Ellie Kemper Gets Brain Freeze with Alec Baldwin

the office. These days, she's the star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix, now in its second season. Ellie Kemper says she plays exaggerated versions of herself, so you'd be correct in assuming that she is kind, optimistic, and self effacing. Consider her theory on why she's been successful in Hollywood. I have a very um large face that is moonlike and sort of friendly and rube ish. You know, I think I look like someone moonlike face that's responsible for

the career you have. Actually, yes, I think so, because all the characters I've played sort of play up that aspect of me, and certainly I think I do. I do. I am sort of naturally cheerful and Sonny, I think I am healthy. I think healthy, yes, not manic, and certainly certainly I get bad yes, and that's not I'm not manic. Thank you. Oh good, Now now it's confirmed. Maybe if I were a stand up or something, maybe

that might be, you know different. I did not do what was the beginning of that part of your career. At the beginning of my career was in improv. So I started doing improv comedy in college and I felt like I was good at it. And that was the first time I felt like I can do this. This is something that I feel connection to and and not only do I feel a connection to it, but it's something that I want to or sue after college is over.

And that's that's how I started. I started doing stuff at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and the People's Improv Theater. Started in college at Princeton, Yes, to study English. I didn't go there to study English. I got there and decided I'll study English. But I actually played field hockey my first year. Well I was. I was good in high school and I was captain my team. And then I went to college and I never played I said on the bench the whole time,

and I one day worked up the courage. It was like Rudy to ask the coach, you know, like you gotta put me in. Why am I not going in? And she said because I had the tools but was having trouble building the house. Yeah, she I never saw her take off her some glasses and still position. I could not. I know you didn't. I didn't let him know. I quit in fact, But you went to Princeton not knowing what you wanted to study. You decided to study in wh once you got there, that's right. Did you

have an idea what you wanted to be or do? No? And I regret that because I think that it's so nice, if it's helpful, if you know in middle school or high school what it is that you want to do. I think that just helps to make decisions for you earlier. But you didn't know you wanted to be an actress, then that's right. If you did four years at Princeton and graduated with a degree in English, and then you went to OX I did for a master's for a

master's that I did not complete, but talk about. I was like, let's give it one more go, I'm not done yet. I've still got those quads. I have very strong quads, quadriceps um. But I quit that. Then after a year, I went to school for a year and decided this is not satisfying, this is not I am not an academic, Okay, so that is not what I wanted to pursue. So I moved back to New York after a year. Well you're not an academic, but you

went to Princeton and Oxford. Yeah, but I'm not how did you get into Princeton and Scott Oxford if you're not a student. I got in on pluck. No, I know what I'm how do you get in? I'm well rounded. I'll say that. I think that. I always I felt like, okay, well I have strengths in different areas. So I felt like that's that's I mean, I'm not dumb, but I but I but I am not. Um. I just spoke at Bucknell the other day and I was surrounded by

professors and like, oh, these are academics. Now forgive me for saying this, but you come from a very prominent family in St. Louisia. I don't know your family's family's family somewhere in your family a big organization. Correct, Yeah, I'm trying to answer the question not sound like a jerk. I don't know if prominent is a word. Success Uh kind yeah, yeah, no, my my successful business? Yes? Yes, are you the weirdo in the family of the four

kids that anybody else's show business? I told your parents are going to go take your Princeton and Oxford degrees and go beyond TV whether like no, no? They on the contrary, they did not flinch. I think my dad sort of thought, oh, she'll try. In fact, he said, like, try this for a year and see what happens. Now, you know, well, actually not in your case because you were employed right away. But after a year for most people, nothing really happens. What your first year trying to become

an actor in New York City? Um, but nobody ever discouraged me from doing that. My mom is an actress. I mean she sheciated at home and raised her four children, but in high school and she's a performer, I guess that's what I mean to say. And she was always in the college plays. She's very funny. Both of my parents are very funny in very different ways. But my mom is closer to me in terms of, uh, she's

more animated, I guess and energy wise. Um, she was miss Adelaide guys and dolls, you know that, that type of lady. But they were both very supportive. And my younger sister, Carrie is a writer. Um on silicims. It hasn't come out yet. It hasn't come out. I have to tell you no, we've put that on hold for now, but I want to return to that. But I personally want to write a book, a book of essays, just my own, some some um nonfiction. Yes, I do. I have a lot of time. Let's not let's thank you.

