WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.600 Welcome to the Deep Dive, the place where we 00:00:02.600 --> 00:00:04.900 move past the headlines, sift through your source 00:00:04.900 --> 00:00:07.120 material, and hand you the synthesized knowledge 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.960 you need. Today, we are focusing on a career 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:14.039 so long, so diverse, and frankly, so critically 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:16.579 acclaimed that it almost defies classification. 00:00:17.559 --> 00:00:20.719 We're talking about the incomparable Andrea Martin. 00:00:20.859 --> 00:00:23.100 Yeah, we really are. We're examining a performer 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:26.039 born Andrea Louise Martin, January 15, 1947, 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.039 that's in Portland, Maine. Her professional life 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:31.640 kicks off around 1970, so we're looking at, what, 00:00:31.699 --> 00:00:34.320 over 50 years? Easily. And what makes her so 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:37.159 unique, I think, is the sheer gap between her 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.009 two main areas of... Well, mastery. Right. First, 00:00:40.170 --> 00:00:42.689 you've got the improvisational, almost anarchic, 00:00:42.689 --> 00:00:45.009 you know, character driven world of sketch comedy. 00:00:45.170 --> 00:00:47.810 SCTV territory. Exactly. And then completely 00:00:47.810 --> 00:00:49.950 differently, you have the very structured high 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:52.710 states award winning environment of the Broadway 00:00:52.710 --> 00:00:54.990 stage. It's like two different planets. Absolutely. 00:00:55.070 --> 00:00:57.170 And the sources really paint this picture of 00:00:57.170 --> 00:00:59.570 the ultimate entertainment polymath. And we're 00:00:59.570 --> 00:01:01.009 not just talking about someone who, you know, 00:01:01.030 --> 00:01:02.969 dabbled a bit here and there. No, not at all. 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:05.629 You definitely know her as Edith Prickley, right? 00:01:06.090 --> 00:01:08.609 The leopard print. The station manager from the 00:01:08.609 --> 00:01:12.049 legendary SCTV. Instantly recognizable. And then, 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:14.370 maybe even more globally, you know her as the 00:01:14.370 --> 00:01:17.349 wonderfully chaotic beloved Ambula from My Big 00:01:17.349 --> 00:01:20.030 Fat Greek Wedding. Oh yeah, a role that just 00:01:20.030 --> 00:01:22.370 exploded. But the stat that really blows your 00:01:22.370 --> 00:01:24.230 mind, the one that underlines this incredible 00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:27.730 versatility, is her Broadway success. Okay, yeah, 00:01:27.810 --> 00:01:30.390 this is key. She holds the actual record for 00:01:30.390 --> 00:01:33.230 the most nominations. Five for the Tony Award 00:01:33.230 --> 00:01:35.829 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Five 00:01:35.829 --> 00:01:38.870 nominations. In that specific category, that's 00:01:38.870 --> 00:01:41.930 staggering. It suggests this level of precision, 00:01:42.349 --> 00:01:45.689 scene -stealing ability, and just consistent 00:01:45.689 --> 00:01:48.290 performance rigor that seems almost fundamentally 00:01:48.290 --> 00:01:50.950 opposed to the spontaneous creation needed for 00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:53.569 sketch comedy. Right. How do you do both at such 00:01:53.569 --> 00:01:55.879 a high level? So our mission today is really 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:58.000 to unpack that journey for you, the listener. 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:02.040 We want to dig into how her unique Armenian heritage, 00:02:02.219 --> 00:02:04.219 her early dramatic training, and that really 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:07.379 pivotal move to Canada, how all that created 00:02:07.379 --> 00:02:09.780 a framework strong enough to support a career 00:02:09.780 --> 00:02:12.360 that could jump seamlessly from, you know, the 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:14.699 fictional airwaves of Melonville. Right, from 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:17.919 SCTV. To literally setting records on 42nd Street. 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.479 It's an amazing trajectory. And to really get 00:02:20.479 --> 00:02:22.280 the woman, I think you have to start with the 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:24.689 family, with the roots. Yeah, it feels vital 00:02:24.689 --> 00:02:27.469 to begin right there in Portland, Maine. Andrea 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:29.949 Martin was the eldest of three kids, born to 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:32.849 Sybil Mnuchin and John Papazian Martin. And the 00:02:32.849 --> 00:02:35.449 family history she carries, it isn't just, you 00:02:35.449 --> 00:02:38.379 know, typical American dream stuff. Deeply, deeply 00:02:38.379 --> 00:02:40.979 connected to the tumultuous history of the Armenian 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:43.460 people. Yeah, the sources are really clear on 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:45.639 this. When we talk about her background, we're 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:48.500 talking about a story of profound survival. Her 00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:50.819 paternal grandparents, they were originally from 00:02:50.819 --> 00:02:54.340 Van, which is in present -day Turkey. And they 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:56.860 were direct survivors of the Armenian genocide. 