"There's nothing more satisfying than to be able to pull something out of your head that you thought you would never use for anything and here it is being asked on the Weakest Link. I love that."
Revivals rarely work. Successful revivals of popular game shows are even rarer. That is, except for when they're hosted by Jane Lynch. Now in its third season, NBC's Weakest Link has the energy of the original show—hosted brilliantly by Anne Robinson—but with modern flare. "I'm a softer, gentler Anne Robinson, but that doesn't mean I'm squishy," Lynch said. While "it's exactly the same game," what gives it a different feel are the "people and the questions. Each game has a different tone to it." One of Lynch's favorite things about the show is that it gives people the chance to put "useless facts" to good use. "There's nothing more satisfying than to be able to pull something out of your head that you thought you'd never use and here it is being asked on Weakest Link. I love that." Also known for shows like Glee and countless Christopher Guest films, Lynch was one of the first stars to become successful while being openly queer. In terms of timing, she said, "I came along at the exact right time...the great thing is I didn't have to hold a press conference because nobody cared."
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Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
How exciting is it for you to be part of the legacy of Weakest Link?
Oh, I love it. I've always loved the show. I love Anne Robinson, I always admired how she was able to hold such a stern presence and kind of a shaming schoolmarm where everybody was kind of afraid of her and it was a little more serious. I have a little bit of a wink in my eye and a little bit of a smirk of a smile. I can't pull off what Anne Robinson does. So, I've always loved it. And the game itself, it's a simple game, it's not complex, but it's a very satisfying game. Because these trivia questions, some of them are right there for you, and other ones you have to dig deep and then there's other ones that you have absolutely no reference for. So it's really fun to watch the contestants struggle with that aspect of it, especially when the lights are on them and the cameras rolling and the clock is ticking. I'm always so impressed with them, how they're able to do that. And some of them actually play strategically, they go into bank and they don't want to get rid of somebody good. So it's really fun to watch people deal with it in different ways.
Were you a fan of the original Weakest Link?
Yes. I loved it. And I loved her. I love Anne Robinson. I thought she was just great.
Her alliteration of how she spoke was so iconic. What do you think is your mark on it?
Oh, God, it's so hard to ask the person who's doing it because then they sound awful. [laughs]. But I'll try and do it as humbly as possible. First of all, I think that mine always has a little bit of a wink. Even though I get snarky, and our producer Stuart is in my ear and sometimes he'll give me things to say that are so mean that I have to overrule him, but he's really good, too. I'm so glad to have him in my head while I'm doing this. I think my mark is that I'm a softer, gentler, Anne Robinson but that doesn't mean I'm squishy.
Well your public persona, especially from your performances, translates so well to hosting this game show.
It does. Yeah, it was kind of an easy shift to make indeed. In one way there's a part of me that's kind to them. But when necessary and then, for the most part, I'm kind of badass.
Is there anything new about this iteration of the game show that's different from the original?
It's exactly the same game, and I think that's why it works so well; you don't reinvent the wheel. And each episode is exciting because of the people and the questions. Each game has a completely different tone to it. But I think one of the reasons the game shows are so fun to watch is that you know the game. We're not doing complicated things here. It's a simple game that's challenging. And when you tune in to watch the show, you know exactly what you're getting, so there's a familiarity with the structure of the show. And that's always fun, to have that familiarity. But it's always a different show, because it's different people, different questions, different day and time.
Primetime game shows are fun, especially in this era because they can have a real-time reaction to them on social media. What impact do you think social media has had on game shows?
Well, we're not shooting them live, so there isn't that interaction, but I know things go on social media while the show is airing, and I think that that adds to the joy of it. One of the things that's great about this show, which is also why we love Jeopardy and why we love The Price is Right, is that you can play from home. You're sitting on the couch and you're yelling the answer at the television. It makes it that much more fun. And now people are doing it on social media, which is great.
What type of person is the perfect fit for Weakest Link?
I think it could be the Jeopardy people. We do have some challenging questions. The Jeopardy people and those who are reasonably educated, not over-educated, and have a love for trivia. And [people who] have an ability to hold on to useless facts and all of a sudden, they have a use. There's nothing more satisfying than that, to be able to pull something out of your head that you thought you would never use for anything and here it is being asked on the Weakest Link. I love that.
You're so talented in so many different genres, part of me is like, Jane Lynch doesn't need to be hosting a game show. What is it about game shows that excite you?
It's kind of like throwing a party, and I love to throw a party. I don't necessarily like to go to them. In fact, I don't at all.
Same.
Yeah, everybody I talked to says the same thing. I was like, well, then who's going to these parties? But I love creating a good time for people. And nothing thrills me more than setting something up for a group of people and watching them really compete with each other and they know that I'm taking care of them even though I can be snarky. But you know, I'm in charge, you can relax and just focus on playing the game. And I will enforce the rules, but you just get to do your part and have fun.
