that it was just really fun because we just literally disagreed with everything that came out of each other’s mouth. I think that’s fun to watch and it’s really fun to do.

Be honest, do you consider yourself a good cook? What is the best meal you can prepare?

Oh no. Oh God no. I’m a burner. I have one style of cooking. Like I said, I’m originally from Mobile, Alabama and I fry things – all I do is fry. I fry steak, if you were at my house, I would fry you. I’ll eat anything fried.

We know you have also contributed to the I Love the 70s and I Love the 80s shows on VH-1. Do you get nostalgic looking back at those eras or do you just shake your head at some of the fashion choices and trends?

I love doing those shows because unfortunately, I have a lot of experience in the 70s and 80s and it is really fun for me, I don’t know if it’s fun for viewers, but it is really fun when you go to the studio and you get to talk about things like bellbottoms and halter tops and then the 80s and early Madonna videos and Cindy Lauper. It’s just really fun.

You’ve said that the idea for Fired came after you were fired by a “cultural icon.” Why did Woody Allen fire you from his off-Broadway production and what made you decide to start sharing that story with others?

I had never been fired because someone, at least to my knowledge, didn’t think I was good in something before. I was pretty crushed. It was really that experience that got me really interested in this whole topic and honestly, I just became really passionate about the topic. People started telling me their stories about being fired and then the whole project just snowballed with people in the entertainment business telling me their stories, then people at NPR, people started sending me their stories and then when I started doing these stories with other comedians and actors as a live show, people were coming up to me and telling me their fired stories. It’s a crazy thing that’s happened. I’ve become this sort of confessor; people love to tell me their stories about being fired now. I love their stories.

I just think it’s really interesting. I think we’re living in a time where everyone has to reassess this whole paradigm of work. People thought they were headed towards one kind of career – one job, one company – and this is so not going to happen in our lifetime anymore. Everybody lives a freelance life now, basically. You can just find yourself with the company that you’re working for just completely going under very quickly or you can find yourself outsourced or, like me, you can actually get fired because you weren’t good at the job or you’re in the wrong job. It just happens so often that I think it’s a great time to share the whole experience.

We know you have also been working on a Fired documentary and you recently released a book. What are your hopes for the future of the project? Is their another direction you’d like to see it go?

I’m not sure. I’m hoping that my book will do for other people what it has done for me, which is giving people who have been fired or anyone in the workplace some solace, humor and perspective. I’m hoping that when the documentary comes out, my aim for it was really to be a jumping off point for discussion about where we’re heading as a society because I think more and more the working middle class in America is really baring the brunt of the change in industry right now, the way that companies are having trouble competing in the global market. Just from what my understanding is, a lot of it has to do with our decision as a society to not provide the same social nets that other companies in other economies that we are competing against provide. Who, in the end, is suffering? Not usually the CEOs and stockholders, but the lowest working people.

Have you given any thought to a solution?

Not being an economist, I do think that someone that I do admire, Robert Reich, the former Labor Secretary, he’s written a lot about that and I do include in my book a piece by him and also an Op-Ed he wrote in the New York Times about that very issue about what he would envision as a new reemployment plan for the American worker. He’s much more informed and someone who knows how to implement change. I’m trying in my small way just to add to one of the platforms he has to talk about the future of the American worker.

Do you have any favorite stories that have come out of this project?

Well, Robert Reich’s story is one of my favorites because he was fired from the Solicitor General’s office when he was working there in the Reagan administration. He was an attorney and he was asked to argue in front of the Supreme Court to get rid of the first, fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth amendments to the Constitution and he just couldn’t bring himself to do that. As he says in the book, and I love this, he says, “When you’re fired and you have a university degree, they don’t usually say you’re fired, what they say is, ‘Maybe you should look for something else.’” And they know what they mean and you know what they mean and they know that you know that they know that you know exactly what they mean and it means you’re fired. When you think about someone like that getting fired, it gives me hope that I can go on.

