Mary Lynn Rajskub Interview

Mary Lynn Rajskub Interview

How and at what age did you start acting?
Oh I was like maybe 9 and I did community theatre and I played an umpa lumpa. My first staring role was raggedy Ann pretty good right

Did you ever attended an acting school or some sort?
No not really I did it when I was a kid and when I was in high school and then I went to school for painting but I did take a couple months of a course out here just for fun but nothing serious.
What is a typical day like for you while on 24?
Well there are no typical days on 24 but I mean the schedule is constantly changing and sometimes I will be in every scene and sometimes I will be waiting for hours waiting for my scene to come up but I actually like when im in a lot because it keeps you busy but usually the days are 12-14 hours long and im in CTU as you know so while the crew has just come back from doing a bunch of action stuff im pretty much here but the time I come in and leave changes it could be six A.M. but when we start shooting nights because its 24 hours we could start at five P.M.
Has your family always been supportive?
Um yeah I think that they were kind of worried at first when I was like 21 I had to break away from my family and we didn’t talk that much for 9 months to a year because it was really hard to be away from my family because they were so worried and I was pretty freaked out and I had to do stuff on my own and I couldn’t really tell them how poor I was or how I wasn’t eating and stuff like that
Are you the only actress in your family?
Yes I am the special one.
How has it been working on T.V. and movie sets for a portion of your life?
Im pretty into it. It seems like the right thing to be doing and I don’t know why but I just realized that ive been working out here for about ten years and a lot of people will come up to me and think that 24 is my first job but ive been doing a lot of little things pretty steadily and its been pretty good because ive really never done anything for ten years.
How do you feel watching yourself on T.V.?
It’s pretty weird. And you kind of get used to it but you kind of get over it after a while but it’s a whole different story when you see yourself in the movie theatre and its like oh god.
What advice would you give to actors and actresses who haven’t made it big yet?
I don’t know I think that a lot of people get too concerned about making it big and they loose their sense of humor about the whole thing and the most important thing is to do it because you like doing it and find ways to keep your self always performing.
How do you feel being in the spotlight all the time?
I kind of like it I hate to admit it but its pretty fun. It’s pretty exciting and im sure you can tell from being here from the crew and every one that there happy to be here and their proud of it and its creative, smart and obviously doing really doing well. I ran into these people last night I went to Malibu to eat dinner at this fish place and we were standing in line and these people were like you are Chloe we are from Pari I was like oh yay there from Pari. We just just got in we haven’t slept and it was just really cool to see people from across the world and they couldn’t believe that you’re standing right here your Chloe.
What was the transition like going from Comedies to an action pact drama?
Well I really didn’t expect that I would get this job because you get pretty type cast in stuff you get called in for in the business but as far as performing I approached it the same way I think Chloe is pretty hilarious but I don’t play her to be funny she’s just funny to me because she’s just so serious um so obviously there’s differences from being on stage doing comedy to get a laugh you know make a bigger face or pause a little longer but she’s a real person in a real place.
What is the hardest for you to do in the show when you were first cast?
Everything all at once just adjusting to the tone really quickly. I know you are going to watch some filming and there’s two cameras going and my first scene was with Kiefer and they just have a real rhythm to the way they do things and its really different to step into a set where everything’s already established and you don’t know what your going to sound like or look like and also the complicated language. (laughs)
Is it hard to memorize all of your lines?
Usually im a pretty quick study but for this show its harder because there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t really make sense and it doesn’t stick in your brain and im not a computer expert. Im letting you know im NOT a computer genius I am an actress (Laughs)
People look up to you as Chloe how do you feel about that?
I think its pretty cool you know that I really don’t know how to articulate it but just because I play a computer expert aside from that in the context of the show that this character you want to hate but she’s really ok. Sometimes people go you annoying and sometimes people say you’re a really strong women character and it’s really cool that a person like that can have so much power and be smart and stuff like that.
Chloe has gotten very close with Jack why does she do everything he tells her?
Because that’s what the writers write (Laughs) I really don’t know. People always ask me if she’s in love with him and sometimes I think she is but she never ever admits it. And then my boss says Chloe is not in love with Jack and I say why would somebody just like look up to him and be like that. But I think that she likes that kind of follow your gut feeling and he is trying to do the right thing.
I know that Chloe was 100% by the book wouldn’t change for anything why do you think his character changed why do you think Chloe changed?
She would quote the rules and I think about the way they have the nature of things and it’s so intense and there is so much death I think she is attracted to Jack because he goes by his own code and I think he is starting to realize that the rules aren’t always the right thing.