I think that's a compliment that I wouldn't have time. But I have a lot of time. So um, I've been trying to write in the meantime because I think that is something that I've been saying for ten years that I want to write a book and I haven't done it yet. When you did the Office and you came onto the Office, you're a cast edition, which is always a wonderful thing. I had that happened to myself actually, where I was a cast edition on a on a

nighttime soap opera. I did the show, not s Landing, which was a huge hit on TV, and I came on. I was like, Wow, this is great because all of you have done all the hard work and built this like cathedral of soap opera. And I was gonna walk in, do a couple of numbers here and leave. When you were cast addition on the show, how did that happen?

How did they find you? Um? I met with Greg Daniels and Mike Shure, who Greg Daniels adapted the British show to American television and I got that meeting through my agents at WM and WM and working a lot before. No, this is what had happened. I had auditioned for Saturday Night Live. Maybe you've heard of it and I maybe you've hosted That'll just nut and I auditioned. Obviously did not get the part, but I do it did help to put me on you know, people's radar, I think.

So I just signed with a manager prior to that audition, and then I got meetings with all the big agencies. So I signed with W M E and they were developing a new show which turned out to be Parks and Recreation, which I think is what I was initially being considered for and I even read for a character that's not in Parks and Recreation, but I think was maybe going to be. And and then my manager called me to say, first all, I didn't really know it

was an audition. I thought I was just I don't know what I thought I was doing reading a script with Greg Daniels. And then my manager told me, he's like, look, I don't know how to say this, but you didn't get the part. And I was like, I didn't know there was a part that I was. It's okay, I don't know. Sometimes they have a way making me feel worse like than I do when we tell you bad news, we want you to feel bad. Yeah, play the part,

be crushed. So then I was crushed. But then this, this part of Aaron Hannon came up a few months later, and because I hadn't gotten any job on Parks and Recreation, I of course was available, and so I auditioned for that and that's how I got it. And this kind of like in that world, when you get into that wheelhouse with them and they know you, they're going to find some way. They're gonna always call you when they've

got something. So yeah, yeah, that the introduction was the main thing, just as as meaning Lauren Michaels was was enormous on its own. Being in a room with Oh my goodness, when you come on the Office. You started season five, yeah, the end of season five, and you did until the end of season nine. Yes, it was exactly. It was initially written for four episodes. It was a four episode arc, and then Aaron stayed on. She became the new secretary. Did you enjoy it when you did it?

I remember it like a dream. I think I enjoyed it, But it was the same thing. I thought, these guys have the train on the tracks, They've done all the hard work, get in there, and you don't make a peep. You just do right. But it's true. It's like, uh, yeah, I don't just don't make a splash, and then um splash, and then uh I did enjoy it. I think the very beginning was just like a little bit in shock

about what was happening. Yeah, because I was a fan of the Office, so it's surreal to be interacting with people who you've only seen on television, you know. But then, and especially when I look back, I'm like, that was the greatest job. It was it was so great. Sure, so you come on and you keep your head low, you keep low, keep stay low. Stay love those stars of that comedy show. Absolutely, I mean that, I think that where are they now? They're not doing Kimmy, They're nowhere.

They're all thriving. Yes, they are. Minty projects my favorite show ever. It's i mean, other than some other television shows that both of us are. Oh, it's so her. It's her distinctive voice. It's it's it's it's uh so supremely funny. I don't know if you watch or not, but the lines are just like so polished and honed and hilarious. And I just think it's so unique because it's Minty's voice. I love it and it means and it makes me cry. So it's this very funny show.

And then this last Christmas episode, I text her, I'm like, I'm in I'm in tears on the couch. It was so it's touching. It's it's that is hard to pull off. What what did you watch when you were growing up? And what was TV in your life when you were a kid? Um? Do you know what? Okay, we did not. I didn't watch a ton of television In fact, we

watched Seinfeld as a family. That was the show we always stopped on Thursday nights to watch, which I'm surprised because Seinfeld is a little, um, it's a little risk. My family is into urban. Well it's a little urban. Yes. I'm always so shocked that like four single people on the Upper West Side would resonate with an entire country, but it did, And and my family's conservative, not crazily so, but like I remember not knowing what like Elaine's diaphragm was.

