Laraine Newman on The Sisters Grimm, Finding Her Voice, and Why Mime Got Too Cute

0:00 [SPEAKER_00]: It's easy to hear your favorite artist on WFPK from wherever you are. [SPEAKER_00]: Listen on your smart speaker, live stream from our website at WFPK.org from Louisville Public Media. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, come to another edition of Kyle Meredith with it's the interview series presented by WFPK a WFPK dot org Consequence and the consequence podcast network Make any way here check this out.

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0:54 [SPEAKER_04]: Subscribe to Kyle Mayer with please to give this series a rating. [SPEAKER_04]: Leave a review wherever you're listening or watching from. [SPEAKER_04]: We've had some great guests on lately, of course, including Wolf Parade, the Black Angels, Theo Rossi. [SPEAKER_04]: He's got a new movie called Come With Me, Modern English, Sex Pistols, Paul Cook, Peaches, Superchunk, the Deb Milpman, David Duss Malci, and he's going to be playing Embison in the new Street Fighter movie.

1:18 [SPEAKER_04]: He's also got his latest season of Grave Conversations. [SPEAKER_04]: We talked with [SPEAKER_04]: Valerie June, Billy Bragg, comedian Jeff Arcurie about his new Netflix special called Nice to Meet You, SlowDive, we're here just an example of what you get when you subscribe to the Kyle Mareith with podcast and that's me, Kyle Mareith today talking with comedy legend, [SPEAKER_04]: Lorraine Newman of course she was part of the very first season of Saturday night live one of the one of the originals there We we saw her in problem child too.

1:49 [SPEAKER_04]: We know her from cone heads and she's been a voice actor a really successful voice actor for the past few decades popping up and everything from little Nemo and Wally [SPEAKER_04]: and inside out and now she's back in the uh... once again the second season of the sister's grim on apple tv it's uh... it's based on michael buckley's new york times best selling book series uh... this is grims a journey of adventure in heart about sleuth-solving sisters descended from the brothers grim who while very different make a pretty great team [SPEAKER_04]: In season two, one year after their parents' mysterious disappearance, sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm continue uncovering the secrets of fairyport landing, were fairy tales and fairy tale creatures are real as they face new adventures and mysteries.

2:37 [SPEAKER_04]: It's such a pleasure to get the talk with Lorraine Newman, of course she is an absolute legend. [SPEAKER_04]: and getting to hear about how she approaches these characters, these characters that she voices, and especially with this one, you know, coming in season two, whether she has to find the voice again and how she arrived there in the first place, we'll talk about why this series works so well.

2:57 [SPEAKER_04]: This is this fairy tale and magic, and it's sometimes a little dark, you know, recalling some of the stuff that that I grew up with that we both grew up with. [SPEAKER_04]: uh... in the past and speaking of past will dig into her is just a little bit because before s and l she actually studied uh... study mimeing so that's that's you know it's it's the exact opposite of voice acting there's no voice whatsoever so we're going to tie the two together and a whole lot more so let's get into it as we talk about the sister's grim on apple tv it's Kyle Meredith with Lorraine Newman hey Kyle have we spoken before we've not had just got a face that looks like everybody else's [SPEAKER_01]: No, you know what it is, is that your name is Kyle Meredith, is such a great name, and I feel like I've commented on that before, but I guess I haven't.

3:42 [SPEAKER_04]: Well, I appreciate the compliment now, or whatever that might be, a compliment, or it's a really beautiful name. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, thank you so much. [SPEAKER_04]: It is actually a pleasure to meet you. [SPEAKER_04]: And just the admire of all your work to the years. [SPEAKER_04]: And now we've got this season too, of the sister's grim back.

4:01 [SPEAKER_04]: I was looking back and I saw that it was such a fun first season and it even got that 100% critical score and everything. [SPEAKER_04]: What's connecting? [SPEAKER_04]: Like, I know why I buy into it, why I like watching it. [SPEAKER_04]: But for you, what's the magic in this show? [SPEAKER_01]: For me, it's really the comedy and the horror, the scariest stuff, you know, that's always going to book me in.

4:30 [SPEAKER_01]: It's not your average, like, I think it's a young adult audience, I'm guessing. [SPEAKER_01]: And I don't normally watch shows like that, but you know, they do let me see these and I watched all of this this second season because it had a lot more of that. [SPEAKER_01]: So I think those are really the compelling factors for adults for sure.