Kiefer said that it broke his heart to watch Edgar die. How did you feel when Louis Lombardi’s character was killed?
I was really sad and it was just so unexpected you didn’t want to believe it and you just have to try to imagine that the last thing you said to him was “Shut up Edgar” (Laughs” so you know that its stuff like that informs me to live by your own rules and its such a messed up thing that happened that has an effect that happens when you follow the rules so why follow them.
How does it feel when an actors character is killed of and they leave the show?
You kind of read it and know its coming so you talk to people and adjust to it and it’s kind of a classic a 24 thing that they ask you to be aware that you could go anytime (Laughs) so you try to have as much fun with that person as you can because they could be gone.
What is your reaction when people come up to you on the street? How do you feel?
Its pretty cool and again I kind of like it but its pretty weird when your in a bad mood and you have to be really nice and you should be nice anyway but when people take you picture you feel like you just this cardboard cutout and your like ok see you later because it has nothing to do with you at that point which isn’t bad its just interesting. The best is when there a couple feet away from you and they are discussing you and im like I can hear you (Laughs)
How much of you is in Chloe?
How about if I just say half is that a good answer.
Are you good with computers because of the role you play?
No not at all.
Louis Lombardi said that when he used to do his typing scenes he would just type his name over and over. What do you do?
Yeah I just try to not hit the key so it doesn’t bother sound I am really good at typing nothing.
After filming scenes do they turn out different than you would have expected?
You know im pretty used to certain things in CTU there are certain thins at the end before they say cut you see the camera just follow them and they will cut on “The Look” so I mean there are little things that surprise with CTU but as far as the rest of the show that’s pretty excepting because ive read it on paper but I have no idea what its going to look like.
What is it like working with such a great cast and crew?
Well im trying to not take it for granted because ive been on sets where people don’t like what there doing and there not that into the show and it really makes a difference because it really raises the level of everything because you know everybody excited to be here and everybody proud of the work and it really makes a difference.
How did the cast and crew make you feel when you first came on set?
Very comfortable and it was still uncomfortable because it’s such an intense show but everybody was super nice but still really odd to be here. Every once and a while someone comes in to say a couple lines and I feel bad for them because you have to fit into this whole world and then they come on and say “here’s this thing for you” and they don’t get the tempo but its like getting shoved in somewhere and having to get used to it really quick its sort of odd.
How did you like being out in the field for the second time at the beginning of season 5?
I loved it super fun when I was out doing the action stuff with the gun it’s a totally different feel because there concentrated with the action and when im in here its about character and the speech and when you out there they are focused on the bullet holes.
Do you think because of your performance in seasons 4 and 5 the writers will put you in the field more often?
I hope so I think its sort of hard as much as its fun to have me do stuff like that because its in one day when im needed here and the managed to do it twice so I would be surprised if they did it again(Laughs).
What type of training or shadowing did you do for your role?
Nothing mostly just stuff here but I didn’t do any research.
Do you have a favorite season or Chloe moment?
I mean all the ones you would think shooting the gun the taser in the hotel yeah even some of the earlier stuff like putting the baby under the desk and doing these bizarre things I really enjoy all the little snappy rude things she says.
Chloe plays by the rules sometimes and at other times she throws the book right out the window, what side do you prefer?
I think the whole thing is both and the fact that I have to struggle with what im not supposed to do and that im running out of time and cant get stuff. It’s that part of it when the weight if the world is on my shoulders but I don’t think it would be that fun if it was one or the other.
Did you watch 24 before you were cast?
Nope I just watched a few tapes but my mom was a big fan and my agent said that it was a cool show so I said send me a few tapes and my mom was like you have to go and do it so I agreed and went.
Did your mom ever tell you how she felt watching you on her favorite show?
Oh she loves it and she tells me all the time
Do you watch 24 now?
Yeah I watch it every week now.
What was your 24 audition like?
Well it was Joel and I and the part wasn’t written yet and it was like “Yes Jack, Ok Jack, Sure Jack” and I was being kind of resistant on it and when I came in Joel said oh it’s going to be great we will give you something. It was really unusual because that really doesn’t happen and I said that’s great he is a fan of mine and I didn’t think it would come through because a lot of those things don’t come through sometimes. Even if there intentions are good that’s the way it works im might not work out even if you in there top three maybe they will change there mind and they will take the other person so it was exciting that they did take me and even after being cast I thought I would get fired. But it was really surprising.
What’s your favorite T.V. show apart from 24?
There is no T.V. show apart from 24 to be honest with you I stopped watching TV for some reason and I don’t know why I didn’t mean to (Laughs)

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you while working on 24?
The funniest I don’t know that’s a good question ill have to think about that funniest what did everybody else say(Laughs) Carlos said when he was with Mia oh yeah I actually don’t have a good practical joke ill just say when he had her arrested even know I wasn’t there.(Laughs)
Are all of the cast members on 24 close with each other?
It’s a pretty close nit loyal group but im always happy to see everybody.
36. What do you find that most of your fans ask you?
Well they all want to know whats going to happen but yet you can’t tell them and then they will say don’t tell me.
38. What is your favorite movie?
I don’t know whats your favorite movie I don’t know I always used to tell people that my favorite movie was close encounters with the third kind for my child hood just like a old movie but I don’t know if that’s still my favorite movie.maybe the girl next store really I saw that I wouldn’t say that it was my favorite but I saw that at the premire can you relate to that no not really (Laughs) just because it was funny and odd.
39. And finally where would you like to see yourself in 5 years as an actress on 24?
I don’t know but that’s a very good question because I should try to plan ahead I would like to see Chloe the movie, Chloe the clothing line, Chloe the makeup line I just crack myself up.
40. You have a new movie Little Ms.Sunshine what role do you play?
I play PA when they finally get to the pageant and im friends with the directors so they called me in and I went to be supportive so it was fun.
41. I know her name is Pam does she have any relation to Chloe?
No there opposites