It was like, I am still not entirely short the contest. I had no idea and nobody explained it or asked, so that was fine. Just you know what hot dog eating? Right? It was who could eat the most hot talks um? I think I know what it means now, But we always watched My sister and I always watched a Letterman um uh in high school, mostly because it was on Leader. Would your parents do for entertainment? Were they entertainment people? Would your father stay home and like read the Wall

Street Journal? My parents, No, he's not a foreign of hersman. They love going to the movies. Every Saturday they would go to the movies. I think and I feel like we went when it was appropriate, if it wasn't an our movie. UM My mother loves television, so she watches UM, her share, her share, and my dad also, they both love television. In fact, he get a jockey, a sports guy. Yeah, he was a sports guy. He still is. He works out every day. He's very regimented. And you have two brothers.

I have two brothers, older brother John, younger brother Billy. What do they do? John is a banker. He lives in St. Louis. Of course he is him. He has his three angel children who I could only got it. He know, he's got it. These children, He's already the bar is so high that if and when I have them, good luck, where would this will be without the John's

I don't know. John is like a rock. He is a very he's so, he's unflappable and by the way, infinitely funnier than my sister and me, who both technically work in comedy. So, but he still wants you to give him a free subscription to Netflix. Yes, and little younger brother not little younger brother, Billy is about to go to UM. He worked at Yahoo for a while and he's going to go to Kellogg Business School and Northwestern in the fall. So the men are in business

and you and your sister are in the business. Yeah, that's right, that's right. What does she do now? Your sister? She's writing on Silicon Valley on HBO. She wrote on the Office while I was there as well, which was the sister was writing on the show when you were on There isn't that? That was incredible. My sister and I get along very well. Luckily there's a four year difference, and you know, we would have lunched together. She she wrote. I think she joined in season six, I think maybe

the sixth season. And she is so funny, and it was she like a moon faced hays To like you know, she's oh, she looks like Godrey Hepburn. Actually no, seriously, though, you just nailed it. She has dark dar you don't. She has raven hair. She's her face is she raven hair is out of a renaissance eat. I'm not an academic. I don't know art, but it's out of like a classical painting. She's beautiful. Where she go to school? She

went to Stanford. Oh my gosh, I know we went so pathetic and stupid in your Well, yeah, everyone is pretty smart, but I don't think that is I don't think you have to go to those colleges if you're smart. I think plenty of smart people don't go to those colleges. When let you say that, yes, it's true. Now when you finished the office, like, what was your feeling? Like?

I love when I did thirty Rock, I remember, I thought to myself, it makes me kind of get choked up bout a really good cry right now when I say this, But because it's really hit me more and more as time has gone on, because it's like it was a home. It was home. Because the movie business is so gypsy, like I mean, it's so nomadic. Makes me cry and I cry a lot. But anyway, the dory I cry a lot. I cried the other night. What happened? Um? I think it was Oh, it was

an email. It was an email about plumbing for this a plutment. I started crying, but that's a different that's crying. Yeah, but it feels good and then it's over. We wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait stop? What was the plumbing email that made you crying? Well, it was about choosing fixtures, and you cried because because I don't know about that. I'm not an academic, I'm not a plumber.

What am I am? Nothing? I give me the lines and all, I'm not an engineer, an engineer, and I get frustrated very easily. It's always been this way. I remember crying doing homework. I don't get it, and just I get I get stressed out easily. Does your husband handle some of this stuff? He? Or do you wear the pants in the family? Oh? No, no, because you're the star. Oh he's I'm not a star, but I when when you're on my show, do me a favorite.