On the other side of the coin, there is a story in my book by Paul Feig about being the Ronald McDonald of Toledo, Ohio. Paul was the creator of Freaks and Geeks. His story of working in the world of kid comedy, he says, “the world of kid comedy is a seedy Babylon,” and just his description of putting on the clown suit and making children cry, it was just fantastic.

In my book, I have a lot of writers that you don’t normally see published or have never been published – writers from The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, just really great shows that you just don’t get to read. That to me was like a really big thrill, that I could put them in a book.

Tell us something not many people know about you.

My original dream in life was to be an art patron in the mode of Peggy Guggenheim. For some reason, I thought I was going to inherit a lot of money and be an heiress. I have no idea why I thought that. It just couldn’t be further from the truth.

The closest I got to that is, I was married before my husband now to an artist. I do really love painting and I was in the movie Pollock, which I loved doing because I was really interested in his life.

My husband now, my writer husband, started painting a few years ago and my son paints and I live surrounded by canvases. I love that and I don’t think anyone knows that about me except my close friends.

We’ve got one last thing for you here. We’re going to do a word association. We’ll just throw out a name and tell me the first thing that comes to your mind.

Hollywood.

Popcorn.

Woody Allen.

Laughter.

Fired.

Me?

Dinner and a Movie.

Oy.

Annabelle Gurwitch.

She’s still around?

The future.

Faith.

Interviewed by Joel Murphy, April 2006. To find out more information on Fired, check out the official website.

Joel Murphy

I think my childhood could easily be divided into different stages. When I was really young, there was the He-Man stage. My brother and I had all the toys, including the Castle of Greyskull, and I would carry around my little She-Ra toy at all times (I was in love with her). Next, I went through a G.I. Joe phase and got a whole new set of toys to play with. Then came the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who definitely took merchandising to a whole new level.

In addition to buying all of their toys (including those little jars of ooze they used to sell, which sadly never turned me into a ninja turtle), I also remember eating those green turtle pies and the ice cream bars with the eyes made of bubble gum. I even remember owning the cassette tape they came out with at one point, which was filled with crappy original songs.

The point I’m trying to make here is, like most kids my age, I was hooked on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When their first movie came out in 1990, I was incredibly excited to see it. In fact, I watched all three of their movies in the theater (when I went to see the third film, I remember being the only person in the theater, which was both cool and sort of pathetic all at the same time). Had I written a review of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie when it came out, I’m sure it would have been something along the lines of “This is the best movie ever. I like pizza and they like pizza. Turtles are cool.”

However, the deal with the Old School Movie Review is that I’m going back and watching the movies now – after the weight of the world has crushed my spirits and I’ve become much more cynical and jaded. And, I hate to tell all of you this, but I’m afraid this movie kind of sucks. I know, it’s hard for some of you to hear and I’m sure your happy childhood memories are all crumbling as you read this, but the movie just isn’t very good. In fact, I dare say it’s boring.

The biggest problem is that the movie doesn’t have much of a plot. Basically, Shredder is running a criminal empire using his Foot Clan and a group of misfit children to steal cash and merchandise. The turtles find out about this and fight the Foot Clan, which pisses off Shredder, so he kidnaps Splinter. The turtles get beat up in a fight, run away to the country for a while, then remember that they should probably actually be saving Splinter, so they come back to save the day. And that’s pretty much it – there is a weak love story between April O’Neil and Casey Jones thrown in for good measure, but it’s never explored in great detail.

I think what’s most disappointing to me is that Shredder didn’t have some sort of master plan. He’s supposed to be a supervillain, but he’s not really trying to destroy the city or take over the world or build some sort of giant robot that he can unleash on society. He just wants to steal VCRs and TVs and then sell them on the black market. I mean, what fun is that?

