‘Night Court's' Wendie Malick Plans To Keep Making People Laugh, Indefinitely
But, she says she's perfectly happy with her seemingly overloaded schedule.
Currently, she's starring as attorney Julianne Walters in Night Court, as Harrison Ford's love interest in Shrinking, and as the owner of a fried chicken restaurant in the family drama, The Chicken Sisters. Previously, she's appeared in numerous series, including Young Sheldon, Frasier, and American Housewife. She was a lead cast member for seven seasons on Just Shoot Me and for six seasons on Hot in Cleveland.
Malick has received four Cable Ace Awards for her role in HBO's groundbreaking comedy Dream On and garnered a Golden Globe and two Emmy Award nominations for her work on Just Shoot Me!
All of this, and Malick, somewhat humbly, still refers to herself as a 'character actress.'
'You know, the work comes in waves, like right now. This has been an insane year for me, where I was doing two and three shows at the same time, which is very unusual, particularly in this in this landscape that we're in now, but very grateful for it,' she says.
Malick admits that working in comedy delights her, because, 'When they give me a character like Julianne, who's a little bit off in some way, I'm thrilled because it's just a juicy, juicy bag of tricks that I get to pull from.'
While she's also taken on several dramatic roles, Malick says that, 'My preference is that I don't like things to be too dry and straight. It's always more interesting to find the foibles and neuroses in a character because it gives me a lot more leeway as a comedian.'
Using this thought process, she explains her take on her Night Court character, an ex-con who is now an attorney. 'Julianne is a peculiar person. I had to sort of figure out a backstory for her that would help me understand how she could have this complete bouquet of vastly different emotions. At various times, she goes from the way left all the way over to the right. And, it's really helpful now that they're starting to write a little about her background into the show, so that I can fill in the blanks and figure out why she's the way she is.'
Malick does like the fact that Julianne is part of a second chance initiative sponsored and overseen by court's leader, Judge Abby Stone, played by Melissa Rauch. 'There's something really lovely about that. It makes it feel like nothing is impossible to overcome and I like that.'
Much of Malick's work on Night Court involves sparring with her ex-lover-turned-co-worker, Dan Felding, played by John Laroquette.
Of their on-screen relationship, she says, 'I think we have good dynamic, and one where, it's a 'will they or won't they' kind of have chemistry. However,' she emphasizes, 'We realize we're toxic in a relationship together, and it's probably not healthy, so we'll just fight each other in the courtroom.'
Speaking about Larroquette, she says, 'I'd never worked with him before, and have always really admired him as an actor, so it's really nice to have a partner like him, one who's just so good at what he does. I really enjoy every scene we have together.'
Now at an age when many people scale back on working, Malick says that she's not planning on taking her foot off the gas anytime soon, citing what she's learned from someone she respects tremendously.
'I take my lead from Betty White. She started her third act when she was 60, and I turned 60 when I worked with her [on Hot in Cleveland]. At the time I thought, 'wow, that is just amazing. She loves what she does. She has no reason to retire.' I feel the same way. I love what I do, and I have a great life outside of acting, but I always want this to be a part of it, so I'm in no hurry to retire.'
She quickly adds, 'I think it's really because I having the opportunity to go to a set and be with my fellow actors and tell stories, and that's what I feel like I was designed to do. So no, I don't have any plans to stop.'
Malick proves the adage that 'with age comes wisdom' as she imparts one last thought, saying, 'I think one of the beauties of getting older for me is appreciating how precious every day is, and I don't want to squander any of them. So every morning ritual by saying, 'lead with your heart, be love in the room.' If everyone did that, I think everything would be better.'
'Night Court' airs Tuesdays at 8:30e/p on NBC, and is available for streaming on Peacock.
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San Francisco Chronicle
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‘It's so cringe': The Chronicle weighs in on end of ‘And Just Like That'
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