Tea Leoni Gets Big Kick Out Of Her Own Life

It’s a typically sunny day in Los Angeles, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at Tea Leoni.

The actress is walking around CBS Studio Center in the San Fernando Valley, her lithe body draped in a long, black wool coat and a scarf wrapped around her neck.

It’s a cold, she says in her monotone voice in between sniffles.

Back in her dressing room, she leans back on the couch. Her short, blond hair, as usual, is disheveled, her angular face makeup-free to expose her many freckles.

She’s thankful that it’s a Monday. That means no taping and no cameras; just a table read to go through for her sitcom “The Naked Truth.”

The series has performed well since a revamped version of the original ABC series began airing on NBC in January. But its 13-episode run ends with a final installment on May 21. After that, its existence is up to network executives.

The 30-year-old Leoni, who pronounces her first name TAY’-uh, also has her other foot on the big screen. She scored high marks with last year’s “Flirting with Disaster,” and she begins taping a Steven Spielberg film, “Deep Impact,” this summer.

In “The Naked Truth,” Leoni plays Nora Wilde, whose new boss (George Wendt) at the tabloid decides to make her an advice columnist instead of a camera-toting paparazzo.

1. Do you ever read tabloids?

Leoni: If I were to say I didn’t, you know and I know I’d be lying. They’re so conveniently located by the register at most all grocery stores, even the best. I don’t think people should read the tabloids so that they can know the hard, true facts. If The New York Times is dinner, the tabloids might just be dessert and they should be taken with that same sort of passivity and cheer.

2. Do you read advice columns?

Leoni: I don’t read advice columns. But I probably should.

3. Have you ever written to a person for advice?

Leoni: No, but I probably should.

3-1/2. What would you ask?

Leoni: The first thing on my mind today is how do you get rid of a cold? Does anyone have any snappy, new ideas because I’ve tried everything from drinking boiled potato skins and cayenne pepper and garlic, which does nothing but burn a hole in your mouth and throat.

4. Often Nora is shown with her hair in disarray. Why is that? Leoni: That’s a spin off of my own personality. I cannot stand brushing my hair. I hate it. I always hate it. And it’s hard to get to the back. It hurts my head, gives me a headache.

5. What do you do in your spare time?

Leoni: I’m not very fun but I get a big kick out of my life. I think by anybody else’s standard it would be considered not fun. I don’t go out very often. I love food and I like to be cooked for and I like to cook and I like dinner parties of six or eight. I like crossword puzzles, I like yoga, and I love hanging out with my parents, they’re very fun.