I need you to pretend you're a star while you're here, because this is this is a show where there's some quotient of stardom. We have academics who come on, and we have people who are like in public affairs and education writer. But then maybe people on here who are film and TV stars, and they need to kind of act like I need today, starkay, I am the star

in the household and in the world. And but Michael Coleman is his name, my husband, and he is eerily calm, not eerily comfortingly calm, so he is a good of you said eerily. Don't back up because he doesn't he know he's a writer. As a writer, who is he reading for now? He created the show Nathan for You, which if you haven't watched it, you would love it. It's on Comedy Central. It's stars this guy, Nathan Fielder,

and it's basically, uh, it's sort of um. He's a small business consultant who goes in and tells businesses how to improve their business. But his ideas are inane and crazy, and I really do think you would like it. I want to be on it. You should be, Well, you can't be on it. It's all real. It's all real life people. So he goes into real life people and with him, Yeah you should. I could go with him. Now we put it out there. Yeah, would that would be?

That would be something that we were dancing around. Why you cried over the plumbing? We are because well it was night. So I'm always a little more emotional at night. I'm tired from the day, as we all are, and I get well, this is okay. Here's what I'll say. I think for a person, I think for a person, I think that I'm sort of emotional. I think I'm a little sensitive. I think that I'm a little tightly wound for an actress. I am like the most normal I've ever met. I am no, I just mean that

I don't have neuroses that are crazy. But I do cry, for example, about something that seems too much to handle at the time. Now you still haven't answer the question, what would the plumbing issue? What what could happen plumbing wise? It would make you cry? It was a decision I had to meet you weren't is in the fixtures? Yes it was. Three different fixtures had been emailed to me, and I don't notice differences. But Kimmi Schmiant doesn't do fixtures.

She does. It's not that she doesn't care, It's just that I don't have a strong opinion about them. And it made me. I guess the reason I crit is I was exhausted and didn't want to make another decision for them. And did you choose your husband? Chose? Um? It still hasn't been decided. I still hasn't been decided. Would you like me to come over and decide? From down there to this new address? Now? The the the you get out of the office, and how long is

the gap from that to Kimmy. Well, in fact, this is what happened. As soon as the office was over, I filmed a pilot for NBC that did not end up going forward. It was called Brenda Forever. It was very funny. But because that did not move forward, Why do you think it didn't go forward? I really don't know, because how do you It's like throwing spaghetti at the wall. You never know what's gonna stick and what's going to resonate with audiences. Frankly, I didn't know how audiences would

respond to Kimmi Schmidt. It's very weird. So this show, for whatever reason, the network decided we're not going to push it forward, which happens all of the time. And and well, you know what, there was a threesome scene in an interracial threesome. Maybe that was too wild back then, it was like three years ago. The pilot for it, in the comedy it was a comedy, was very funny. I played a orchestra conductor and it was and I was mean, I really liked it. Meant was an interracial

three way. Yes, I could see clearly why I didn't get picked. This is I mean it isn't that bizarre? I mean, with the bizarre is mild you I think you would think it was an interracial threesome with a with a bitchy conductress with a bitchy maestro. She was duplicit, she was she was evil like she she was bad this character. But but isn't that the new thing antiheroes? But then it's a story about what was the show about? This show? Well, it was split. It was half so

Brenda Forever. We saw half of the show Brenda was thirteen, and that was played by obviously not me, um by a younger actor. I could do it the route. Could we stretch a face a little bigger, change your hair, a little change pie face will be up for it. It's a compliment. But then the other half of the show was me as an adult. So that's why is Brenda Forever intercut between the young girl and the older And it was so I really think you would like it.

It was God, I see it's nowhere, but there's DVDs of it. I'll get you a DVD. And even I think you would like it. It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun doing that. But you know, did one episode the pile. That was it was, it was it. What did you do? Then? Then I thought, what do I do? My agent Richard White's who is Tina's agent? He and Robert Carl He said the pilot. You know that my pilot was not going forward? He said, get drinks with Tina and Robert New York City, talk

about did you Yes? You had drinks with the two of them. Changed. So the first seed of Kimmy was you sit down with the two of them. Could do many of them before. Now you never met them. Now I had seen Tina intimidating. Oh dear, I was so nervous the whole day. I didn't know. I didn't know how to calm myself down. I mean, I was so I was so anxious being a lawyer in front of Supreme Court? Absolutely, And do you do you be funny? Do you do you be smart? What do you do?

