Latest news with #GrossePointGardenSociety
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society' Star Nancy Travis Says Series Is ‘Dramatic, Traumatic And Very Funny'
'I really haven't played a character like this, maybe ever, somebody who can be so diabolical and yet is so recognizable,' says Nancy Travis of her role as Patty on Grosse Point Garden Society. In the series, Patty's son Doug is married to Alice, a young woman who Patty clearly doesn't favor. Not one to shy away from saying what she thinks, Patty is not above making her feelings for Alice known to everyone, including Alice. And, she's also not above going to extreme lengths to ensure Doug's happiness, or what she perceives as his happiness. Grosse Point Garden Society follows four members of a suburban garden club, which includes Alice, who find their lives intertwined by scandal, mischief and a shared secret – a murder no one wants to talk about. Along with Travis, the cast includes AnnaSophia Robb as Alice, as well as Melissa Fumero, Aja Naomi King, Ben Rappaport, Matthew Davis, Alexander Hodge, and Felix Wolfe. Expanding on her thoughts about Patty, Travis says, 'For me, at her very worst, she's probably a helicopter parent, but she really wants to be a somebody. She came to Grosse Pointe, and she's worked really hard to to climb the ladder in society. She has this only son, and she cares very deeply about him, she's trying to help him launch his career, and she is the kind of person who will really go to any lengths to make sure that happens.' Patty's conflict with her daughter-in-law only grows as the series progresses, says Travis. 'Yeah, when Alice basically tells Patty to back off, or that she's crossed a line, Patty takes that as a challenge and essentially escalates her efforts. So those two just keep butting heads more and more and more.' However, she insists, that Patty doesn't consider herself to be evil, explaining, 'She doesn't operate from a place of malice, she operates from a place of love, and I love being able to portray all of the emotions that go with that, because I don't think anybody is purely diabolical or just purely sweet. So it's just trying to find the balance of those qualities and what drives somebody to do the things that they do.' Travis, who has starred on sit-coms Last Man Standing, The Kominsky Method, and Becker, drama series Ride and Mr. Mercedes, as well as in feature films including Three Men and a Baby and So I Married an Axe Murderer, points out that this is her first 'dramedy.' This combo is an aspect of the series that Travis says she loves. 'I love that it's both dark and light. There are moments that feel so shady and then moments where it's just so funny. That unique tone, in my opinion, is what makes this show so good.' To get into Patty's mindset, Travis reveals that, 'I have to justify her choices emotionally and make them relatable. I'm trying to find those things in Patty so that people can watch this show and say, 'Gosh, I don't know if I agree with her actions, but I could see doing that, or I strangely feel sorry for her, and I don't know why.'' Given her past experiences in a variety of projects in comparison to her role as Patty, Travis admits that, 'Honestly, in a lot of ways, I feel like the burden of being the leading lady or the woman who's trying to charm the man, well, I don't have to do that anymore, which means I can bring all the ugliness I want to a character and just find characters who are motivated by things other than just supporting the man. That's not to say that all my roles have been that, but I feel like for me, a lot of them have been kind of being the sidekick for the guy character. And in a large way, I'm stepping into my own place and I really like that.' She adds, 'And I know for me, Nancy Travis, I feel like I have found a voice to speak up for myself in ways that I hadn't in the past. Before, I just went along with everyone, and now I do feel empowered to be able to say to the creators, 'gosh, I want to bring this to it or this is how I see it or this is what I'd like to play,' and I do that and it's ok.' For those who haven't yet tuned into Grosse Pointe Garden Society, or are maybe reluctant to tackle watching another series, Travis says, 'It's such delightful escapism that is completely relatable, even in this outlandish kind of setting, that I believe it's a treat, like a flavorful dessert. And it's very addictive, for a lot of reasons, but mainly because there's this murder element to it.' She goes on to say, 'And it's really sort of an allegory for our time. I mean, not to sound too lofty, but in this show you have this beautiful world, with these luscious gardens in a town that is stunning, and everything is glistening and perfect, but underneath is all of this rot. And that is what is funny and dark and really, really interesting, and maybe some might feel, a little timely too.' Now that Travis has finished filming Grose Pointe she's settled into working on her memoir and, she hopes, trying to concoct in the next great series. 'We've been watching all of these [British] crime dramas, and they're fantastic. I would love to write something like that. They're usually just a story with people talking and solving something without all the bells and whistles. So, for me, it's not about, running from enemy gunfire or flying through space, although I wouldn't turn that down, but I really just want to be in projects that are about relationships and real human connection.' She surmises, 'I did sitcoms and that was great, because that kept me at home, but now that my kids are grown, I can go anywhere. I have wanderlust and in a lot of ways, being an actress satisfies my sense of adventure because I get to walk in another person's shoes in another place.' Circling back to Grosse Pointe, Travis says that she truly believes that, 'In a lot of ways, I almost feel like the whole story of my career has brought me to this point, and in a lot of ways, maybe I'm doing some of my best work. It seems cumulative in that everything I've learned, everything that is just a part of me, I'm unloading into this, and there's something that feels really lovely about being able to do that. So, I hope people will watch and take it all in. That would mean a lot to me.' Then she laughs as she says, 'If that doesn't draw you in, then you should watch the show because these people can't even plant a flower without it being dramatic, traumatic, and ultimately, very funny.' 'Grosse Pointe Garden Society' airs Fridays at 8pm e/p on NBC, and is available for streaming on Peacock.