Since it is the first movie in the franchise, it also offers the turtles backstory and introduces all of the characters, which is nice, but sort of unnecessary. Isn’t the title pretty self-explanatory? They are four mutated turtles in their teens who are skilled ninjas. What else do you need to know?

You also get introduced to Splinter, the leader of the turtles. You find out that Splinter, before he was mutated, was a pet rat for a guy named Hamato Yoshi. Splinter mimicked his master’s moves and was able to learn the ways of the ninja. Yoshi and this other guy, Oroku Saki, both fell in love with a girl named Tang Shen. So basically, the two guys both want a little Tang and, when she picks Yoshi, Saki gets pissed and kills them both. Saki, of course, goes on to become Shredder.

April O’Neil, who I mentioned above, is the roving reporter for Channel 3 News. Splinter sends some of his Foot Soldiers to take her out, but the turtles show up and save the day. From there, the turtles and her are inseparable. The character is played by Judith Hoag, who these days does a ton of guest appearances on TV shows.

Her love interest in Casey Jones, a guy who wears a hockey mask and beats up bad guys with a variety of sports equipment, including a Jose Canseco bat (Raphael makes fun of him for it during the movie, which seems funnier now given how things turned out for Mr. Canseco). Jones is played by Elias Koteas, who went on to play Edgar Reese in Fallen, which is an absolutely great movie. (“Ti-i-i-ime is on my side, yes it is.”)

But perhaps the biggest name in the movie is Corey Feldman, who does the voice of Donatello. I’m not sure why they bothered to get him, since Donatello doesn’t really have any cool lines. None of the turtles do, really. They make references to Humphrey Bogart and The Grapes of Wrath, which is impressive for teenagers living in the sewer, and Raphael says “damn” a lot, but other than that, their dialogue is forgettable. In fact, the best line in the movie is actually April O’Neil’s. When the Foot Clan is getting ready to give her a beat down, she quips, “Am I behind on my Sony payments again?” That’s right, she goes there.

The turtles look impressive, at least. Of course, that’s no surprise since they were made by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. And, they do manage to eat a lot of pizza (from Dominos, no less). In an early scene, a confused pizza man is standing over the sewer grate trying to figure out where to deliver the pizza to. Since he shows up late, they take off three dollars from the tab and stiff him on the tip. Now what kind of message is that sending to the kids?

So the movie just sort of plods along to the final battle scene between Shredder and the turtles because, as you all know, when the evil Shredder attacks, these turtle boys don’t cut him no slack. However, Shredder is able to take all four of them down pretty easily. Luckily, Casey Jones manages to free Splinter, so he shows up to save the day. Shredder rushes at him, but he’s all like, “Ninja, please!” He knocks Shredder off the roof and into a garbage truck. And, as Shredder crashes down, the movie ends with both a literal and a figurative thunk.

Of course, this was one of the highest grossing independent films of all time and kids just like me saw it and loved every minute of it. But, there just isn’t much substance to it. In the end, it was just another marketing tool, another way to sell more action figures or Turtle Pies. I can’t remember if they ever made a cereal for the movie, but if they did, I’m sure it tasted vanilla.

Random thought of the week:
Does Samuel L. Jackson ever turn down movie roles? Seriously, how bad does a film have to be for him to pass on it?

Joel Murphy is the creator of HoboTrashcan, which is probably why he has his own column. He loves pugs, hates Jimmy Fallon and has an irrational fear of robots. You can contact him at murphyslaw@hobotrashcan.com.

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Alcoholic and lactose intolerant, Meredith Palmer is definitely an interesting character. And while she might not be the best employee in the world, she is definitely fun at parties. Fearlessly tackling the role is Kate Flannery, who was nice enough to sit down and talk to us.

We know you are originally from Philadelphia. What was your childhood like? Where do you call home now?

Well, I call L.A. home, but I still go back to Philadelphia a couple times a year. I grew up in Ardmore, but my parents have since moved to Wynnewood – the next town over. My family owns a bar. I have five sisters and a brother; there are a few that are still back in the Philadelphia area.