You let them talk? I think that's what they don't want to talk. Well, they're sick of talking. And when I'm around when I was around them, they were they weren't very talkative. They wanted to write, they wanted they want to talk a little as possible. So you can get back in the writers from the ride. They don't want to waste their time with me. It was on a Saturday night. I remember. I was like, I'm taking

up time on their Saturday. They just keep it. Would talk to them and be like yeah, yeah, yeah, great, great, that's not the case of writing. They endured me. Well, I feel like they endure me every day. So this was the beginning of the I felt like, I just don't be crazy, right, just try to be what you drink Carlisle. And I was like, I'm going to west side, hing over to the east side, I mean true, and and the thing was set up the day before, so

talk about I'm an anxious person. So I was like hyperventilating. And then um, I thought, I'll just order whatever Tina fe orders. So I did the first thing. I thought, when a glass of white wine. That's funny, exactly you drink That's so great, like google her like, great, oh my gosh, what aggrecidence. Um and that was fine, you know what. I was so relieved when we when I left, I was like, well, that was fine. That was not scary. It was we didn't talk about anything of substance. It

was just small talk chatter. Again. The constant nagging notion, and I knew who you were. They've seen you that that's right. So they told you they wanted you to play Kenny. No, they basically said, we're developing a new show. We don't know what it is, but good to have met you, you know. I think it was a general introduction, although maybe it was for something after that. Did you get the script to the pilot? We met in May, and then they met them again in July and they

pitched the actual idea to me. I thought they were joking because the premise of the show, I know, And I was like, and I have said this before, but I went home that night and again I had to call myself down. I was like getting the tub, took a hot bath. I was like, they were pranking me. They're super smart people with their imaginations are sucked up. That's everything, is right. Yeah, they're brilliant, beyond brilliant. They

imagine great things. And because because they are so brilliant, I thought for sure they're testing me to see if I'm smart enough to know that they're joking, you know, like I put it into my name right away, I know. And then they weren't joking because that is the premise of the show. And then so that was in July, and then I saw the script in October, I think, and then NBC picked it up for thirteen episodes. I think, Oh, I know exactly went actually on Halloween of that years.

So from Brenda Forever to Kimmy it was about it was April two October. So that's pretty question when you got you got a pilot or did you get a couple of scripts? First pilot only then we waited even though it had been ordered for thirteen, so we shot it the following spring and then waited four months and then shot the rest in August, and that was then that was filming, and as you were shooting, we're like,

oh god, this is so insane. Insane. And also and so they did you realize that in order for that to work? This is the funny thing because if everybody's cynical, like sometimes, did you have to hang out with people at uc being in order to fit in pretend you were more cynical than you really were. Would they say like really cynical things and put people down? You're like, yeah, definitely, Oh yeah, he's a douche. You have to hide pie

face under a bath. You do. But see the problem with pie Face is that it's it's always with me. So it is if I say he's a douche, are you gonna take meat serious? Like? Are you going to be like, oh yeah, she means it probably not. Yeah, So that's the problem. It's like you have bright red hair. I am pie Face forevermore so like trying to say something, it's like being Mickey Rooney. Yes this is what can you do about it? You can't go so you embrace it. So so there is I don't know, I think, yeah,

I can't get away with that. So you get so you get there to do the show. And again I'm not saying this, you realize this is one of those things. The brilliance of the show, because I've watched a lot of Kimmy lately, is that it is your tone and your warmth, and that helps well. I was trying not to interrupt you because I didn't want to interrupt the host. But that is much more credit than is to thank you very much. I think the writing, of course, as

it was on your show, you owe them everything. You don't need to dress up anything because the lines are handed to you pristine not a not a I was about to say, not a hair lucky. Yes there, Oh, I think about that all the time because there's so many dopes out there, and you would take a job whatever you would. You would take a lot of jobs to make money, to to earn a living, to keep working. But then you get to work on this job, which

is truly the genus minds. So it's it's extraordinary. Now the show is, you did two seasons and you're going to go into a third season. You got picked up for a third season. What did you do in the time in between the two? What have you been doing? I'm not like you. I'm not as industrious as my bosses are. So they Tina went off and made a movie. Robert went often wrote that you know, they me. I feel like I felt like the press took up a lot of the time in between. I felt like and