Los Angeles Times
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Melissa Fumero
Melissa Fumero's sons, at 5 and 8 years old, are almost at the age that they can prep breakfast for themselves. When the time comes, it will be a help for the busy mom, who also doubles as the queen of network television. The actor is perhaps best known for playing the over-eager, by-the-rules Det. Amy Santiago in the police comedy series 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine.' But she calls her latest role, as a 'wild' suburban socialite on NBC's new series 'Grosse Point Garden Society,' an 'actor dream.' 'The experience of playing a socialite means you are in the hair and makeup chair far longer than you are when you're playing a detective,' said Fumero, laughing. More seriously, the joy in playing her character, Birdie, comes with digging beneath her plasticky surface. 'When we meet her in the show, she's kind of had everything she's wanted, and she's a little like, 'Now what?' and 'Who even am I?' and 'What do I even want?'' Fumero said. Introspection is familiar to the actor, who co-hosts a podcast called 'More Better' with fellow 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' alum Stephanie Beatriz. On it, they candidly discuss the tricky balancing act between their careers and personal lives. But beyond that, really, Fumero assured me, there are few touchstones between her and Birdie. Here's how the family-oriented actor would actually spend her ideal Sunday. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. 7:30 a.m.: Sleep in My ideal, perfect, fantastical Los Angeles morning, is my kids sleep in. And by sleep in, I mean they wake up at like 7:30 a.m., which is sleeping in in our house. Ninety percent of the time, it's really sweet. They come into the bed, they cuddle, they're all cute. And then, just as you're snuggled up about to fall back asleep because you think, 'Maybe we're all just going to sleep a little longer, they whisper in your ear, 'Can we get up now? I'm really hungry. Can we go have breakfast now?'' It's so cute, but it's also so annoying. 9 a.m.: Tucker out the pup I will take my French mastiff Rosie for a hike at Fryman Canyon to tucker her out for the day and also just feel like I moved on a Sunday. It's a beautiful hike. It's one of my favorites. It's never super-crowded, and when you get to that back top ridge and it's overlooking all the mountains, and there's eucalyptus trees … it's so L.A. 10:30 a.m.: Surf's up Let's say this Sunday is in the summertime, so we're also going to go to the beach for the day. Every summer, I say we're gonna go to the beach every Sunday, and then what happens is, like at least five or six happen. So after the hike, I'm going to stop and grab some sandwiches and lattes from Harvest Moon, which is one of our favorites and we go all the time. I'm gonna get croissants. I'm gonna get their delicious lattes. I'm gonna get a muffin for my son and some sandwiches. We're gonna pack a cooler, and we're gonna drive to Will Rogers [State] Beach, which for us is about a half-hour drive. Some people don't know that the parking lot keeps going north once you enter it, and so that's usually our move. We're like full-on serious beach people. I grew up going to the beach in New Jersey and in Miami. Then my husband is also Cuban, and he grew up in Miami, so he also grew up going to the beach. I've been at the beach with my parents for like eight hours, so we kind of do the same thing. We have the chairs, we have blankets, we have a cooler and umbrellas. We also love to invite friends to the beach because it's always more fun with other families. The adults chill and maybe have a High Noon and some chips while the kids play and look for sand crabs and boogie board and climb the rocks. It's always just the best time. 3:30 p.m.: Keep the kids awake We probably spend half the drive home trying to keep our kids from falling asleep, because if they do, they'll be up too late, and we hate that. So it's loud music and being like, 'Hey! Don't sleep! We're gonna be home soon. Open your eyes! Look at me!' Basically being the most annoying parents on the drive home. 4 p.m.: Lazy screen time We get home and depending on how hard the kids played, it's either going to be some lazy screen time for everyone or sometimes they jump in the pool for an hour because they're maniacs and their energy is boundless, especially if they fell asleep in the car. If they fell asleep in the car, their asses are going in the pool when we get home. 5:30 p.m.: Family-friendly Italian dinner We're going to go to dinner. Our two favorite family spots are Osteria La Buca in Sherman Oaks or Pitfire Pizza in North Hollywood. Osteria has really fantastic Italian food. We discovered them during the pandemic because they did Buca Out Back, which was they transformed their little parking lot in the back to outdoor dining. They had picnic tables, and they would do a really small menu of some of their pizzas and their spaghetti, and they would have wine and beer. It was the first fun thing we could do in the pandemic, so that's when we fell in love with them. The pizza at Pitfire is super bomb, and I say that as a former New Yorker. In general, L.A. has bomb pizza now. That used to not be true… Pitfire Pizza is more like, brick-oven gourmet pizza. It's smaller, and the crust is really fluffy. But it's still crispy, and there are a lot of different combinations. My kids love the pizza and the meatballs there. My husband and I love the pizza, and we love the kale salad, and also they do double pours of wine. So, that's my favorite part. It's a big outdoor seating, so it's really fun to go. We also, a lot of times, run into other families with kids that we know. It's a very family-friendly place. 8 p.m.: Kiddos' bedtime Then it's head home and chill, do bath time and bed, and hopefully from all the beach and the swimming the kids are out right at 8 o'clock. And then maybe I can have another glass of wine with my husband on the couch and just have an hour to ourselves. 9 p.m.: TV and chill The kids fall asleep, and we run to start a show before we get too tired. We just started 'Shrinking,' and it's a little easier because it's half-hour episodes. Anytime we attempt to watch an hourlong show, it's like, really hard. One of us will fall asleep, and it's like we take turns. One night it's him, one night it's me. And then we have to decide if we want to rewatch or did not a lot happen. We love TV so much. We're just so tired. We have little kids.