How exactly did you get into acting, and when did you decide this is what you wanted to do for a living?

I wanted to get into acting when I was a kid, but my parents were not very cooperative. They wanted me to wait. My senior year of high school, I got into Riverfront Dinner Theater, I actually got to do a show there. I was doing Bye Bye Birdie. Then I went to college and studied acting in college. I went for two years to Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Virginia, and then I transferred to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

You are a former member of Second City’s National Tour Co. and an original member of Chicago’s Annoyance Theater. What were those experiences like for you?

After college, I went to Chicago and I actually went to study at Second City and then I got hired by them with the touring company and the Annoyance Theater. We were doing this show called The Real Live Brady Bunch that went kind of everywhere. I did the tour of that. We came to New York and out to L.A. It was a really great few years, doing that show.

We actually came across an essay you wrote for a site called Fresh Yarn that talked about your time with The Real Live Brady Bunch. In the article, you mentioned that on that tour, you hooked up with a pop star. For anyone out there who hasn’t read the essay, can you please elaborate on that.

I don’t really want to talk about it, but I guess I want to say that it was just one of those very strange things – I went into the situation a boy and I came out a man. (Laughs.) A person doesn’t get the least bit involved, a person doesn’t have dinner with Davey Jones without realizing he does not belong to anyone. He belongs to the world. He could have had dinner with any woman in the world, but he chose to eat with me … sometimes. It was just a couple of weeks. It was a very quick learning experience, let me say.

What can you tell us about your musical group, The Lampshades?

I originally developed The Lampshades when I was in Chicago with a guy named Scot Robinson and Dave Adler was our piano player. I guess we did it for almost two years there, but we were doing other shows at the same time, so it wasn’t our main focus or anything. And then, we didn’t live in the same city together for a long time, then found ourselves both living in L.A. about six years ago and we decided to do it again. We really kind of rolled up our sleeves and worked more on the levels of the show that we thought it needed. It’s kind of been this really great labor of love.

It’s been musically interesting, but also a great opportunity to not only do our weekly show, which we’ve been doing for four years at the Improv Olympic Theater in Hollywood, but also we will gig out and host stand-up nights and we’ve done a lot of charity events and some private parties. It’s a very portable show, so it’s been really, really great for us. We’ve gotten around a lot doing it and we’ve met a lot of people because of it.

It’s basically a dying lounge act. You get to know who we are through the course of the act – kind of what we don’t say. We’re in this unrequited love situation that’s very tortured. It’s very silly and funny and dumb.

How tough is it to break into the business? How many auditions did you go to before you landed a role?

I’ve done theater for years. The TV and film stuff came very slowly. Although I will say that in high school, I was an extra in the movie Taps. I missed my senior prom because I was an extra in Eddie and the Cruisers. If you’re from Philadelphia, there are just a few movies that come through there. I really enjoy theater and I’ve had some great experiences off-Broadway and just touring at the Kennedy Center and a lot of different cities. But, I will say that the TV is very, very specific and as much as I loved to be in New York, for me, I felt like I really have to be in L.A. to pursue that kind of work. And it takes time – it’s been a long struggle in a lot of ways. And now I’m an overnight success.

I guess when I moved back here about seven years ago from New York, I was going out a little bit more, I had a little bit better of an agent. I had booked a recurring character on Boomtown, but unfortunately, I only got to do one episode, and then the show was canceled.

In addition to Boomtown, you’ve been on everything from The Bernie Mac Show to Saturday Night Live. Which show was your favorite and why?