Titus and I brilliant. Titus Burgess, who plays Titus on the show, we talked about this where like, I have spent more time talking about the show than we spent filming it, but that promotional requirements have now become absurd, So in between you did a lot of press. I just truly feel I want to ask you about Letterman, but I'm going to ask that later, I guess, But well, I just want to ask, like, would you ever say

you were a guest? You were one of his favorite guests, of course, and would you ever say that was a pleasure for you? I'm assuming like that you didn't think of that as work. No, No, that was not a chore at all. That was would you get would you feel like I need to make these stories really good? Like would you feel nervous at all? Or no? God? Yes, Well he's a he never hid the fact that he was restless. He's very restless. Smack, yes, and he was. And I don't say that it's a bajard. He was

very restless. He leaned over to me one time and said, godd, I can't tell you how much I want to thank you when you come here, because because sometimes this is really tough. People come on and he has to pretend they're special, and you're hard pressed to identify why they're special. He must have looked forward to I mean, someone who is just going to people that's going to come to talk, and he were a good guest for him, He really looked forward to coming and he was very kind to me,

very kind. Of course, he was super kind. My very favorite thing, though, is when when someone goes on the show who you can just tell from the story he doesn't like, and he does not. I think he got better at this time. I mean he I just mean that he put on a a face, I guess a polite face more often like later on. But when Starlett's who he just didn't care about, when he just he let them hang out to drink yes, which is great.

So during the break and Kimmy, you only did, I honestly feel like all I did was promotion and that movie. That's not I did not do a movie? Did I know? I didn't? And that's wow, I know, wow. What an arrogant show business card that was to turn over? Did I do a movie that see movies? Let me my raven the only reason. Let's try it again. Did you do a movie? I did not? Okay, that was the correct answer. That the reason I question my memory is so bad. I'm thirty five. There's no reason for my

memory to behazy. It is so bad that I couldn't remember if I Crawford Kemper I was on my gosh, you can count the number of movies I've done on one hand, so I couldn't. I don't know what's the goal. When you finished the show, Okay, I like balance and I realized that, like I I crave that. Now at this stage, I don't know if that's good or bad. I thought I was like a driven person, and then I met Tina and Robert, like, oh I am. I am not as a hard working as I thought I was.

But Ellie Kemper is just about to start working harder. She and her husband Michael are expecting their first child. Explore the Here's the Thing Archives, where Kristen Wigg talks about breaking her fans expectations. The audience very quickly puts you in uh folder, like they know you how they first knew you. I'm Kristen from SNL or comedic actress, and people are always so surprised when I want to do dramatic stuff. Really you really want to do that?

Take a listen that Here's the Thing dot Org. This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. My guest today is actress Ellie Kemper, the star of Unbreakable. Kimmy Schmidt now in its second season on Netflix. Ellie plays a former cult member looking to restart her life after being held for fifteen years in an underground bunker. Both Kimmy and Ellie appear to have an eternal optimism that lifts them above all the obstacles in their path,

or almost all of them. I have a problem limiting ice cream intake. That's so dorky. That's just so such a gross problem limiting ice cream. And you like a Brando level, or you're at my level. I wasn't at a Brando level. I wasn't at Brando. Okay, you know he was an ice cream addict. No, I didn't pat Gelson's and go into the park line, I need a half a gallon of ice cream in the car. Why am I just learning this now? I really don't know out in terms of if you say you have an

ice cream problem? Was Brando? And I didn't even think I would have connected with other I came with the Charles Bukowski of ice cream. I can't I can't start a point without finishing it. That's just like a pint. Okay. Now, I had a period of my life and I didn't get really sick from that. I gained a lot of weight. I found that I was pre diabetic. You're you're, you're, you're, you're, You're so fit and you're and you never work out. Probably do you work out every day? You do have

to St. Louis thing. I'm from St. Louis and we're just naturally damnital when naturally whippity hardy, whippity whippity pie faced people. I et a pine cream to night. I come home at the end of the day and it was my reward. I was stressed out and I would turn on the TV. I watched Turner Classic movies or cable news or something. I recognize that experience so closely because it is my own. I justified to myself. I'm like, well, it is better than Jim Beam. It is better than drugs.