00:02:57.259 --> 00:03:00.039 I mean, they navigated just unimaginable trauma 00:03:00.039 --> 00:03:02.879 to build a life in the United States. And that 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:05.340 whole journey of immigration, it leads to one 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:07.379 of the most significant early decisions. affecting 00:03:07.379 --> 00:03:09.900 her identity which was the changing of the family 00:03:09.900 --> 00:03:12.840 name right her paternal grandfather who apparently 00:03:12.840 --> 00:03:15.439 was something of an amateur actor himself which 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:17.659 is interesting oh really yeah he made that really 00:03:17.659 --> 00:03:21.050 key choice to change the surname from Papazian 00:03:21.050 --> 00:03:23.810 to Martin. And that decision, it just speaks 00:03:23.810 --> 00:03:26.349 volumes, doesn't it, about the kind of pressures 00:03:26.349 --> 00:03:29.009 that ethnic immigrant communities faced in the 00:03:29.009 --> 00:03:31.229 early 20th century, especially those who had 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:34.169 fled horrific violence and were just seeking 00:03:34.169 --> 00:03:37.090 security, stability. Absolutely. Changing the 00:03:37.090 --> 00:03:40.409 name was such a clear attempt to, well, blend 00:03:40.409 --> 00:03:43.650 in, to facilitate assimilation into the U .S. 00:03:43.650 --> 00:03:45.810 mainstream, maybe shed a marker of difference 00:03:45.810 --> 00:03:48.650 to protect the next generation. Exactly. And 00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:50.590 Martin herself has talked pretty openly about 00:03:50.590 --> 00:03:53.409 this kind of duality within her own family. She 00:03:53.409 --> 00:03:55.610 mentioned how her grandparents, the generation 00:03:55.610 --> 00:03:57.870 that actually lived through the trauma, they 00:03:57.870 --> 00:04:00.650 did not know what assimilation was. Right. They 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:02.689 just kept their culture, their language, their 00:04:02.689 --> 00:04:05.330 identity, because their whole frame of reference 00:04:05.330 --> 00:04:08.530 was survival, not necessarily social integration 00:04:08.530 --> 00:04:11.099 into America. But then her parents' generation, 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.740 they were the ones striving to fit that American 00:04:13.740 --> 00:04:16.139 mold. They worked incredibly hard, it seems, 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:19.360 to minimize those cultural markers. It's a pretty 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:21.800 common dynamic, right, for the children of immigrants 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:25.319 navigating that tension. Totally. And it probably 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:28.740 explains why Martin herself found herself reconnecting 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:31.540 with her ancestry much later in life, you know, 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:33.339 after kind of navigating the path her parents 00:04:33.339 --> 00:04:35.779 had set out. Yeah. But it's a tension, sure, 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:38.360 but it's also potentially a really rich source 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:40.819 for performance, isn't it? The sources kind of 00:04:40.819 --> 00:04:42.959 suggest that this environment, this mix of deep 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:46.100 ethnic history alongside the drive to observe 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:48.699 and assimilate, it might have primed her for 00:04:48.699 --> 00:04:50.480 the kind of detailed character work she became 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:52.699 famous for later. That makes sense. Whether it's 00:04:52.699 --> 00:04:55.279 the exaggerated accents of, say, Perini Scleroso 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:58.339 on SCTV or the kind of keenly observed humor 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:00.910 of Aunt Vula. That's a great point. What's also 00:05:00.910 --> 00:05:02.990 fascinating, though, is how her introduction 00:05:02.990 --> 00:05:07.189 to actual formal drama happened through what 00:05:07.189 --> 00:05:09.069 sounds like an almost accidental curriculum. 