4:52 [SPEAKER_04]: must be it because, you know, growing up, we had dark fantasy, you know, and, and, and, and, and children's entertainment or whatever you want to see that, and sometimes that pizza's head back in, but, but I think you're right, it's like when I watch that, because it's, it's not really geared towards, you know, a guy, my age or something like that, but I find the magic in those fairy tales, you know?

5:12 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, well, I think Walt Disney famously said that kids like to be scared. [SPEAKER_04]: Do you keep up with the fan reactions, especially the people who are close to the books? [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I have no idea that this is going on. [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I mean, if I knew where to find that stuff, I would probably check it out.

5:34 [SPEAKER_01]: But I had no idea there was any like, you know, fan-based commentary at all, or reviews. [SPEAKER_04]: A lucky for you. [SPEAKER_04]: It's been positive. [SPEAKER_04]: It shows in a second season. [SPEAKER_04]: So, you know, similarly then, because it is based on books. [SPEAKER_04]: Like, how important is that for you in the role, whether you need it to do the job, or whether you, you know, even out of curiosity.

5:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, I did not know there were books. [SPEAKER_01]: I found that out subsequently, but before I did the role, I did not know about the books. [SPEAKER_01]: So, and I didn't know about them the first season. [SPEAKER_01]: I actually thought that the adaptation of it making it sisters was done by the network or Apple or whoever created the series.

6:19 [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't know it was based on a book, but I love that idea. [SPEAKER_01]: So, obviously, I can't say that the books informed my performance and my pro-directitude. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, that's, I mean, and I think for some actors, like it's, like, it's a choice, right? [SPEAKER_04]: For some people, it's like, I really don't want to be tied to whatever that was, because you have to bring whatever you're going to bring into it.

6:42 [SPEAKER_01]: I would love to read the books, though, because I do like what the author offers, it gives me much more breadth and fullness to the character that books don't necessarily, the detail [SPEAKER_01]: The life that a book has is not always they're not always able to cram that into a show So I like that.

7:10 [SPEAKER_04]: I like those cues in those prompts from a book and we'll take a quick pause Just to remind you if you like what you're hearing right now Please do hit that subscribe button. [SPEAKER_04]: It helps out so much and and maybe even more than you think We'll be right back right after this [SPEAKER_04]: All right, welcome back.

7:28 [SPEAKER_04]: It's Kyle Meredith with Lorraine Newman. [SPEAKER_04]: So what was it like then returning the second season? [SPEAKER_04]: Like, do you have to find her voice again? [SPEAKER_01]: No, it's in my trunk, then I open up and it's like, oh, there she is, you know. [SPEAKER_04]: So that's surprising, because you've done a lot of voices and characters through the years.

7:51 [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, is it an issue like keeping up at all with them? [SPEAKER_01]: It depends, yeah, sometimes when I am doing, when a character is recurring on a series for me, I can't remember what voice I did, and so they'll give me a reference. [SPEAKER_01]: But with a consistent continuity of a show, I can easily find that character.

8:18 [SPEAKER_04]: And how long do you sit with a character when you're at any point in the process, I guess? [SPEAKER_04]: You know, like, what I mean is, you know, the whole thing like how much do you consider the history and really getting to know that creation, that person? [SPEAKER_01]: I'm a very superficial person, I'm not deep, I have no depth.

8:41 [SPEAKER_01]: That's my dog bruise. [SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, I do not do that. [SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, dead. [SPEAKER_01]: But you're carried away with the material in the moment when you're performing it. [SPEAKER_01]: And you know, the scenes at Zelda has especially with the kids. [SPEAKER_01]: Those are really heartfelt and beautiful, and I really enjoyed those performances a lot.

9:06 [SPEAKER_04]: You're not living within your head where you suddenly become that type of actor who has to be her throughout the day. [SPEAKER_01]: If there's anybody in animation that does that, you should do a movie about them by below them house. [SPEAKER_04]: That's fair enough, that's fair enough.

9:23 [SPEAKER_04]: There's the part of your history that I was connecting with this, because looking back and I don't think I was familiar with the part of the story earlier in your career about [SPEAKER_04]: contradiction is a contradiction of being a voiceless actor and now, you know, predominantly getting into voice acting with his parts.

