life. We don’t really know what’s of The Big Bang Theory last Patty Duke, Joan Rivers, Wanda TSC: Diva has featured LGBT going to happen to us too far in year, and she told me that her Sykes; these are people I really issues throughout each sea- advance, so it’s kind of cool. buddies on the set are Melissa truly love who are in my life and son and the show has received Rausch and Jim Parsons. Who who I‘m a fan of, too. multiple GLAAD Award nomi- TSC: How did you land the role of are your buddies? nations. It even won one for a “Teri?” MC: Everybody’s my buddy: TSC: Josh has been quoted as storyline last year. Have you MC: It was something Josh Ber- April (“Stacy”), Kate (“Kim”), saying, “I feel there's an exhaus- championed these storylines man approached me about. He’s Brooke (“Jane”), Justin (“Gray- tion factor you hit watching or was this something to which the creator of Drop Dead Diva. I son”), every single person. We murder investigations. This Josh Berman had already been met him at a Jay Brannan show all have a great love and affec- show is fun and these are char- committed? in Los Angeles. Jay’s this great tion for each other. This year is acters you can really invest in. MC: I think Josh had already com- singer/songwriter and I was work- spectacular because Kate’s hav- The show is life-affirming." He mitted to doing these stories. It’s Margaret Cho has managed ing with him and we’re friends ing a baby. She’s the first of us to added that the reason why so a queer sensibility that kind of also. Josh was talking about this have a baby and we’re all really, many A-listers love to do your put everything together and we to pack a lot into her 44 years, show and he asked me to come really excited about the arrival show is because it’s not a dark all have a big say in queer politics and she’s still going strong. and meet about it. I ended up get- of a new baby boy. show. and marriage equality. Josh and ting the part and I was the first MC: Oh, I think that’s true. I think I are both members of Equality Some may disapprove of her person cast in the ensemble. It’s TSC: So Kate Levering is preg- he’s absolutely right. There’s a California and there are a lot of dif- lifestyle and politics, but there’s gained a lot of support over time, nant in real life? lot of light and a lot of warmth ferent kinds of work we do outside and it’s really amazing. MC: Yes! And in the show! and a lot of heart on Drop Dead the show, so it makes sense that we no denying that she is living Diva and that’s why it’s such an do LGBT work inside the show, too. her truth. I had the chance to TSC: Is Diva a fun set to work on? TSC: You’ve had some phenom- appealing thing for fans and cer- MC: It is a fun set. We have a enal guest stars. tainly why people love seeing it. TSC: Let’s talk about you now. speak with her back in June, good time. We laugh a lot. The MC: Yes! This year we have San- We let go of a lot of cynicism You had a rough childhood. just days before the airing of the cast has become really close over dra Bernhardt, who is amazing. and there’s a lot of wonderful You were bullied and wanted the years we’ve worked together We also have Lee Ferguson, romance and I think that’s what to escape that environment. 5th season opener of Drop Dead and it’s really marvelous. Rosie O’Donnell, who has been makes it so great. Diva, a Lifetime Original that on our show, Kathy Griffin, who’s had recently been resurrected. TSC: I interviewed Mayim Bialik a very good friend of mine, The Many Sides and Many Talents of

Tobi Schwartz-Cassell: How did you get the news that Diva was cancelled? Were you surprised? Margaret Cho: When they told us we were can- celled, they also told us we were probably going to come back. So it was never confirmed either way until we actually went back into production.

TSC: I understand the fans brought the show back from the dead. MC: Yes, I think the fan support was essential in Margaret sealing the deal for us because they were all over social media. It just proves that fans really have a lot of power.

TSC: How did it feel to know you were going Cho back for another season? MC: It was great! I always knew the show had a lot of fan support, but that was really exciting.

TSC: I love your character and I’m wondering if in Season 5, there’s anything new and exciting in store for “Teri.” MC: Well, we haven’t even finished filming this season, so I’m not even sure what’s going to hap- pen. But there’s always something going on with her, so we’ll see. (She laughs)

TSC: So the cast really doesn’t know what’s going to happen past the show you’re working? MC: Right. They give us (the scripts) maybe a couple of weeks before we film and we’re never really sure where (the storyline) goes. I think other actors probably have a little more knowledge and actually want to know, but I always like to keep it a mystery for myself. I like to approach it like BY TOBI SCHWARTZ-CASSELL