00:05:09.410 --> 00:05:12.129 Oh, the story about her mother. Yeah. When Andrea 00:05:12.129 --> 00:05:14.990 was just two years old, her mother, Sybil, broke 00:05:14.990 --> 00:05:17.790 her leg. And during this really long recovery 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:20.170 period, her mom just started reading to her daughter. 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:23.410 A lot. And we're not talking simple bedtime stories 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:26.050 here. This was apparently pretty rigorous stuff. 00:05:26.110 --> 00:05:28.310 They take turns reading some demanding literary 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:30.910 works. I mean, can you imagine being a toddler 00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:33.430 and your mom is introducing you to the rhythms 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:36.550 of Shakespeare? Right. Or the meter of Edgar 00:05:36.550 --> 00:05:39.610 Allan Poe's The Raven. Wow. That's some intense 00:05:39.610 --> 00:05:42.860 early exposure. It's hard to really overestimate 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:45.600 the foundational impact of having your linguistic 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.879 and emotional toolkit built on Shakespeare and 00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:51.019 Poe from that age. Oh, definitely. It trains 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:53.459 your ear for cadence, for timing, dramatic delivery, 00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:55.819 all skills that are absolutely essential, whether 00:05:55.819 --> 00:05:57.579 you're delivering a big monologue on Broadway 00:05:57.579 --> 00:06:00.160 or trying to land a punchline in a three -minute 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.899 sketch. Yeah, it's all performance. And the signs 00:06:02.899 --> 00:06:06.139 of this early theatricality, they showed up pretty 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:09.240 quickly. We have documented proof of her first 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:12.220 public performance. She was eight years old at 00:06:12.220 --> 00:06:14.939 the Rotunda of the Portland Museum of Art. Okay. 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:17.139 And she wasn't just playing the piano, which 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:20.319 she was learning. She also recited a poem about 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:23.720 a kitten. She understood, even way back then, 00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:27.019 the power of combining things. A presentation. 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:29.990 A multi -hyphenate from age eight. Pretty much. 00:06:30.149 --> 00:06:32.509 And that desire for the spotlight, it clearly 00:06:32.509 --> 00:06:34.790 continued through her school years. She graduated 00:06:34.790 --> 00:06:37.949 from Deering High School in 1965. She was active 00:06:37.949 --> 00:06:41.269 in the dramatic club, naturally. And in what 00:06:41.269 --> 00:06:43.850 feels like a classic precursor to stardom, she 00:06:43.850 --> 00:06:46.230 also won the title of Miss Deering High in 1965. 00:06:46.769 --> 00:06:49.329 Okay, Miss Deering High. From there, she continued 00:06:49.329 --> 00:06:51.290 her training more formally at Emerson College, 00:06:51.430 --> 00:06:53.670 really solidifying her commitment to the performing 00:06:53.670 --> 00:06:57.009 arts. So you've got this combination. The profound 00:06:57.009 --> 00:07:00.370 cultural background, you know, survival and assimilation. 00:07:00.509 --> 00:07:03.529 Then this intensely dramatic reading curriculum 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:06.009 from her mom. And then the formal training at 00:07:06.009 --> 00:07:08.589 Emerson. It really set the stage for her professional 00:07:08.589 --> 00:07:11.170 launch. But that launch needed, well, a change 00:07:11.170 --> 00:07:14.069 of scenery. Right. After Emerson, Martin landed 00:07:14.069 --> 00:07:16.029 a role almost straight away in a touring company 00:07:16.029 --> 00:07:19.189 of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. And that 00:07:19.189 --> 00:07:21.709 show became her ticket, not just to New York 00:07:21.709 --> 00:07:24.209 initially, but eventually north to Canada. which, 00:07:24.350 --> 00:07:27.329 as it turned out, would be the absolute epicenter 00:07:27.329 --> 00:07:29.449 of her creative development. That relocation 00:07:29.449 --> 00:07:32.730 was huge, a seismic shift, really. In 1970, she 00:07:32.730 --> 00:07:34.670 makes this crucial decision to move permanently 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:37.110 from New York City to Toronto. And unlike a lot 00:07:37.110 --> 00:07:39.009 of American performers who maybe struggle to 00:07:39.009 --> 00:07:41.750 get traction outside the big U .S. markets, Martin, 00:07:41.889 --> 00:07:44.329 according to the sources, immediately found consistent 00:07:44.329 --> 00:07:47.470 work, diverse work, too, in Canada's growing 00:07:47.470 --> 00:07:50.029 film, theater, and TV industries. And just two 00:07:50.029 --> 00:07:52.490 years after that move, she gets cast in what 00:07:52.490 --> 00:07:55.189 you can only really call a nexus point of comedy 00:07:55.189 --> 00:07:58.649 history the 1972 tarantula production of the 00:07:58.649 --> 00:08:01.819 musical godspell oh godspell yeah This wasn't 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:03.620 just a successful show. It was like a petri dish 00:08:03.620 --> 00:08:06.680 for future comedy and drama legends. Totally. 