The amazing Martha Plimpton is starring in the new ABC sitcom “The Real O’Neals.” Inspired by sex columnist Dan Savage’s life, the sitcom follows a Catholic family that finds itself shaken up when the youngest son comes out as gay. Plimpton plays the mom, Eileen.
If you could work with anyone in the comedy field, living or dead, who would it be and why?
“There’s so many, so many. I’d love to work with Carol Burnett. I’d love to work with Louis C.K. I’d love to work with Tina Fey. Gosh, there’s so many. And they’re all very different, you know. Carol Burnett’s one of the greatest, obviously, she’s one of the greatest comedians of all time. And she also is, apparently, one of the nicest people on the planet. But she’s also a terrific actress.
“I’d love to work with Tina Fey because I think she’s such a brilliant writer and so very, very smart. She writes fantastic women characters that are utterly weird and fun and interesting and hilarious. I’d love to work with Louis C.K. because I love that sort of hyperrealism. I love the sort of depressing nature of his comedy, and I love that weird things happen out of banal situations. I love the humor of banality and behavior. As opposed to just situations.”
What’s one of the most fun jobs you’ve ever had? And it doesn’t have to be acting, it can be anything.
“Coast of Utopia was the most incredible job I’ve ever had. That was the Tom Stoppard trilogy that I did at Winter Center. That was the most incredible, life-altering job I’ve ever had. I mean, as an actor, doing Tom Stoppard, in rep, three plays, some Saturdays doing all nine hours in one day–that was an incredible experience.”
If you had to choose a completely different career, what would you do and why?
“I often joke that I would like to iron sheets at a very small boutique hotel. Or possibly Bali or the Maldives. Nothing more than five rooms. That’s about as many sets of sheets a day as I can handle. I love to iron sheets. I find ironing sheets to be extremely meditative and satisfying. And if I could iron sheets at a small boutique hotel on a tropical island, I can’t imagine, really, an easier life. Just ironing sheets, I don’t want to do anything else, just ironing sheets.”
Read more of Wojo’s interview with Martha Plimpton at Parade.com.
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