MOM: Allison Janney on the Challenges of Playing Bonnie, Plus Which Actors She Wants as Love Interests
January 27, 2014 by Marisa Roffman
Filed under #1 featured, Mom
Allison Janney is no stranger to television (she has nearly 200 episodes of primetime TV under her belt!), but when I caught up with her at a recent WBTV TCA comedy event, she couldn’t stop gushing about playing Bonnie on her new CBS series, MOM.
“I’m loving it,” she raved. “I’m loving the half-hour [multicam sitcom format]. It’s like a carnival, the whole fast-paced atmosphere, it’s very different from an hour-long drama show. I have to tell you, it’s so much fun. I love this job, I love these people.”
“I’m excited to learn who Bonnie is every episode I get,” Janney continued. “I love it, and sometimes it’s a little awkward for me, because I’m so different from her, so it’s like, ‘Really? I’m going to say that? That’s so mean! I don’t want to say that.’ But then I say it, and I hear the laughter, and then I go, ‘Okay, I guess that’s just Bonnie!’ Sometimes it’s a little uncomfortable playing her, and it’s been a little challenging getting used to playing a character this inappropriate and obnoxious. And I’ve been grateful for the moments where you see her vulnerability and you see where she comes from, so you understand why she is the way she is, a little bit. ”
As Janney feels her way around this new character, she told me some of her more long-term fans are also having some transitional issues getting used to Bonnie, too.