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:09.699 It was this incredible constellation of stars 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:12.480 all forming at the same time. Martin played the 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:14.939 character Robin, right? Yep. And her co -stars 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:18.000 included names that would basically define comedy 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:21.180 for the next generation. Gilda Radner. Wow. Martin 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:24.839 Short, Eugene Levy, Victor Garber. And maybe 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:27.959 crucially for the show's musical feel, Paul Schaffer 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:29.949 was the musical director. Just think about the 00:08:29.949 --> 00:08:32.389 training environment that provided a live musical 00:08:32.389 --> 00:08:34.769 show, night after night, constant collaboration, 00:08:34.809 --> 00:08:37.950 and just the shared ambition of this group of 00:08:37.950 --> 00:08:40.950 performers who were all clearly on the cusp of 00:08:40.950 --> 00:08:43.909 something big. Yeah. It created not just professional 00:08:43.909 --> 00:08:46.950 ties, but deep personal relationships that would 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:48.970 really form the backbone of her career later 00:08:48.970 --> 00:08:51.269 on. Like with Martin Short. Right. But while 00:08:51.269 --> 00:08:53.269 she's honing her stage presence alongside these 00:08:53.269 --> 00:08:55.529 future comedy giants, the sources show she was 00:08:55.529 --> 00:08:58.570 also exploring a totally different path in genre 00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:01.309 film. Yeah, this is wild. She showed this chilling 00:09:01.309 --> 00:09:04.049 versatility by winning the Sitges Film Festival 00:09:04.049 --> 00:09:08.529 Award for Best Actress for the 1973 horror film 00:09:08.529 --> 00:09:11.490 Cannibal Girls. Best Actress at a Film Festival. 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:14.120 for cannibal girls that's the kind of detail 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:17.419 that just defines her career right extreme technical 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:20.200 skill applied to completely unexpected genres 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:22.679 and she followed that up with a pretty key role 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:26.100 in the 1974 canadian slasher classic black christmas 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:30.179 she played phyllis the sort of bookish sorority 00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:32.399 sister it's almost hard to square the future 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:34.720 broadway titan with an early canadian scream 00:09:34.720 --> 00:09:37.600 queen but there she is in the credits that constant 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.240 kind of stage work and genre hopping eventually 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:42.340 brought her into the orbit of the second city 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:44.899 improvisational troupe oh which of course provided 00:09:44.899 --> 00:09:46.820 the engine for her biggest collaborative success 00:09:46.820 --> 00:09:50.360 sctv second city television which ran roughly 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:54.809 from 1976 to 1984 sctv was just It was a revelation, 00:09:55.029 --> 00:09:56.769 wasn't it? Because it didn't just do sketches. 00:09:56.809 --> 00:09:59.190 It created this entire fictional world, the TV 00:09:59.190 --> 00:10:01.289 station in the town of Mellonville. Exactly. 00:10:01.370 --> 00:10:03.929 And Martin joined a core cast that was just the 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:06.549 absolute peak of improvisational genius at the 00:10:06.549 --> 00:10:10.269 time. John Candy, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Catherine 00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:14.149 O 'Hara, Harold Ramis, Joe Flaherty. Just an 00:10:14.149 --> 00:10:16.429 unbelievable lineup. An embarrassment of riches. 00:10:16.769 --> 00:10:18.610 Totally. And this is where we really need to 00:10:18.610 --> 00:10:20.110 connect her background to those breakthrough 00:10:20.110 --> 00:10:23.259 characters. Her most famous, indelible creation, 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:26.299 the woman basically synonymous with SCTV's chaos, 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:30.580 was Edith Brickley. Oh, Edith Brickley! The station 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:33.080 manager, yeah. Famous for the leopard print outfits. 