Were you always a fan of game shows? If so, what were your favorites?
I loved The Match Game, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly and Richard Dawson. From what I understand, they used to shoot three a day and they were drunk through most of them, which I think is so fun. You can tell they were having such a good time. There was a game show hosted by Bert Convy called Baffled, and what they would do is give you three letters from the word and you had to guess what it was. I mean, it's simple stuff, but it had celebrity contestants and then civilian contestants, and that's always fun. I like the stuff with the celebrities. I loved Password. In fact, that was in black-and-white when I would watch that. I loved Password.
Oh, I love the mixing of celebrities with regular people. Do you have plans to do that with Weakest Link?
We have not had a mix. We have had some, like the first episode that we're airing [for] the mid-season premiere is the Days of Our Lives cast. But we haven't mixed regular contestants with celebrities. That's a good idea and that's fun. It's always fun to see that.
I'll come on as a guest producer for that one.
Oh, alright.
I do need to ask you about Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. You were nominated for an Emmy for your work on it, and it's such a wonderful thing to see, you at this point in your career working with these comedy greats. How does it feel?
Thank you for saying that. That is high praise. It's a dream come true. Who would have thought that I would be working with Steve Martin? I used to listen to his album Let's Get Small. I could quote it. I try not to in front of him. And then Marty [Martin] Short. I've been a fan of his forever. SCTV [Second City Television] is one of my favorite things. So it's just a real thrill to be there as one of the gang. Pretty cool. And Selena Gomez and I worked together when she was 18. We did a movie called Another Cinderella Story. I played this wicked stepmother, and she was the Cinderella character named Mary, as I recall. She was just a kid.
Well you've done so many amazing things, but I was first introduced to you in Best in Show, where you and Jennifer Coolidge kind of skyrocketed to fame from there. Would you ever do another project with her?
Any day of the week!
What was that experience like? It must have been a huge shift in your career.
It did on so many levels. But the most fun part, and the most impactful part for me was being with Jennifer. We met before we went out to Vancouver to shoot it and we talked about our characters, we talked about how nervous we were and we hung out every day. Because we didn't work every day, we would take a walk through Stanley Park. I don't think I ever laughed so hard, she's just the funniest person and the deepest and kindest. We would go someplace to eat and she'd always forget her wallet, and I'd go back and get it for her. It would be raining and she would show up without a raincoat and I would go get her an umbrella. She's just one of those people, her mind is just, she's such a brilliant person. She just needs people to get her umbrellas and stuff like that. And I was happy to be that person.
That experience also shifted the tone of the comedy you were doing.
I was doing sketch comedy with my friends from Chicago and doing guest spots on sitcoms from like Party of Five to Friends, so a lot of different stuff, medical shows, and then sitcoms, Empty Nest, stuff like that. But when I got Best in Show, it definitely put me on the map, if you will. Yeah. Because I started getting work based on that.
And from there Glee came along, which earned you first Emmy. There was one episode that still stays with me, where your character Sue Sylvester, who is funny but also very stern, very mean, we learn she has a sister with special needs. The episode is more serious, and it really stood out to me what you can do as an actor.
I knew that Sue Sylvester had something she was protecting in the world. And at first, I thought it was her own tender heart and then they gave me a sister with Down Syndrome. That's why she dresses every day in a uniform, the tracksuit. And as a warrior that she has been protecting her sister from this cruel world and her sister has this beautiful purity that only kids with Down Syndrome have. It's just an open-heartedness and a trust. I think that's what forged the steel of Sue Sylvester. So yeah, that was a big deal. And the woman who played my sister [Robin Trocki], who has passed away since, was just such a bright light. She was like, I think at the time 55 years old, which is a pretty long life for someone with Down syndrome. And her sister who was her caretaker was just so lovely. It was an impactful episode.
One of the things that I think is poignant about when you shot to fame was right after Ellen DeGeneres came out. Unlike her, from the beginning you were able to be out.
Ellen really took one for the team. She was the first one, and she was really brave. I wouldn't have wanted to be the first one. She blazed the trail for us. I think that because of what Ellen did, and what Melissa Etheridge did, and k.d. lang, I think I came along at the exact right time.
Did you ever have any reservations about being out when you started? Or when Best in Show became popular?
I didn't think about it. Didn't even have a thought. It was a job. I'm so happy to be in a Christopher Guest movie, I didn't have one thought, "Oh, everybody's gonna know I'm gay." I mean, Jennifer isn't gay and she played a gay person. Of course, people would find out I was, but the great thing is I didn't have to hold a press conference. Because nobody cared.
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