9:43 [SPEAKER_01]: You know, when I first, I saw Marcel Marseille, so at Royce Hall, UCLA, when I was 16. [SPEAKER_01]: And I was already a huge fan of comedy, but I never seen anybody get laughs with no words. [SPEAKER_01]: And so that's what really fascinated me about it. [SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, when I studied it in LA, I also bought the teacher taught improv.

10:06 [SPEAKER_01]: So I was learning improv also at the same time. [SPEAKER_01]: And then I eventually did study it with Marcel Marso. [SPEAKER_01]: But then when I got back to the States and I saw what had happened to mine that had gotten cute. [SPEAKER_01]: I was out. [SPEAKER_01]: And so now people say, well, what?

10:26 [SPEAKER_01]: What did it really do for you? [SPEAKER_01]: Did it inform your acting now? [SPEAKER_01]: But it makes me very good at Pilates. [SPEAKER_04]: It's interesting. [SPEAKER_04]: My whole introduction actually was was Bowie behind me growing up and hearing you talk about the same stuff. [SPEAKER_01]: I studied with a tender crew.

10:44 [SPEAKER_04]: It's still a fascinating art form and we don't hear about it anymore, but for whatever reason, I don't know what that is, but it's interesting to see a whole punk rock approach to a metal approach to mine. [SPEAKER_01]: It's certainly a viable, as far as I'm concerned, as long as it doesn't go into whimsy.

11:06 [SPEAKER_01]: That's when I can't stand it. [SPEAKER_01]: That's when every comedian who ever makes a joke about wanting to kill moms, it's that shit. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, stuff. [SPEAKER_04]: You can cost as much as you want. [SPEAKER_04]: In fact, I would just cost even when you don't need to. [SPEAKER_01]: All right.

11:23 [SPEAKER_01]: I fucking will. [SPEAKER_04]: Fantastic. [SPEAKER_04]: That could be your next career move by the way punk rock mining you can you can you can be that person for us I would love to see it in the meantime. [SPEAKER_04]: We do we get you on we get you on sister's gram and And again, it's a surprising thing that I just really really enjoy watching and Especially for this great news spooky season that we're in so yeah, it's exactly it's great for the spooky season [SPEAKER_04]: you know, all the continued success for you and congratulations on an excellent second season.

11:55 [SPEAKER_04]: And seriously, it's so great to finally get to talk to you, whether we had in your head already or not. [SPEAKER_01]: Larger, I had fun, thanks Kyle. [SPEAKER_04]: And we'll take a quick pause, just to remind you if you like what you're hearing right now, please do hit that subscribe button.

12:10 [SPEAKER_04]: It helps out so much and maybe even more than you think. [SPEAKER_04]: We'll be right back right after this. [SPEAKER_04]: All right, since since I was a bit of a shorty, I got eight minutes with Lorraine. [SPEAKER_04]: I thought we'd reach in to another interview that I did with another SNL cast made [SPEAKER_04]: although not from the original season.

12:28 [SPEAKER_04]: This would have been close to around 50 seasons later, somewhere in there, but Bowen Yang, who I got to talk with after they, as they were doing, the final season of Aquafina's series, Nora from Queens. [SPEAKER_04]: So a little bonus episode here, it's Kyle Meredith with Bowen Yang and Teresa Hesau.

12:48 [SPEAKER_04]: Hey, let me tell you how much fun I've had watching the whole series, but especially this season, everything we got to get a little bit weirder, a little bit more out there. [SPEAKER_04]: It's been so much fun. [SPEAKER_04]: So I just throw the congrats at your boats right off the beginning.

13:02 [SPEAKER_04]: Thanks a lot. [SPEAKER_04]: Treesau, start with you. [SPEAKER_04]: When we begin here, the family is not in a great place. [SPEAKER_04]: Most people are in a great place on this one. [SPEAKER_04]: What is the story you wanted to tell getting into season three? [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, I think [SPEAKER_02]: After all that, you know, the whole country has been through, it's like, it feels like we start at a really real place with a family and like they're still trying to figure things out, things have not gone.

13:29 [SPEAKER_02]: At least for everyone else except for Edmund things really haven't gone the way that they expected it to and, you know, really was like grounding everyone in real life, which is like, well, [SPEAKER_02]: Where is everyone going and kind of like, what are we? [SPEAKER_02]: What's the plan for, you know, the, our lives?