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:35.440 Always the leopard print. And her constant, like, 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:37.779 high -energy exasperation dealing with the station 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:40.700 owner, Guy Caballero. The genius of Edith Brickley 00:10:40.700 --> 00:10:42.299 wasn't just the look, though. It was the character. 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:45.799 Born entirely out of improv and just really sharp 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:48.220 observation, this high -strung, perpetually frustrated, 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:51.570 low -level executive type. It took immense comedic 00:10:51.570 --> 00:10:54.090 commitment to anchor the absurdity happening 00:10:54.090 --> 00:10:56.149 all around her. Yeah, she was the grounded one, 00:10:56.289 --> 00:10:58.429 ironically. Kind of, but then look at her other 00:10:58.429 --> 00:11:01.070 signature characters, Perini Scleroso. They heavily 00:11:01.070 --> 00:11:03.470 accented Eastern European immigrant character, 00:11:03.730 --> 00:11:07.529 often seen on Perini Scleroso's House of Cutrate 00:11:07.529 --> 00:11:10.360 furniture. Hilarious. And if you connect that 00:11:10.360 --> 00:11:12.460 back to what we were saying earlier, her ability 00:11:12.460 --> 00:11:16.340 to embody and observe these distinct, often European 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:19.240 sounding dialects, it probably came directly 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:22.360 from that rich ethnic environment in her childhood 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:24.460 home back in Portland. That makes total sense. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.559 You see the threads connecting. And you also 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:29.840 see the internal ecosystem of her career forming 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.899 right there on sctv she created the children's 00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:35.559 entertainer mrs falbo right a character so well 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:38.500 realized so distinct that it served as the direct 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:42.059 inspiration for wanda falbo the word fairy the 00:11:42.059 --> 00:11:44.139 recurring role she played years later on Sesame 00:11:44.139 --> 00:11:46.840 Street. Amazing. Her SCTV work just kept paying 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:49.840 dividends down the line. Absolutely. And furthermore, 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:52.159 just the depth of her mimicry skills showed her 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:54.980 technical range, her celebrity impersonations. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.039 She could capture not just the look, but the 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:00.279 specific vocal quality, the energy of incredibly 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:02.620 distinct personality. Who does she do? Oh, everyone. 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:05.399 From the brassy, almost operatic Ethel Merman 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:09.179 to the high glamour. Very specific physicality 00:12:09.179 --> 00:12:12.840 of Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Sophia Loren, 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:15.500 even Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa. Okay, that's 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:18.019 range. That speaks to the level of detail, right? 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:20.320 That separates a good character comedian from 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.580 a true master. It's not just doing a funny voice. 00:12:23.019 --> 00:12:25.419 It's the physical, the vocal, the sort of historical 00:12:25.419 --> 00:12:27.159 embodiment of the person. Yeah, the essence. 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:30.039 And here's a really crucial detail that elevates 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:31.779 her beyond just being a performer on the show. 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:36.250 She was a primary creative architect. Martin 00:12:36.250 --> 00:12:39.549 won two Primetime Emmy Awards for outstanding 00:12:39.549 --> 00:12:43.610 writing for a variety of music program consecutively 00:12:43.610 --> 00:12:48.409 in 1982 and 1983. For writing SCTV. Two writing 00:12:48.409 --> 00:12:51.129 Emmys. Okay, that confirms it. She was integral 00:12:51.129 --> 00:12:53.450 to actually structuring the sketches, defining 00:12:53.450 --> 00:12:56.009 the comedic tone of SCTV. She wasn't just delivering 00:12:56.009 --> 00:12:58.549 the lines somebody else wrote. She was generating 00:12:58.549 --> 00:13:00.490 the scenarios, shaping the dialogue for that 00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:02.789 incredible