We bet viewers won’t forget her
Christina Applegate, who first seized our attention as ditzy Kelly Bundy in “Married … With Children,” is once again on a TV high.
Her ABC comedy, “Samantha Who?” (9 p.m. Mondays), has established itself as prime time’s top-rated new sitcom and one of the few bright spots in a strike-marred season.
Applegate plays a sweet-faced woman who has awakened from a coma with no memory and learns she was a truly wretched person. Now, she’s attempting to start fresh and fix the damage this other part of her wreaked.
Sidelined by the writers’ strike, Applegate is antsy to return to work.
Q: How have you handled the layoff so far?
A: I feel like I’m going to lose my mind if this keeps up! I’m someone who can’t sit around a lot. I’ve got to work. … Acting is like a muscle: You need to use it or it will atrophy.
Q: Are you worried the work stoppage might cause the show to lose momentum?
A: Of course. It’s like having the rug pulled out from under you. We had just gotten our (full-season) pickup and four days later the strike hits.
It’s hard to take. You feel like you’re doing something good and you’ve got a place in the pecking order and then – boom – it all comes to a stop.
Q: On your show, old Sam – or “bad” Sam – is routinely resurrected through flashbacks. How fun is it to play her?
A: It’s a blast. I’ve never gotten to play a character with no self-editing system whatsoever – a woman who is so incredibly self-involved.
I noticed recently on the set that, when I slipped into her wig and took on her personality, I was extremely relaxed. She’s not a tense person. She isn’t dealing with any inner struggle.
Q: Is it an acting challenge to swivel between the two?
A: It’s a lot of fun. When you play one character week after week, you can get bored. But not with this, especially since the new Sam has been through so many changes and evolved so much in just a few weeks.
Q: How do you think Kelly Bundy and the former Sam would get along?
A: Oh, the old Sam would chew Kelly up and spit her out. She’s a very smart and very cunning woman. She doesn’t want to be around anyone who can compete with her or share the spotlight. So I think she’d outsmart Kelly and outdo her and ultimately squash her.
The birthday bunch
Country singer Ferlin Husky is 82. Singer Andy Williams is 80. Director Jean-Luc Godard is 77. Singer Jaye P. Morgan (“The Gong Show”) is 76. Singer Ozzy Osbourne is 59. Actress Daryl Hannah is 47. Actress Julianne Moore is 47. Actor Brendan Fraser is 39. Singer Montell Jordan is 39. Actress Holly Marie Combs (“Charmed”) is 34. Actress Anna Chlumsky is 27. Actor Brian Bonsall (“Family Ties”) is 26.