I loved doing the voice on SNL. We actually did that at Capitol Records, which is this great building in Hollywood, it kind of looks like a stack of records. I got to go there because I was living here. Robert Smigel, who I’ve kind of known for years – I was up for SNL back in 1991, I had lunch with Lorne Michaels, there was some interest from them but it didn’t get further than that. Robert had remembered that I had done a Lucy character for my SNL audition and also when I tested for Dana Carvey, which is a show that Steve Carrell actually booked, I didn’t book it, but I came close to it. Anyway, it was really fun just to go to Capitol Records and all of the sudden, Robert Smigel’s voice is in my head – they direct you while you are doing the voice. It was really cool.

Was he very particular about the way he wanted it done?

Yes. He was very particular, but he was like, “I know you can do it.” He’s a great director and a great writer and very funny. It was such an honor for him to ask me to do that, I can’t even tell you.

I got to see him a little bit in New York because I was in a band with one of the guys from They Might Be Giants and Robert used to come to the shows sometimes. The band was called Mono Puff. I got to do some recording with them.

How did you land the role of Meredith on The Office, and how was the character explained to you initially?

The character was initially explained to me as divorced, with a hysterectomy, lactose intolerant, blue collar, no makeup. That was pretty much in the breakdown. I remember getting there and seeing some other actresses that I knew from Second City and I thought they’re going to get it, I’m not going to get it. Then, by the time I got home, I got a call from the casting director to go to another place and do it again as soon as I could get there. And they had me do it again; they had me do it just a little bit more deadpan. By the time I got home from that, I found out I got it. I didn’t even realize it was going to be a regular thing. I thought it was going to be just one episode.

From there, did the character develop over time?

The defining episode for them and for me was the birthday episode where Michael is planning a birthday party that’s really inappropriately early because he’s determined to have a surprise party for somebody at work and he’s working on the card and just trying to figure out how to really have the best greeting on the card. He’s trying to figure out who Meredith is because he barely knows her, but he’s trying to act like they are really good buddies. He ends up ordering an ice cream cake and she can’t eat it. He’s bringing up her divorce and her hysterectomy and some of it ended up getting cut, but it was really, really dark. It was the most depressing party, and he ends up making her cry. I think that was the most fleshed out the character was when I came on board.

This season, it’s been the drinking and the toplessness and all that insanity has actually been creeping up all season. But, some of it got cut in the beginning of the season. So it really didn’t come to the forefront until the Christmas episode.

Would you say that she has a drinking problem?

As a matter of fact, I would. Maybe it’s not a problem for her. It could be a problem for other people because she’s taking off her shirt.

How would you describe the character now that it’s been fleshed out more? How do you see Meredith?

I think Meredith is a dark horse. She’s the person that works across from you that sometimes you don’t know what to say to them. You see them everyday, but you don’t really know what’s going on in their head. And sometimes, it’s almost like you can’t say anything right in front of her. And I think she feels that way too.

Do you think you are similar to the character at all? Can you relate to her?

Are you asking me if I have a drinking problem? (Laughs.) My dad owned a bar, so I know drinkers, man. I’ve worked in restaurants long enough to know that whole thing. I can relate to it on that level. I don’t think there are any Irish people on the planet that don’t have an alcoholic in their family somewhere. It’s a familiar beast.

When the show first started did you have any idea it would turn into such a big hit? When did you first get the sense that this show could really take off?

I knew it was going to be good. I remember I went to visit Greg Daniels while they were in the editing stages, before it aired, and we had lunch one day and he showed me some of my stuff that was finished, which is so great and such a rare thing. Most executive producers don’t let you in on the process of that, especially if you’re not a top five actor on that show. Greg is so generous and so great. I remember sitting in the office with him and seeing an actual episode and I was blown away.

It’s so smart and so clever. The whole use of the camera being another character. There’s such an exchange with the camera. It’s so different from any other comedy that way.

I don’t know how I landed here, but I am so lucky. We came back to work in August last year. First, we thought we were just back for six, and then they ordered seven more, then nine more. It kept going. We just wrapped a few weeks ago.

Do you have a favorite episode so far? If so, why is it your favorite?