ensemble. That technical background 00:13:02.789 --> 00:13:04.789 in writing comedy, that must have been critical 00:13:04.789 --> 00:13:06.830 for the next stage of her career when she had 00:13:06.830 --> 00:13:08.960 to adapt to other people's screenplays. Yeah, 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:12.059 absolutely. After that golden age of SCTV wrapped 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:14.419 up, Martin showed the kind of resilience you 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:17.519 need for real artistic longevity. She transitioned 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:20.700 seemingly flawlessly into this really prolific 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:23.220 screen career, and that resulted in the role 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:25.480 that probably made her a global household name, 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:29.570 Aunt Vula. aunt vula the phenomenon starting 00:13:29.570 --> 00:13:32.909 with the huge huge success of my big fat greek 00:13:32.909 --> 00:13:36.250 wedding back in 2002 it's arguably the most widely 00:13:36.250 --> 00:13:39.090 recognized credit in her entire filmography it 00:13:39.090 --> 00:13:41.250 really is yeah and that role earned the entire 00:13:41.250 --> 00:13:44.669 cast a screen actors guild award nomination in 00:13:44.669 --> 00:13:48.519 2003 for outstanding performance by a cast which 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.379 is a big deal. Aunt Vula is just a masterclass 00:13:51.379 --> 00:13:53.259 in committed character performance, isn't she? 00:13:53.299 --> 00:13:55.460 She's so high energy, completely boundary -free, 00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:59.840 loving, but also slightly aggressive in her hospitality, 00:14:00.259 --> 00:14:02.639 you know? She became the absolute comedic anchor 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:04.840 of that movie. I really did. And it's interesting, 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:07.480 thinking back to Section 1 again, how she seemed 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:09.440 to take those observational skills, maybe honed 00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:12.919 from doing Prini Scleroso, and adapted them to 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:15.240 capture the specific energy of that Greek -American 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:18.000 family dynamic. Totally. And she never let go 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:19.980 of that character, which also speaks to a certain 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:22.919 commercial savvy, maybe? Oh, yeah. She reprised 00:14:22.919 --> 00:14:26.419 Vula in the TV spinoff My Big Fat Greek Life. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:28.259 Right, the short -lived series. And then across 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:31.220 two decades in the sequels, My Big Fat Greek 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:35.200 Wedding 2 in 2016 and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:39.039 3 just recently in 2023. Few performers manage 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.299 to sustain a character like that over that many 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:43.500 versions and different media formats. It's pretty 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:46.200 rare. But while Vula is iconic, if you look at 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:48.379 her broader filmography, it reveals a really 00:14:48.379 --> 00:14:51.620 strategic choice, it seems, to avoid being typecast. 00:14:51.940 --> 00:14:54.460 Definitely. She popped up in serious political 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:58.179 satire like Wag the Dog in 97. Great film. The 00:14:58.179 --> 00:15:01.139 cult musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 2001. 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:03.860 She even went back into the Mel Brooks comedy 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:06.460 world for the film version of The Producers in 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:09.899 2005. And don't forget her early genre loyalty. 00:15:10.179 --> 00:15:13.519 We mentioned her role in the original 1974. Black 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:16.700 Christmas. Right Phyllis. Well remarkably she 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:19.220 came back to that franchise to play Mrs. Mack 00:15:19.220 --> 00:15:22.289 in the 2006 remake. Which is a nice little bit 00:15:22.289 --> 00:15:24.690 of metacontinuity in her career. That's fantastic. 00:15:24.730 --> 00:15:26.929 I didn't realize that. Beyond live action, she's 00:15:26.929 --> 00:15:29.929 also shown this profound mastery in voice acting, 00:15:30.110 --> 00:15:33.129 which requires a completely different set of 00:15:33.129 --> 00:15:35.169 technical skills, right? Yeah. Conveying emotion, 00:15:35.529 --> 00:15:38.289 physicality, timing, just using your voice. Oh, 00:15:38.309 --> 00:15:40.409 yeah. It's a real art form. And her credits are 00:15:40.409 --> 00:15:43.029 like a who's who of animation history. Yeah. 00:15:43.090 --> 00:15:45.870 She was Flegman Koff and the old woman in the 00:15:45.870 --> 00:15:49.330 big animated feature Anastasia in 97. Okay. She 00:15:49.330 --> 00:15:51.399 was Aunt Miriam Pickle. in the Rugrats movie. 