13:45 [SPEAKER_02]: And I think everyone still doesn't really know. [SPEAKER_02]: I think that's, that's okay. [SPEAKER_04]: I think there was that a sense that out of the pandemic out of the lockdown that we were all going to come out better people. [SPEAKER_04]: And I think this is kind of the reflection that shows us that that didn't really happen.

14:00 [SPEAKER_04]: Bowen, as I mentioned here, Edmund does, however, get to live a bit of his dream with acting success, although immediately has an identity crisis. [SPEAKER_04]: Right for that. [SPEAKER_04]: How did you want to play Edmund this round? [SPEAKER_04]: Because there is some character development, there is some cluelessness still, but it's further than that, right?

14:20 [SPEAKER_03]: Definitely. [SPEAKER_03]: And I wouldn't even argue that he starts at the season. [SPEAKER_03]: And probably not, I'll look on a similar level to everyone else where he might outwardly appear to be successful and happy and fulfilled, but there are these pretty gaping holes in his [SPEAKER_03]: in his sort of sense of self and his sense of fulfillment and his sense of happiness, like all those things that I said might outwardly seem to be true.

14:43 [SPEAKER_03]: But I truly think that this was a season that I got to really ground the admin performance and something that I could really easily access and my own life where [SPEAKER_03]: You know, I've never, you know, in prior scenes as I've never had to, I've never undergone like a college admissions scandal.

14:59 [SPEAKER_03]: I've never, you know, been humiliated at my work in that aspect. [SPEAKER_03]: It's certainly auditioned and had bad auditions, but in this season, I got to really [SPEAKER_03]: in a very concurrent way, be like, oh, I'm, you know, I'm a working actor right now, but I'm also like, I do have these identity questions.

15:16 [SPEAKER_03]: I do have these sort of concerns about am I feeling a whole in my life with gratuitous, you know, meetings with people that like I would never see again. [SPEAKER_03]: Like, you know, that was a very relatable thing. [SPEAKER_03]: And so it was a very, very personal way of going into Edmund this season that I found very refreshing and different.

15:36 [SPEAKER_04]: Do you find that that helps to you solve any of those problems getting to acted in the past? [SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I honestly think so, because I feel like, since we wrapped, I've really kind of been more like, let me just work on myself. [SPEAKER_03]: Let me just not. [SPEAKER_03]: I probably won't find anything to, not that I've been putting myself out there too much, but I'm just like, I don't think, I think the way Edmund works it out is pretty, it's a pretty good model for myself, [SPEAKER_03]: chill and be a real person for a little bit and just focus on one thing.

16:12 [SPEAKER_04]: And maybe this isn't the right, you know, not on the personal side, I guess is what I'm saying, but you know, when you've got characters, when you play so many characters, you know, talking about SNL to everything that you do, do you find that you want to keep them separated? [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, is there ever so much happening that you start seeing the overlap?

16:29 [SPEAKER_03]: Oh, I mean, sure, I'm probably still like a dilatant when it comes to acting, when it comes to like these rules that I have to stay with for a long time. [SPEAKER_03]: Well, yes, and I like it to just sort of dip it in it now. [SPEAKER_03]: I'd never have to think about motivation or character or anything, but with Nora and with other stuff I've done.

16:48 [SPEAKER_03]: I'm like, oh, I really have to like, [SPEAKER_03]: kind of find an entry point into these people. [SPEAKER_03]: And I feel like you do have to live on some level. [SPEAKER_03]: Your body doesn't really know the difference between what's fiction and what's not. [SPEAKER_03]: And so you do learn to sort of modulate that a little bit and separate those sides.

17:07 [SPEAKER_04]: We got some great guest stars on the season as well. [SPEAKER_04]: Theresa, well, I'm just picking out a couple here. [SPEAKER_04]: Michael Bolton, especially having him. [SPEAKER_04]: Yes. [SPEAKER_04]: Is it one of these things like you have the wish list or do you have the scene later?

17:20 [SPEAKER_04]: And then when you have somebody on like that, I mean, I know we don't get to hear him sing in the show, but are there at least some musical moments off camera? [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, well, he actually does sing in the show, but it was funny because in the script [SPEAKER_02]: thought it would be really fun to have a character that's working at this music store be a big time superstar and we have written, you know, think Michael Bolton basically in parenthetical as to this character named Kevin who is just kind of like this unassuming employee at the store and we just we never really expected that Michael Bolton would say yes to this but actually went out there and he said yes and his credit he was so lovely he was

18:03 [SPEAKER_02]: You know, just did a great job in his scenes. [SPEAKER_02]: He came back for one of the last episodes as well. [SPEAKER_02]: And then he does, he does actually sing in the show. [SPEAKER_02]: So it's really, that was quite a treat to be able to see that. [SPEAKER_04]: And as far as the musicians go, I mean, you go to Iceland.