I mean, but it is a drug like any other. What's your favorites? My favorite, My very favorite is Bene Jerry's, but that is because they're so readily available. The tonight dough, that's that tonight dough is what it's called American dream. Now I'm only naming late night hosts, but I do like those flavors a lot, and just cookie dough and then for Haganaz, it's just vanilla chocolate chip, which went off the market for a while. Can you imagine my favorite?

When you were I knew I would really cross the line. But one time I went to a nam place and I had three scoops of ice cream and a vanilla shake to wash it down. I've been there, said I couldn't make of my mind. I said, I'll have both, and I deserve, Yes, you do. I remember They're seen in mis Congeniality and Sandraba looks like it's time to get chip faced, and she's talking about drowning her one of the great lines of cinema. She's drowning her sorrows

in mint chocolate chip. And I will come into work the next day and Lilyan and Ariel, who I work with my hair and makeup on the show. I will walk in and I'll be like, I'm a little bloated today, Like in my face, it's not wine, it's not whiskey, it's it's I'm chip faced. I'm hung over from ice cream. What does your husband do? He's weirdly disciplined. He will he will eliminate sugar for months at a time. Is that weird? And then he'll go back to it. But

when he starts, he can't stop his thing. He loves licorice, which is somehow. I mean, he has very old man like he likes sour candies and received kid. He grew up on the beaches of San Diego, but he is not a beach bum. He's he's very indoor kind of guy. Um. We met because he wrote on Conan O'Brien when Conan used to be here. So he's like a very bookish type. Co Oh, I miss Conan out there in l Ah.

That's what I would watch if you're if. While I was drowned, it was so pleasant to eat a pine of ice cream and watch David Letterman and let the day melt away. And now I can't watch him anymore, so so I just eat ice cream. I watch reruns of Letterman. I'm not kidding. The Did Cavit box set, I need to get that. Get that. I'm only recently discovering that Cavit like his shows and uh, oh my gosh. His show is so fantastic because they're they're just talking,

i mean talk about nothing going by from different style. Yeah. So when the show is over and it's not gonna be over for a while, and we're gonna do this for a little while longer. But when the show is over, especially people in comedy land, when the me gig ends tries, they might get out of here and they go to l A. Do you see yourself going to LA to live. I would like to avoid going back to l A

because I get depressed there. I realized that recently. Even though my sister, my gorgeous sister, you think she would light up the whole city for me with her beauty, but I she lives there, But I I get when I'm not working there, it's depressing to me. I can't figure it in a way that's different here because I feel the same way. The whole time I was in l A. I was working for the office and then depressed on there. It fills me the minute I land in New York. You are depressed in a different It's

like a very invigorating way. You know you're angry instead of being low. You know you're frustrated and you're crying, but and it's like full of passion. In l A. I just feel like I'll think, Ellie, it's a gorgeous day, It's seventy five, go for a walk. The walk depresses me because no one is walking when you live there. You when you shot the office wear in Van Eyes a studio, I don't think you'd place where they used to put dry cleaning chemicals, exactly where we were to

put perky. Where did you live of Hollywood? In Highland that's right on Hollywood, like a record store. It was horrifying. We moved there because I felt like, oh, this is like New York. It's a high rise. The guy next time, yeah, that's literally. I was like, this will be this will be happen. The guy next to us our neighborhood an ankle monitor, which I didn't and we never knew what it was. For one night I came home and he's like,

come on, just be a good sport. And the girls like that hurts, and he's like it's just a taser. Oh my god. I don't know what he was doing. But when you when you leave there and you go to New York, it's just much. It's just easier. I think everything here and yeah, it's just easier to I think everything for someone now I'm not, but for someone like you who is recognizable very prominent. You must have trouble going places. I would imagine in New York it's

somewhat easier. I feel like people don't want to be caught recognizing you, and it's easier because you're in a car. Well. See, it's a different New York exchange to what New York has changed because people are not as they're not as cool as they used to be. But everyone has a phone and if someone asks you, and I have only done this. Look people, people are not clamoring from my phoone, but if they do ask, they will ask it like the gym or something. When you're sweaty, you look terrible.

