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A Chorus Line.org

And

Rober>T<unstall

present

Nobody Else Will Do

(the interview)

“I’m Sheila Bryant.  Really Sara Rosemary Bryant, which I really hate.  I was born August 8, 1946 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  And I’m going to be thirty real soon.  And I’m real glad.”

Well,

dress me

in Yardz

OF

FLesH

Colored

Leotardz!

Presenting

*The Next*

InTunstallment

OF

“Nobody Else Will Do”

(the interview)

It is my deepest pleasure

To

introduce

A true

(((Singular Sensation)))

The ONE ,

The Only…

*You’ll never be

Lonely*

with>!<

TONY

AWARD WINNER

(((AND)))

Gorgeous

Gilmore Gal….

KELLY BISHOP!!!

Thank you so much for joining us!

Truth be told,

…Kelly was so busy with her shooting schedule for The Gilmore Girls; we had to do this interview via Verizon. The moment I heard her classic, deep, exquisite voice, I knew this was going to be something special. Her generosity is mind-blowing …. I, for one, am truly grateful to her for taking the time to share with us.

“What do you want to know about me first?”

(I prayed she would say)

but

the interview

turned out

different

h

i

s

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Rober{>T<}

h e other day I read something that said: The Gilmore Girls recently celebrated One hundred episodes!

Kelly{>B<} Oh, that was last year sometime, we’ve done several more (episodes) since then. One hundred and ten, I believe. I’m not in all them, I’m what you call a "series regular.” This guarantees me 15 of the 22 we shoot. It doesn’t matter if I do one scene or ten scenes in an episode, I’ll still get paid my negotiated salary.

Rober{>T<} That’s a sweet deal! Well, Congratulations to you….(and the cast and crew!)

Kelly{>B<} Thanks, it’s a really great working environment. The show’s creator Amy Sherman Palladino and I have a wonderful relationship. Lauren Graham, who plays my daughter on the show is just terrific, I love doing the show with her. It’s really an ideal work situation.

Rober{>T<} What’s a typical day like for you? Is it true you commute from New Jersey to LA to shoot each episode?

Kelly{>B<} Yes, I do travel to LA from my home in New Jersey.

Rober{>T<} That’s pretty Fabulous in my book…and very bi-coastal!

(Every actor’s dream to work on both coasts!!)

Kelly{>B<} I hate LA, personally. It’s so cut-throat out here…. Even more so than in New York, I think.

Rober{>T<} Everything seems so spread out in LA to me. If you want to audition, you have to make a full day’s event of it.

Kelly{>B<} Exactly…There’s no center here. In New York, there’s a center.

I tell everyone considering the move to LA to make sure they have a contact out here before they do. You won’t get a good audition without an agent. The best way to come out here is in a hot show. Then you can invite agents you’re interested in to come and see your work. Hopefully they’ll like it and start sending you out on auditions.

Rober{>T<} So what’s a day like on the set of The Gilmore Girls?

Kelly{>B<} Well, my call time varies, but usually it’s around 5:30am. We shoot about nine pages of dialogue a day, wrapping up around 9pm. This job calls for A LOT of memorization in a short period of time. It can be very nerve-wracking.

Rober{>T<} Do they allow improvisation?

Kelly{>B<} Noooo… (in a deep resonant tone) They are quite adamant about sticking to the script. There is no room for improvisation. And they call you on it if you miss a single word…A writer of a play will worry over every comma for about two years, before the cast ever sees it in front of them. But I see that as an advantage. I rely on words, as an actress. We do several shots (master angles…etc…) and during that, you get the scene down pat - through repetition.

Then there are the re-writes and it changes just enough to make you go crazy. (she i laughs)

They don’t shoot on the weekends, so if my scenes aren’t done by Friday… I’m stuck here till the following week… which I absolutely dread.

Rober{>T<} Why is that?

Kelly{>B<} I don’t have a life out here…and I don’t want one. There’s nothing for me to do, really. My life is with my husband at our home in New Jersey.

