Maya Rudolph can relate to 'Away We Go' role

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 8, 2009 | by Lynn Carey

Actress Maya Rudolph says she has fans, but they're often not quite sure who she is. They've called her Maya Fey, or Tina Rudolph, or just plain Kristin Wiig, thanks to the more than seven years Rudolph spent on "Saturday Night Live." With her portrayals of celebs ranging from Donatella Versace to Michelle Obama, it's no wonder the public can't recognize her.

That could change with Friday's release of "Away We Go." Rudolph avoids wigs and seemingly wears little makeup for her portrayal of pregnant Verona, who searches the country for the perfect place to raise a family with her boyfriend Burt, portrayed by "The Office's" John Krasinski.

Accustomed to getting laughs on the small screen, both actors had to rein it in a little playing opposite the guffaw-worthy performances by Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Josh Hamilton.

Rudolph says she could relate to her character more than most she's played. She has a 3-year-old daughter with her longtime partner, director Paul Thomas Anderson, and is expecting another baby later this year. Also, like Verona, she lost her mother, singer Minnie Riperton, to cancer when she was young.

On a whirlwind press tour that stopped in San Francisco a month ago, a relaxed Rudolph talked about how much she wanted the part in "Away We Go."

Q. How did you get the role?

A. Someone gave the script to me who thought I'd be good in it. I read it and thought I had to let (married San Francisco screenwriters Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida) know how much I loved it. There was never really a chance of (the lead role) being me. I just wanted to be involved somehow. I kept my eye on it for a really long time, and then, when I happened to be in the Bay Area, I found a way to get in touch with them. We had a play date in a park with our daughters, who are the same age.

Q. Why did you like the script so much?

A. I loved that it was a couple who wrote it, and they'd had a baby. When I read it, I had no idea that they had experienced going through what it's like to go through a pregnancy, and hear everyone else's opinions on it, at exactly the same time I was going through it. I just really related to a lot of those elements.

Q. Such as?

A. I felt when I was pregnant that it was a billboard for pregnancies and peoples' opinions on what you need to do. It's a wonderful conversation piece but it's amazing how many people really project their own opinions on what you need to do, and it's overwhelming. Especially when it's your first pregnancy. I had constant strangers touching me and saying, "Whoa, you're huge."

Q. What appealed to you about the character?

A. I just loved how Burt and Verona loved each other. And they were just themselves. It wasn't a classic depiction of romance, it was uneven and lumpy and real. And it was written by people who love each other.

Q. Do you feel in this movie that you are finally yourself?

A. I do. I just feel more feminine for the first time. It's rare to see a character like Verona. It's really cool to relate to myself! I personally love wigs and have a beautiful relationship with them, but it was nice to be myself. I think everyone wanted her to be real and be relatable.

Q. Can did relate to Verona because you lost your mother when you were young?

A. Yes "... Verona's got a double whammy, losing her parents and just having a sibling. You must be out to sea in that way. But we figured she and her sister were a bit older, so they could fend for themselves. Verona doesn't want to talk about it. She's just not ready.

Q. This movie must have been fun to do. What cracked you up the most?

A. We had a really bad day with Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan, who's an awesome comic. We had a rough day. We just couldn't get through it, we were laughing so hard. The way it's written is just brilliant. Those characters were just an amazing bombardment of nutso-ness. In the best possible way.

Q. Did you and John crack each other up?

A. I really, really love being with him. It was just the two of us for so many days. We really made good company for each other. It was hard being away from my family. So we played a lot of "Guitar Hero" and ate a lot of meat and cheese together.

Q. Do you miss "Saturday Night Live"?

A. Absolutely. I miss the live thing. And I miss the people. I miss that family and having that group of weirdo goofballs to be around every day. It's still a very special place. You laugh differently than in any other place in your life. My group, all the girls, really like each other, but everyone is spread out (doing other things) now.

Lynn Carey can be reached at timesbookclub@yahoo.com.