CONTENDER Q&A

Watch out for ... Allison Janney

It's not easy being 6 feet tall and funny, but it works for her in 'Hairspray' and 'Juno.'

By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

December 4, 2007

There is definitely life after "The West Wing" for Allison Janney, even after winning four Emmy Awards for her role as White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg.

The 48-year-old actress, who studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, shines this year in two films "Hairspray" and "Juno" as very different matriarchs.

In the cotton-candy musical "Hairspray" she plays Prudy Pingleton, the devoutly religious and ramrod-straight strict mother of teenage Penny. And in the comedy-drama "Juno," which opens Wednesday, she plays the supportive working-class stepmother of a pregnant high school student.

Janney will be returning to her theatrical roots next year to take on the Lily Tomlin role in a musical version of the 1980 hit film "9 to 5."

One of your best scenes in "Hairspray" is when you [Prudy] hold your daughter Penny [Amanda Bynes] captive in her bedroom and tell her she's the "devil's child."

That was so much fun because [director] Adam Shankman let me improvise and do whatever I wanted. I said to them, "Do you have any of those things - I didn't know what they were called - where they can splash holy water on evil things?" So a prop guy got me one of those things. We were having so much fun. And it was 3 in the morning and they just kept telling me to say things. "Devil's child, devil's child" was one of them. We had such a ball.

Did they let you improv other scenes?

We played with every scene. That is why I love doing characters like that because you can go as far as you want - if you believe in the stakes. The stakes are really high and you can be as crazy as you want. I know in that kind of comedy I can go as far out on a limb.

Did you work with the hair and costume designer for Prudy's rigid appearance? Prudy sort of looks like a wizened prune.

The costume designer was so great because she had a specific woman in mind and our ideas about the character jelled perfectly. There was a little pin I wear in each scene that has a Jesus cross on a safety pin. We decided she would have a handkerchief.

Now "Juno" is high comedy too.

I had no idea I was going to love it as much as I did when I saw it. I loved the script so much but you never know what it's going to look like when it all comes together. I saw it in Toronto for the first time and I was very moved by it. I almost wanted to go and sit in my room and cry.

Can you distance yourself when you watch a movie you are in?

From my scenes, no. I can't distance myself at all. I have no objectivity at all as most actors are highly critical [of themselves]. But the movie, the message and the simplicity and the complications of the relationships, there is nothing cliche about any of these characters.

Bren is certainly not the typical "evil stepmother."

I think it's a good, new look at a stepmother. Nothing is traditional about families any more. I mean that families are made up of a lot of different kinds of people - adoptions and second and third marriages...

To come into a family where you have new kids, you have to sort of guide them and it's a difficult position. I thought that [screenwriter] Diablo [Cody] really kind of attempted to create a different kind of a stepmother that you actually wanted to root for. She was stern with Juno and strict with her, but also supportive and listened. I love how the parents listened and respected her decision and supported her with what she wanted to do with the child.

There's that great sequence when you come to Juno's defense.

Yeah, in the ultrasound scene. All of these female characters [in the film] are so unique and Diablo doesn't judge any of them. But then you have this one character, this ultrasound woman, who has decided she's going to judge this girl and what's happened to her. And Bren, my character, comes to her rescue. It was so satisfying to play that scene.

After that encounter with the ultrasound technician, the bond between Bren and Juno strengthens.
Yes, they grow but it's still messy. They still brush up against each other, but you know that her heart is in the right place and Juno respects her. It was fun to see that bond between them grow on screen.

Though you have made some big-budget films like "Hairspray," you tend to do more indie films like "Juno."

I do. I think those projects gravitate toward me. You can't get away from the fact I'm 6 feet tall and not always an easy fit. Sometimes I think people with indie movies -- and people who are willing to take a risk -- when they want to go slightly different, sometimes it works in my favor.