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:55.659 And maybe most memorably for a certain generation, 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:59.299 she originated the voice of Miss Fowl in Jimmy 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:02.620 Neutron, boy genius back in 2001. Mrs. Fowl. 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:04.559 Yeah, that's a great deep dive credit because 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:06.740 she took what was essentially a supporting role 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:09.500 in the movie and turned it into a cornerstone 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:12.480 of the TV series. She reprised it as a main character 00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:15.549 for... What, 37 episodes of The Adventures of 00:16:15.549 --> 00:16:17.350 Jimmy Neutron? Boy genius. Yeah, exactly. Her 00:16:17.350 --> 00:16:19.169 voice is just everywhere if you start listening 00:16:19.169 --> 00:16:21.370 for it. Queen slug for a butt in the Earthworm 00:16:21.370 --> 00:16:24.850 Jim cartoon. No way. Yep. And even Mrs. Nahasa 00:16:24.850 --> 00:16:27.850 Pima Petalon, Apu's mother in The Simpsons. Wow. 00:16:27.950 --> 00:16:30.230 Okay. Her television footprint, the live action 00:16:30.230 --> 00:16:32.450 stuff, is equally varied for the sci -fi fans 00:16:32.450 --> 00:16:35.330 listening. She played Ishka Quark's mother, Mugi, 00:16:35.549 --> 00:16:39.440 in Star Trek. Oh, Deep Space Nine. Which is a 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:41.759 highly technical environment, right? Delivering 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:44.620 complex Ferengi dialogue under layers and layers 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:48.080 of makeup and prosthetics. Oh, yeah. Heavy stuff. 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:50.779 It's really a testament to her adaptability that 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:53.039 she was one of only two actresses ever asked 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:56.500 to play that specific recurring role. They trusted 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:59.320 her with it. That's quite an endorsement. What 00:16:59.320 --> 00:17:01.539 really stands out in her more recent career choices, 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:04.579 though, is this willingness to pivot quite dramatically, 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:07.500 proving she's definitely not just resting on 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:10.380 her, you know, comedy laurels. Right. For three 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:14.000 seasons, from 2021 to 2024, she co -starred as 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:16.339 Sister Andrea in the supernatural drama series 00:17:16.339 --> 00:17:19.420 Evil. And that pivot feels absolutely deliberate. 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.480 She took on this serious, dramatic role, completely 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:24.859 stripped of the familiar comedic stuff of Vulo 00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:27.539 or Prickly. Totally different. And just excelled. 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:29.500 That performance earned her a Critics' Choice 00:17:29.500 --> 00:17:31.839 Television Award nomination for Best Supporting 00:17:31.839 --> 00:17:34.319 Actress. Which is a massive achievement, especially 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:36.400 later in a career. It just shows her commitment 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:39.119 to remaining a relevant, respected, dramatic 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.039 actress. Exactly. And now she's enjoying this 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:45.799 great recurring role as Joy in the huge hit series, 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.019 Only Murders in the Building. Another great part. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:51.619 This adaptability, the ability to jump from sci 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:55.720 -fi aliens to supernatural nuns to a hit Hulu 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.680 comedy, it just shows that producers and directors 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:01.420 trust her completely. Whatever the medium, whatever 00:18:01.420 --> 00:18:03.980 the tone, they know she can deliver. Okay, so 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:06.859 everything we've talked about so far, the sketch 00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:09.299 comedy genius, the global character stardom with 00:18:09.299 --> 00:18:12.500 Ann Vula, it's all incredibly impressive. But 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:16.059 to truly grasp... the, I guess, singularity of 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:18.420 Andrea Martin's career, we absolutely have to 00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:20.460 spend some serious time on her work on the stage 00:18:20.460 --> 00:18:23.160 because that's where her consistent brilliance 00:18:23.160 --> 00:18:25.319 has really cemented her place in theatrical history. 