The Many Roles Of 'Glee' Meanie Jane Lynch

TERRY GROSS, host:

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. This year, Jane Lynch started to get the recognition she deserves in her role on the Fox TV series "Glee" as the coach of the cheerleading squad. As part of our holiday week series of memorable interviews from 2009, we're going to hear an excerpt of the interview we recorded in November. Before "Glee," she was best known for her comic performances in the mockumentary "Best in Show" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and her roles in "The L Word," and the Starz TV series "Party Down." In last summer's film "Julie and Julia," she played Julia Child's sister.

In case you missed the first year of "Glee," it's about a high school teacher trying to put together a winning glee club with a group of students who are mostly losers. The glee club coach tries to be sensitive to the needs and insecurities of his students, but the cheerleading coach, played by Jane Lynch, is mean to her girls and never satisfied with their performance. She sees the glee club as her rival and at one point tries to take it over. Here she is confronting the glee club coach, played by Matthew Morrison.

(Soundbite of TV show, "Glee")

Ms. JANE LYNCH (Actor): (as Sue Sylvester) So I had a little chat with Principal Figgins, and said that if your group doesn't place at regionals, he's cutting the program. Ouch.

Mr. MATTHEW MORRISON (Actor): (as Will Schuester) You know, you don't have to worry about glee club. We're going to be fine.

Ms. LYNCH: (as Sue Sylvester) Really? Because I was at the local library where I read Cheerleading Today aloud to blind geriatrics, and I came across this little page turner: the show choir rule book. And it turns out you need 12 kids to qualify for regionals. Last time I looked, you only had five and a half. Here, cripple in the wheelchair. I also took the liberty of highlighting some special ed classes for you. Maybe you could find some recruits, because I'm not sure there's anybody else who's going to want to swim over to your island of misfit toys.

Mr. MORRISON: (as Will Schuester) Are you threatening me, Sue?

Ms. LYNCH: (as Sue Sylvester) Threatening you? Oh, no, no, no. Presenting you with an opportunity to compromise yourself? You bet you.

GROSS: Jane Lynch, welcome to FRESH AIR. I want you to describe your character in "Glee."

Ms. LYNCH: Well, she's kind of that inner mean girl that a lot of us have, that she's kind of right out in front. She doesn't have a filter. She doesn't have that socially acceptable way that we, you know, put how we might really feel, we'll put them into terms that, you know, are softer than what Sue would do. She's kind of right out there, and she takes great delight in her heinousness and her political incorrectness. And so that's where she gets her glee from.

GROSS: Now, you've almost developed a catch phrase. You think that's hard�

Ms. LYNCH: Mm-hmm.

GROSS: �try fill in the blank.

Ms. LYNCH: Yeah. Right.

GROSS: What have been your favorite, you think, that's-hard retorts?

Ms. LYNCH: My favorite one was you think this is hard, try launching a fall show in May. That's hard.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: We did that for a promo. But the first one I came up with was the�

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: The first one I came up with was the waterboarding one. If you think this is hard, try being waterboarded. That's hard. And then, Ian Brennan - our writer - came up with a ton more. And I think, in the pilot, I say you think this is hard, I'm living with hepatitis. That's hard.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: So you came up with the waterboarding one?

Ms. LYNCH: I did.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: How did you come up with that? What was the context?

Ms. LYNCH: Well, the cheerleaders are in this pyramid and their muscles are shaking and I'm making them hold it and I'm standing there with a stopwatch. And on my way to work that day, I was thinking, you know, how can I mock them and shame them while they're in that horrible, stressful position?

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: And I started thinking about stress positions, which is what they do, you know, that's part of torture. And then I thought, oh, you know, waterboarding is much harder than this.

GROSS: Now you got what I think was your big break in movies in the mockumentary "Best in Show" about�

Ms. LYNCH: Right.

GROSS: �people who bring their purebred dogs to compete in a dog show.

Ms. LYNCH: Yeah.

GROSS: And you play a trainer who's working with a standard poodle and the owner's trophy wife, his over-the-hill�

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: Right.