I love the Christmas episode, but there’s so many. The thing I love about the Christmas episode it that I feel like it’s getting so packed with stuff, it’s so great. There are so many levels. I also like Booze Cruise – I know I’m mentioning both that I’m topless in – but there was a scene in particular with Jim and Pam on top of the boat that was just so full of pauses and this energy. I really think they fleshed out their relationship so well in that awkwardness and that sense of unrequited love.

That scene definitely goes on for longer than you’d think, too.

Yes, I can’t believe how long the silence was. It was one of the gustiest things I’ve seen on TV in years.

Speaking of the Booze Cruise, we have a slightly personal question for you – do you think Meredith and Capt’n Jack have a future together?

You know, I write about that on my MySpace page. “No, he hasn’t called and yes she had a good time and no she isn’t getting any younger.” I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get the great Rob Riggle to come back and play Capt’n Jack, but I think whatever port in a storm. I think there will be many weird male encounters. I don’t think it’s restricted to the captain of the booze cruise.

We know you can’t give too much away, but are there more quality “Meredith moments” in store for us this season?

There’s a couple. We’ll see what makes it on. The season closer, there’s a fun little thing. I don’t want to give it away, but there’s a casino night going on. It could be dealer’s choice, that’s all I’m going to say.

How excited were you to hear that The Office has been picked up for a third season?

I really feel like I have to pinch myself. This is the greatest job. Everyone is so talented, but also so normal and so nice, which is very unusual. It feels like there’s room for all of us to shine. That’s very rare on a show.

How often do you get recognized in public?

It’s happening more often, usually when I have absolutely no makeup on and I look like hell. I don’t know if you noticed, but they don’t give me a lot of makeup on the show. Last season, I thought it was only going to be a week, but it ended up being five weeks for me. I was working in a restaurant in Beverly Hills part time and I started to get recognized there when the show first aired. It was so bizarre. This guy said, “Excuse me, miss. Are you lactose intolerant?”

I said, “Yes I am. Thank you for not bringing up my hysterectomy.”

What goals do you have set for yourself? Where would you like to see your career go, and who in Hollywood would you like to work with some day?

There are so many people. People I came up the ranks with that I’d love to work with again. Hopefully, this show is going to go for a while, but my friend is the creator of Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry. I’d love to work with him. I know Adam McKay, who is the director of Anchorman. There are a lot of really smart, funny people that I’d love to work with again at some point.

Actually, I used to wait on JJ Abrams, who is the creator of Alias and Lost and I’d love to work with him. He was just a customer, but I’d like to work with him. They used to write episodes of Alias at the place that I worked. He would come in with some of his staff and they’d sit at a table and they’d just basically order something to drink, it would be late night so they’d have sodas and stuff. It was really interesting watching that process. He was always really supportive of when I was doing The Lampshades. I actually got to audition for an Alias episode. It was really nice of him to send me in – send the waitress in.

Tell us something not many people know about you.

Well, you’ve already mentioned the Fresh Yarn story, that’s kind of new to the wire. The other thing that I’ll say is that I was teaching little kids and I’m actually going to start again at the Los Angeles Drama Club, which was started by two friends of mine who are moms, they started this for their kids. It’s five and six year olds doing Shakespeare. I’m the music director there.

That sounds like a daunting task, trying to get kids to do Shakespeare.

You’d be surprised. In some ways, they don’t judge it as much as adults. They dive right in.

We’ve got one last thing for you here. We’re going to do a word association. We’ll just throw out a name and tell us the first thing that comes to your mind.

Hollywood.

New York.

Scranton, Pennsylvania.

My home state.

Steve Carell.

Great.

Meredith Palmer.

Sad.

Kate Flannery.

Not bad.

The future.

Very bright.

Interviewed by Joel Murphy, April 2006. The Office is on NBC Thursday nights at 9:30 PM. You can find out more information about Kate Flannery by visiting the The Lampshades site or by reading her MySpace blog.

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