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OKG: Megan, you and Nick spent a lot of time together during the Summer of 69 comedy tour. What was the main thing you learned about cities you toured through? Mullally: Just like with Oklahoma City, there are a lot of mediumsized or smaller cities around the country that are starting to have these cool pockets of culture — parts of town that are thriving and very much alive. To me, that was the biggest and coolest surprise. … [While on tour] with the band and with Nick, we would have a couple of days to stop in a city. We had some time off in Richmond, Virginia, and I recently had some time off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There’s some really cool little hotels all over the country that are springing up. In some really small towns, we stayed in a couple really groovy, brand-new, hipster kind of hotels with good food and bakeries down the street. Offerman: It was really charismatic to learn that all over the country — being ignorant to certain regions — that there are cool kids wherever you go. And because of the advent of social media, you can now find them and eat their sandwiches and stay in their cool hotels. OKG: I do want to mine some more information about the Will & Grace return. What can you tell me about the new episodes? Mullally: I think the launch date is the third week in September. I think we’re at 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Our first rehearsal date is Aug. 2. Then we will have shot six episodes or so by the time it airs. OKG: Before September’s electionthemed Will & Grace mini-episode, did you ever have any thought that the series might make a full-fledged return? Mullally: No, it never crossed any of our minds that the show might return because it’s unprecedented that a show would return. We had no reason to think, “Well, you know, one day when Will & Grace comes back,” because it’s never happened. We did that election video thing just as a one-off, but I have to say the minute that I got the script, which was probably the night before we got together ... I read the script, I put it down, I picked up the phone and I emailed one of the creators of Will & Grace and I said, “Why can’t we do the show again?” and he emailed back immediately and said, “We can.” But he didn’t know that; he was just saying. I mean, it’s never happened. But I just had such a strong gut feeling not only that we could do the show again, but that it was the perfect time to do the show again. OKG: What are you most looking forward to in revisiting your role as Karen Walker and filming the show? Mullally: Really, everything. The weirdest thing about this whole thing is that it doesn’t feel weird. It just sort of seems
like we went away for the weekend and now we’re coming back. We have all the same people — obviously the same cast, but we have the same director, the same main writers, the same set designer, the same costume designer, the same hair and makeup people. It’s crazy. I’m looking forward to it as my vacation — that’s how I’m thinking about it. OKG: Megan, you might be a little more familiar with this, but Oklahoma is facing a substantial budget deficit this year, as it has for several years. Education funding is tight, and a lot of arts education and extracurricular programs have been limited or removed. Do you all have any sort of thoughts or message about the importance of arts education and funding? Mullally: Well, obviously it’s vital. I think this is systemic — the problem is you’re living in a state where you’ve got a lot of batshit crazy people [in state government] who think [President Donald] Trump is fantastic. That’s your jumpingoff point. People need to keep waving the banner of enlightenment because that’s where this is all going to turn around. This ignorance and intolerance — the flame does not have enough oxygen to last forever, so it will go out; it will be extinguished. In the meantime, everyone has to stay strong, loud and proud. ... I love Oklahoma, and I’m glad I was there for all my school years, but come on; get your shit together.
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Oklahoma Gazette
OKG: Part of deadCenter’s ongoing mission is to offer exposure to new thoughts and ideas through the arts. Offerman: Yes, and to other points of view. It’s coming to terms with the fact that, in terms of right and wrong, we’re all generally wrong because we’re human beings. We’re just all trying to keep our fannies wiped like everybody else. To be open and informed about other points of view will simply allow us all to continue getting along with each other in the planet as we move forward in these challenging times. Learn more about deadCenter Film Festival in this week’s Gazette.
deadCenter screenings deadcenterfilm.org $10
Infinity Baby 8:30 Thursday Oklahoma City Museum of Art | 415 Couch Drive 7:30 p.m. Saturday Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16 | 150 E. Reno Ave.
The Hero 5:30 p.m. Friday Oklahoma City Museum of Art 7 p.m. Sunday Harkins Theatres Bricktown 16
O kg a z e t t e . c o m | j u n e 7, 2 0 1 7
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