GROSS: �trophy wife who's had, like, a lot of cosmetic surgery has become your significant other.

Ms. LYNCH: Right.

GROSS: And so here's a scene from "Best in Show," in which you're basically talking to the camera with the trophy wife, who has become very close to you.

(Soundbite of movie, "Best in Show")

Ms. LYNCH: (as Christy Cummings) With Sherri Ann, we have this fantastic friendship, too. It's really great. And we have a little bit of a family dynamic going here, and it pretty much mirrors what I grew up with. You know, my father was the taskmaster.

Ms. JENNIFER COOLIDGE (Actress): (as Sherri Ann Cabot) Which is�

Ms. LYNCH: (as Christy Cummings) The disciplinarian, which is what I do. I'm the mommy/daddy.

Ms. COOLIDGE: (as Sherri Ann Cabot) Total disciplinarian. Like, Mr. Punishment. Yeah.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: (as Christy Cummings) Oh, well, you know, and I also reward. But Sherri's responsible for the unconditional love, you know, just�

Ms. COOLIDGE: (as Sherri Ann Cabot) And the decorative ability.

Ms. LYNCH: (as Christy Cummings) Exactly. The heart and the soul, you know, which is what my mother did, and that was her job. You know, she was there for the unconditional love. And it worked for my family, you know, until my mom committed suicide in '81.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: My guest Jane Lynch in a scene from "Best in Show." Was that improvised?

Ms. LYNCH: Yes. Well, yeah. I mean, I remember I was riding in the van on the way to the location, and that's when I thought of that - about the suicide thing. Yes.

GROSS: Now, "Best in Show" was directed by Christopher Guest. How did you meet him?

Ms. LYNCH: I was doing a commercial for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, and he directed it. I did a lot of commercials like in the, you know, the '90s in Los Angeles, and I got lucky enough to get into one of his. And he directs commercials all the time. He loves doing that. And we did it a la Guffman -"Waiting for Guffman." It was improvised and everything.

And then about three months later, I ran into him at a restaurant, and he was in the process of casting "Best in Show." And, you know, he said, hey, come to my office today and, you know, by the end of the day I was, you know, had plans to go to Vancouver to shoot this. And I was thrilled, because when I saw "Waiting for Guffman," I about fell out of my seat and, you know, and down on my knees, please, please let me work this way. This is how I want to work. This is the way to do it, and this guy's got it down. So I was - it was really a dream come true - a ridiculous, preposterous dream come true.

GROSS: So what was the Frosted Flakes commercial like?

Ms. LYNCH: We were stalking Tony the Tiger.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: Myself and my husband, we're standing out in Battle Creek, Michigan - of course, we shot in Los Angeles, but it was in Battle Creek, Michigan waiting for Tony to go by. It wasn't a very successful campaign.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: But it was fun to do.

GROSS: And what other commercials did you do?

Ms. LYNCH: I'm best known, Terry, for my work in the Nexium commercial, where I'm standing on a cliff saying, I am every woman who's ever suffered from acid reflux.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: And I stopped it before it destroyed the lining of my esophagus.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: So that's - I'm best know for that.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: I always wonder if you worry if you do a commercial like that that people will see you and think acid reflux. What a tragedy. You know?

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: And then associate my face with it?

GROSS: Exactly. Yeah.

Ms. LYNCH: You know, I was so happy to have the job and to be able to pay my rent that month. You know, it's, you know, people say why did you that stint on "Married with Children"? I was like, I jumped up and down when I got that job.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: That paid my rent.

GROSS: Now since you played a lesbian in "Best in Show," did people - in that sense that was the movie that people really noticed you in, in terms of movies.

Ms. LYNCH: Yeah.

GROSS: So did people assume that you were lesbian because you played one?

Ms. LYNCH: No, no, not at all. No, no, I don't - you know, I don't think so. I don't think that happens so much. I think you can play a character and people don't confuse you that - perhaps you're that way in real life. I mean, nobody asked Jennifer Coolidge if she was one either. I don't think.

GROSS: But in this case you are.