I said this one. I said, I'm so sorry, I look disgusting. Would you mind if we don't do it? And she goes, no, you're fine, I'm sorry, and like lifted her phone to take it. And I can only imagine that this is to the five thousand degree with you. But I said, I started to say it, but you're not sorry. But I didn't say that, but I wanted to now yes. So John Ham played the head of the Cults and and then only appeared in the show

and flashbacks flashback to Kimmy. He does come on at the end there's a trial and he I know, and do you and talk about the only person who could have played it. He is so okay. So you're describing this guy who presumably raped these women, he napped them, he's a sinister figure. Then who whose face do you attach to it? John Hammon? Well, that lightens the load. It works. And so for whatever reason, you watch this guy and you don't feel discussing, you don't feel disgusted.

I mean, it's this. I don't know how to describe it. I've described John Ham's from St. Louis, which is where I'm oh, yeah, well, I'll tell you something which I always I feel like John Hamm must be sick of me mentioning this. He went to my high school. He's ten years older than I am, and he came back and taught high school for a year. Um, he taught our theater class. Theater class with him. I took one semester. He taught me the improv portion of of our classes.

But then, but then the wheels turn and eventually John Hamm comes back and teaches acting at your class. And then he's guesting on your shoe. Don't you forget it? John, I may or may not have a movie to shoot. Can I tell you? Filming with him that was so intimidating because he is you always retain that dynamic. Talk about crying. There's a scene in the bunker where I really did feel like like I was so it was so powerful to me that I, who normally can't cry

in scenes, I started crying. Now, the character of your father has never been on the show, has he not? Or even like a weird uncle? I could come and play your weird uncle. I'd love to come on and play your weird uncle. Will you emailed him? Yeah, well I've already told him now. Number two, Um, who do you take advice from? Oh? Oh, I take a lot of advice from my husband. You do, Oh, he's you trust his opinion? Two D. He is very wide. I kept going up and up. I was like more than

of my birthday. He and I have our own little handy formula. Why did I come out to that? I wanted to ump it. I wanted to up it from that's the name of way. I wanted to up it. Michael. Michael is very um. As I'm described. He hates it when I describe him. His calm but he just has a very level In fact, I think he would be a good manager. To be totally honest with you, I'm talking about a show business manager. He's just smart in

that way. Um. But people will ask and I don't know, well, they didn't ask you this, but people impress interviews will say, what is the best advice Tina has ever given you? Well, as she did, I mean indirectly. Tina can tell you privately that the first year I was on that show, I annoyed them so much because I tried so hard to be funny on camera and off camera. I tried

to keep up with them. And then people who like Tina Carlock Bird at all of them, reg everybody who was running for the show back then, Volley, Uh, Tracy, They're Paula Pelle. They're funnier on their worst day that I'm on the best day. They're just eighth degree black belts Ninjas. And I always feel like China will come into the makeup room, I'll be telling some just endlessly boring story about the laundry machines in my buildings, just and I'm like, it's the same thing where I'm like,

don't stop wasting her time. Stop telling this story that's excruciating. And then she says one thing that's funnier than than anything. You know, Well, yeah, that's very obvious. She's she's very she's so funny. She's so funny. It's not as though she sits down and and imparts wisdom you just learned or I learned so much. The one thing I want to ask you is, when the opportunity presents itself, do you see yourself working in a drama at all and doing any dramatic films? I think I have it in me.

I don't know if that's something that I want to do. I think that transition is hard. Don't you think you'd be a mistake if you didn't? Really? What do you think of the idea that people come to know you in a certain way and come to expect you help them to know you in both ways? Yeah? Because didn't you think it was interesting to see Teina do whiskey tank? She can do it? Do you've ever feel like you want to try that yourself? The pause alone speaks volumes.

I think that that would be I do you know what the thing is that I feel like when I'm being serious people laugh? Is that horrible. Maybe we've just stumbled on something where I feel like if I were to be uh, I don't know, I would have I to think think about it. I'll think about it. About it you want. I think you can do anything. It's it's work. I should do it. I should after Kimmy ends after Kimmy. You don't want to. You can't make those two to stay in the Kimmey zone. I think

you're going to stay in the Kimmiy zone. You can watch Ellie Kemper in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix. This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to here's the thing