18 GIRLFRIENDZ MAGAZINE – July/August 2013 GIRLFRIENDZ MAGAZINE – GirlfriendzMag.com 19 (L to R) MC: Oh, thank you. That was really the most not expect, that I’m pretty thoughtful. I Guest star Valerie difficult thing in my life, having to deal with Harper, Margaret hope I am, anyway. Cho, Brooke Elliott, the death of my best friend and my ‘child.’ Carter Maclntyre It’s a combination of a lot of things we feel and guest star Patty TSC: I had the opportunity to watch the for our pets, so it was really great to be Duke in a Season pilot of All American Girl, your 1994 ABC 4 episode of Drop able to talk to April about it and really get Dead Diva. sitcom, and it occurred to me that you did for Asians in sitcoms what George Lopez down into grief and get down into these did for Mexicans in sitcom. things we feel for our animals. I can’t stress MC: That’s a great comparison! We were enough what a big deal it is in people’s lives actually before him. We preceded George to let go of their pets. So it was a very hard by a year. He was very influential. He is thing, but I loved doing that with April. really bright. He’s a great guy. TSC: Do you have any other pets? TSC: But I understand that it didn’t end MC: I have two dogs that are in my home well. What happened? in Los Angeles and are being cared for by MC: They wanted me to be thinner and I my husband and I get to come in and visit. just couldn’t do that. My body just wouldn’t My life has changed so much that I don’t get thinner and that was really frustrating really have the luxury of having my big dog for the network and I was really having a around. It’s such a gypsy lifestyle. hard time staying within what the network executives wanted me to be. I just couldn’t TSC: Wait a minute. Husband? I assumed CAN’T GET ENOUGH do it. It was really hard. you were divorced. I guess that was a bad assumption. Drop Dead Diva? TSC: I’ve read that you are in a constant MC: Oh, no, we’re still married. We have an Sony Pictures Home Entertainment TSC: So you knew about your sexuality struggle with your body image. Does open marriage. We always have and it really when you were a child? being open about these issues help you works for us. We’ve been together since the has taken care of that. With Seasons MC: I think really early on, but at the same deal with them? 90s and we’re doing really well. I know that 1, 2 and 3 already available, they’ve time I wasn’t sure because I am bisexual. I MC: I think so. And also age helps, because a lot of people in monogamous relation- recently released Season 4 and the really wasn’t exactly sure where I was, but I I’m older now and I’m not as concerned ships haven’t had the same luck we have, guest stars are as great as the show knew I was different. about it. Now there are other things that I but we’re really happy together. We don’t itself. Joining Brooke Elliott and find more important. My happiness and my see each other as much as we’d like to. TSC: I have never heard anyone famous sanity are just much more valuable. Margaret Cho are: Valerie Harper, come out as bisexual except for you. Was TSC: Is there a cause or non-profit that is Joan Rivers, Patty Duke, Nancy Grace, that a hard thing for you to do? TSC: Your book, I Have Chosen to Stay and close to your heart? Star Jones, Serena Williams and MC: Oh no. It’s just a very true thing for Fight is small but packed with opinion, MC: The Ali Forney Center. It’s a New York- John Ratzenberger. Want more info? me. It’s something I don’t think about very insight and lots of information. What hap- based homeless shelter and resource for Visit www.sonypictures.com. much. It just is. pened in your life at the time to make you LGBT youth, because a lot of young people write that book? end up being kicked out of their homes TSC: Are you in a relationship now? MC: I think it was that time period. It was after coming out. MC: (She laughs) I’m in a number of them! a political time. We were still in the Bush There’s always a bit of tumultuousness in Administration and it was like, ‘what are we TSC: In terms of your craft, you’ve practi- that area, but it’s okay! Part of it is that going to do about the Iraq War?’ Certainly cally done it all. You’ve been doing TV for I really am kind of living everywhere, times have changed, so maybe it’s time 20+ years, you do standup all over the so there’s not really even one place for another book. world, you’ve done feature films, Danc- where I reside. So that’s a big factor ing with the Stars, written books, been in the way my relationships are. TSC: In the book, you describe this nominated for Grammys, won awards for unbelievable dog monastery. Is that your advocacy and now you’re even doing TSC: Onstage, when you’re doing for real? podcasting. What else would you like to standup, you are really a no- MC: Yes! It’s real! It’s totally real! achieve? holds-barred performer. I’ve And that’s what’s so extraordinary. MC: I want to do more music. I love this read that you play to an audi- You can actually feel that this is a genre of comedy-music. I’m getting to be ence who considers itself place where the dogs have a dif- a pretty good musician and a better singer outliers and you are their ferent energy than dogs anywhere and that’s encouraging to me. My last spokesperson. Is this true? else. And dogs are beautiful and Grammy nomination was for my comedy- MC: I like that! I want to be an I love them, but they are so dif- music record and that was really cool. outsider voice and I hope my ferent at this place, so I really audience is satisfied with what love to go there. I really love TSC: What do you like to watch on TV? I do. the spirit of it. MC: I watch a lot of different stuff. I want to watch The Sopranos from beginning to end. MC: I think when you’re a kid, it’s really TSC: So we have Margaret as TSC: You now have a podcast I’m looking forward to the show, Orange Is hard to grow up anyway and if you’re queer quirky, cool “Teri” on Diva and we with Jim Short called Mon- the New Black which is the new women’s on top of it, it’s very difficult. When kids have Margaret on stage with an sters of Talk. I heard the seg- prison TV show. I love the Food Network identify somebody who’s different, they in-your-face-personality. Who is ment on which you inter- and the Cooking Channel. I’m just kind of become fearful and tend to attack them. the real Margaret Cho? viewed Drop Dead Diva’s everywhere on TV. That can be a very painful experience. I MC: I think I might be some- April Bowlby (“Stacy”). wanted to get out of that and I wanted to where in between. I’m a pretty She’s a major animal TSC: One of our readers asked me to ask be an adult. I wanted to be autonomous. shy and retiring person. I lover as are all of us at I didn’t want to be a child anymore, so I am kind of quiet and more Girlfriendz. You were you what’s your favorite kind of ice cream? started doing comedy very early and fast observant. I tend to watch talking with her about MC: I like something with chocolate in it, ® forwarded into adulthood. And that’s kind and listen. So maybe that’s the loss of Rafe. We all but not all chocolate. Heath Bar Crunch. of what I did. what people might send our condolences. That’s what I usually get. g

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