(Soundbite of laughter)

MS. LYNCH: But in this case I am, yeah.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: So, was it an, kind of, inadvertent coming out for you? Were you already out in the industry?

Ms. LYNCH: Well, I wasn't really known in the industry before "Best in Show," and I didn't think twice about portraying a lesbian. Again, I jumped up and down when I got that job. Yeah - you know what? I didn't think too much about that at all. I never hid who I was. I also didn't lead with it. I don't feel like the need to walk into a room and say, you know, as a gay person, I need to have this, this and this. So, it - and nobody really seemed to care. And if I lost work or if I lost opportunities because I was gay, it happened behind my back and I didn't know about it. I've had it really easily - easy, you know. It's been just very accepted and nobody seems to care.

(Soundbite of laughter)

GROSS: You said that you had your first gay relationship when you were 20, but it took 11 or 12 years to actually come out to your family.

Ms. LYNCH: Right, right.

GROSS: Were you out to yourself before you turned 20?

Ms. LYNCH: Yes, yeah. It was reluctant - it was the last thing in the world I wanted to deal with. It was the last thing in the world I wanted to be. I'm one of those people who like to tow the line. I don't - as much as I, you know, love being an actress, I don't like calling attention to myself in that way. I don't want to be different. I'm not a rebel. I just want to be like everybody else. So, it was, you know, kind of a reluctant realization in a: Oh, God. Really?

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: So, yeah. And it took me - you know, I think if I came out to my parents when I was 18, it would have been a different story. It might have been harder. But when I was 31 and finally came out, you know, via a letter I wrote them, it was great. It was wonderful because we were starting to be estranged to each other because they didn't know about a very fundamental part of who I was. And so, it was a good thing and it - you know, there was no drama around it. It was really kind of a lovely moment where we all came together and said, you know, of course this doesn't mean anything, you know, we still love you. And it was, you know, it was actually a wonderful moment.

GROSS: Was it helpful to you when Ellen DeGeneres came out on her show?

Ms. LYNCH: Yes, yeah. I think it was helpful for all of us. And I think that's one of the reasons that I walk such an easy path. She, you know, blazed it for us. And I know she was kind of reluctant to do that, too. I think it was a big deal when she came out and it really kind of, you know, it rocked the world and - I mean, look where she is now. She's got this great show and all these Midwestern ladies are there, dancing with her. I just - I think it's a great thing that she did.

GROSS: So, at what phase of your career were you in when Ellen came out?

Ms. LYNCH: I was - it was when I was doing voiceovers in commercials. You know, I was just a work-a-day actor making a nice living in a, you know, nobody-knew-my-name type of place, you know. I hadn't done "Best in Show" yet.

GROSS: Voiceovers, what were you doing?

Ms. LYNCH: I did lot of commercial voiceovers. I did, you know, for like Safeway. I would do - I did announcer copy and then I would do stuff for radio, you know, with, you know, with a partner - partner reads, as we call them. I made my living in voiceover for about five or six years and I would do the occasional on-camera commercial or the occasional guest spot on a sitcom. But mostly I did - I was, you know, making my living as a voiceover person. I loved it. It's a great gig. It's a great job.

GROSS: So, what kind of characters were you supposed to represent?

Ms. LYNCH: I kind of have a stock old lady voice.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: I have kind of a stock Midwestern mom voice.

GROSS: Can you give us a taste of them?

Ms. LYNCH: Yeah. Make sure you put some tomatoes on the sandwich.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: That's kind of a south side - and then I always did this with my voice, kind of, like - kind of, an old lady kind of thing and I use it even - I repeat it even in, you know, when I do guest spots on sitcoms. I have like two tricks, Terry.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Ms. LYNCH: And I just roll them out.

GROSS: Well, Jane Lynch, thank you so much for talking with us.

Ms. LYNCH: Sure, thank you.

GROSS: I wish you continued success.

Ms. LYNCH Thank you. I appreciate it.

GROSS: Jane Lynch recorded in November. She co-stars in the Fox TV series "Glee" as the mean-spirited coach of the cheerleading squad. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.