18:20 [SPEAKER_04]: There are Björk references. [SPEAKER_04]: It was, is this, if you build it, they will come to, I mean, did you reach out at least? [SPEAKER_04]: Was that part of it? [SPEAKER_04]: Björk? [SPEAKER_02]: Yes. [SPEAKER_02]: We didn't reach out to Björk. [SPEAKER_02]: I don't think. [SPEAKER_04]: That would be a wonderful actor.

18:36 [SPEAKER_04]: She would have been great. [SPEAKER_04]: She would have been great. [SPEAKER_04]: I feel like that's a mystery. [SPEAKER_04]: I would have, I mean, this opportunity. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, right. [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, here would be our fans. [SPEAKER_04]: And I'll quickly say this in a moment, but it's gives a clock.

18:45 [SPEAKER_04]: But one of the other characters, weed, becomes a part of this season as well as it's lead. [SPEAKER_04]: in New York and there's so much of I don't know what's real and what's not ever in this show for you all both to play around with that's I mean what what does that mean to your job because these fantasy sequence reality not reality I mean I feel like I mean I'll I'll let you be to speak to this but I think it is the perfect it is the perfect donor comedy as is as as a light donor myself.

19:18 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think it's a blend of, you know, you have these real moments, obviously, that are really grounded. [SPEAKER_02]: And I think just to be able to play in those more insane, fantastical elements. [SPEAKER_02]: But I mean, I think especially now, all of us knowing Lori Tanshin and like the absolute badass that she is like, oh yeah, of course, that grandma would start a weed empire.

19:39 [SPEAKER_02]: Like I can see that absolutely. [SPEAKER_02]: So just being able to like have the license to play with that in this world is always been so fun. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, I absolutely love what you all do and I'm so grateful for this show and how it ends up is so mind blowingly fun. [SPEAKER_04]: I cannot wait to see if if you find ways to go further down this rabbit hole as well.

20:01 [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you both for what you're doing and thank you both for taking the time to talk about it. [SPEAKER_03]: Thanks, Kyle. [SPEAKER_03]: Thanks, Kyle. [SPEAKER_04]: Alright, there you have it. [SPEAKER_04]: Thanks to Boeing Theresa, and of course Lorraine Newman, the Sisters Grim, is out now on Apple TV.

20:15 [SPEAKER_04]: Thanks to you for checking out the episode before you get out, hit that subscribe button to keep up with all the interviews that are put out every single week at Spotify, Apple podcast, NPR, WFPK.org, Consequence, YouTube for the video versions anywhere. [SPEAKER_04]: You get your podcasts from.

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20:46 [SPEAKER_04]: You get the best in new music, bonus interviews, lots of music and film news as well. [SPEAKER_04]: One of my recent shows featured some classics and favorites from Janice Joplin, Jimmy Cliff, [SPEAKER_04]: great full dead television got it by voices, our lady piece, death camera, cutie, big rib machine, Jack White, Liz, fair, hoodie in the blowfish, a BBO sound machine, Dave Matthews, Link Street dive, Baby Rose, Elton John, and my interviews with everyone from Ayisha Tyler, Tamara Joy, Oni to Franco, St. Vincent Slater, Kenny Brittany Howard, Dala Sol, Richard Ashcroft of the Verve.

21:23 [SPEAKER_04]: That's what you can get when you tune in now, weeknights. [SPEAKER_04]: It starts 6pm Eastern at WFPK.ORG. [SPEAKER_04]: Consequent series of music and film news, you can also find me on any of the social media sites. [SPEAKER_04]: The address is always at Kyle Meredith, please do like, follow along, that does it for another edition.

21:41 [SPEAKER_04]: I'm Kyle Meredith. [SPEAKER_04]: I'll see you next time. [SPEAKER_00]: consequence podcast network it's easy to hear your favorite artist on WFPK for wherever you are listen on your smart speaker live stream from our website at WFPK.org from Louisville Public Media