The good news is that my scenes are usually shot first and all at once. Which can be difficult if there are a lot of lines to learn.

Fortunately, they like to scout out the “on-location” shots during the first part of the week. Since my house (on the show) is a permanent part of the set. I’m usually first up.

I just renewed my contract, so it’s becoming a better deal for all of us.

Rober{>T<} It’s so thrilling to me….

knowing that the The Gilmore Girls has had such a long run and is making you a household name (as it should be!)

Was getting the part (originally)

an instance of:

“Oh, let’s get Kelly Bishop to do it…she’s perfect for the role.”

OR

was it more like (((ring)))

(((ring))) “Hi Kelly,

This is your agent….I’ve got a great audition for you!!”

Kelly{>B<} The Gilmore Girls was a straight audition – So no, they didn’t ask for me.

Rober{>T<} Well, it’s obvious who came out on top! Do you find working on a “sit-com” much different than when you worked on a soap opera?”

Kelly{>B<} Well, The Gilmore Girls isn’t a sit-com, it’s a single camera, closed set operation. I find the soaps are a bit more high-strung. There are just pages and pages of dialogue to learn. And it’s not very good…for the most part. It borders on melodrama …which I’ve never really cared for.

Sitcoms are like hybrids of the stage. So I feel more at home there.

Rober{>T<} I love that you’re an activist for animal rights. The second time you and I met, we were doing a benefit for the Animal Shelter, directed by the ultra-Talented Tony Stevens!

Kelly{>B<} Yes, I remember….It’s something that was instilled in me at a very young age. Surprisingly, as dysfunctional as my family was… and as despicable as my father was, in many ways…. He and my mother were both very good with helping sick animals. They were never like “don’t bring that hurt animal into our house.” They showed me how to care for all different kinds of animals. We had birds that were injured…. cats…dogs.

I have the greatest respect for animals. They really do understand us. They know what we want and what we’re asking for. I believe they help humans live better lives.

I really hate it when someone say’s “oh, those stupid, dumb animals.”

I always say to that person “Do you speak dog?”

I accredit animals for keeping me going when times were bad.

I respond to them.

Rober(>T<) What organizations are you involved with?

Kelly{>B<} Oh, they’re so many…. P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), The Animal League Defense Fund, New Jersey Animal Coalition.

I was recently named spokesperson for the NJ license plates campaign. So that’s wonderfully new and exciting.

Rober{>T<} What kind of pets do you have at home?

Kelly{>B<} One dog and two cats. I would have more, but with all the traveling I do…. We just have those right now.

Rober{>T<} Did you name them after a role or specific person?

Kelly{>B<} No... no…never did that. There was a dog we took in, with the intention of finding a good home for her. We named her “Annie” because we thought it would be perfect (little orphan dog) Well…

she stayed.

We had a cat named “Harry” – ‘cause that’s the way he came.

We named our female cat “Roxy,” which most people think we mean “Roxie.” But we named her after the Roxy Theatre, which was a competitor of Radio City Music Hall.

It was demolished…. You know that Radio City was my first job, right?

Rober{>T<} Oh yes, as a dancer in the ballet corps.

Kelly{>B<} Well, It wasn’t something you bragged about…But it was a very good first job to have.

Anyway,

I think with the next animals we adopt, I’ll name after dance steps, like “Cha-cha” or “Mambo.”

My mother was really great about naming them after different foods….“Gum-drop”…“Popcorn.”

Rober{>T<} I’d love to have a pet fish named Popcorn!

Kelly{>B<} (She i laughs) Well, you can…

Rober{>T<} What a great name for a fish! Kinda avant-garde

Are there any web sites you’d like to recommend for our readers?

(So they can learn more on how to get involved with these great causes.)

Kelly{>B<} Sure,

there’s the P.E.T.A. http://www.peta.org/ ,

ASPCA www.aspca.org ,

The Jersey Animal Coalition www.jaconline.org ,

The Animal Net www.theanimalnet.com ,

& The Animal League Defense Fund. http://www.aldf.org/ .

Click here to continue to part two

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