While watching Season 1, Curtis had an eerie feeling.
I went, Im going to play her.
I swear, she says.
Peter Falk inColumbo.NBC Universal via Getty Images
And then she got the call.
My agent said, Youve been offered a part onThe Bear.
Curtis called the shows creator, Christopher Storer.
I said, What do you want her hair to look like?
He sent me a picture of Monica Vitti.
I said, What do you want her nails to look like?
He sent me a picture of theDesperate Housewives of New York.
I was never going to be an actor, I was going to be a cop.
I hadthree lines on an episode ofColumboas a grumpy waitress.
The waitress says, You cant eat that here.
And he says, OK, and hands her the donut.
She says, Have you decided yet?
And he goes, Yes, Ill have a donut.
Peter Falk had brought that clip on the show.
So, my second ever job in showbusiness, I was onThe Tonight Show.
Advice is somehow saying to someone, I have a better idea than you.
And I have felt that many, many, many times when people have offered advice.
That doesnt mean that I cant say to you, What do you think I should do here?
That is a very specific question that you’re free to answer.
But the best advice is, Dont give it.
The way I have adjusted it is I offer suggestions.
My new favorite is, Can I give you feedback?
But that ultimately is some form of control and some hubris and ego on my part.
My First TV LessonShow up early.
The Shows That Make Me CryEverything makes me cry.
I am just not a trained person.
By the way, to say youre untrained doesnt mean youre not thoughtful.
I do my homework.
I listen to music and watch movies and wear perfumes of the characters Im playing.
Donnas is Shalimar, by the way.
There was a TV show calledMy Favorite Martian.
Ray Walston played a Martian, and he had these little antenna.
Well, my antenna are these frequency receptors, and I am highly aware.
I am highly attuned emotionally, and I cry a lot because I am moved by life.
Im just moved by the human experience.
OK, wait, what do I do?
So that was really fun.
No one makes anything beautiful for me.
Or it is, but she just cant see it.
Ive had a lot of people say that.
That line in particular really got them.
The Character Thats Most Like MeMaybeTess, inFreaky Friday.
Im sort of like her a little bit.
But I know parts of everyone [Ive played].
Even inEverything Everywhere All at OnceIknowDeirdre Beaubeirdre.
Ive met women whove been overlooked.
Ive met women who use their job for power.
Its the only power they get.
Nowhere else in the world do they get any recognition.
And Im sure her manicurist, excuse my French, couldnt give a sh*t about Deirdre.
My Guilty PleasureMy husband and I are married 40 years.
We like to watch a good show.
But I really found my guilty pleasure when we were shooting a movie in a closed Walgreens.
I said, Is there a Walgreens employee here that can open a register?
And I went and discoveredBit-O-Honey candy.
Its probably awful for you, but I bought a few boxes.
Talk about a guilty pleasure.
My Karaoke PlaylistI cannot sing.I can lip-sync like a bitchthough.