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:27.400 Yeah, this is the big one. She holds the record. 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:29.200 And we really need to stress the importance of 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:31.839 the statistic. Yeah. Five nominations for the 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:34.279 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:37.500 Five. That just doesn't happen by accident. It 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:40.099 speaks to five distinct performances in five 00:18:40.099 --> 00:18:42.700 different shows across decades where she consistently 00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:45.339 stole the show and earned critical recognition 00:18:45.339 --> 00:18:47.640 as the best supporting performer on Broadway 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:50.640 that year. Exactly. And that category, best featured 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:53.200 actress, it's often seen as the domain of the 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:57.299 true craftsman. The performer whose excellence 00:18:57.299 --> 00:18:59.640 just elevates the entire production, even if 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:01.640 they aren't. the big name carrying the show at 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:03.380 the box office, to get that level of recognition 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:07.299 five times, it's simply unprecedented. So when 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:09.960 did it start? Her Broadway debut was in 1992 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:12.680 in the musical My Favorite Year. Right. And it 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.460 was an instant, undeniable smash hit for her 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:17.900 personally. She didn't just get nominated. She 00:19:17.900 --> 00:19:21.200 swept the major awards for that season. She won 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:24.000 the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:26.160 Theater World Award for Best Featured Actress 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:28.400 in a Musical. All three for her debut. Yeah. 00:19:28.970 --> 00:19:30.750 That's just a staggering start to a Broadway 00:19:30.750 --> 00:19:32.829 career, especially for someone primarily famous 00:19:32.829 --> 00:19:36.069 for sketch comedy like SCTV. It basically signaled 00:19:36.069 --> 00:19:38.450 to the entire industry, didn't it? That the wonderful 00:19:38.450 --> 00:19:40.650 chaos of Melonville contained a performer who 00:19:40.650 --> 00:19:43.849 could absolutely handle the highly regimented, 00:19:43.849 --> 00:19:46.529 technically demanding world of a Broadway book 00:19:46.529 --> 00:19:49.450 musical. Yeah, that first Tony win was like confirmation 00:19:49.450 --> 00:19:52.390 of the talent. But the second one that cemented 00:19:52.390 --> 00:19:54.890 her legendary status and it came 20 years later. 00:19:54.990 --> 00:19:58.750 Right. The second win was in 2013 for the revival 00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:01.750 of Pippin. She played Bertha, who is Pippin's 00:20:01.750 --> 00:20:04.230 grandmother. It's a physically demanding role 00:20:04.230 --> 00:20:06.549 anyway, but in this production especially. And 00:20:06.549 --> 00:20:09.130 she had to sing that classic showstopper, No 00:20:09.130 --> 00:20:11.609 Time at All. And here we should dive into the 00:20:11.609 --> 00:20:14.690 specific craft involved. The birth role in that 00:20:14.690 --> 00:20:18.029 particular Diane Paulus revival required extraordinary 00:20:18.029 --> 00:20:20.569 physical commitment. Oh, absolutely. It wasn't 00:20:20.569 --> 00:20:23.309 just singing the song. It involved really high 00:20:23.309 --> 00:20:26.250 -level physical comedy, including... quite complex 00:20:26.250 --> 00:20:28.450 acrobatic maneuvers. I mean, in some performances, 00:20:28.589 --> 00:20:31.529 she was literally singing while swinging on a 00:20:31.529 --> 00:20:33.970 trapeze. Singing on a trapeze. At that point 00:20:33.970 --> 00:20:36.029 in her career, that is the ultimate contrast 00:20:36.029 --> 00:20:38.970 to SCTV, isn't it? Totally. In sketch comedy, 00:20:39.190 --> 00:20:41.009 you invent the physical language on the fly. 00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:43.569 On Broadway, you have to execute this highly 00:20:43.569 --> 00:20:46.529 specific, repetitive, sometimes physically dangerous 00:20:46.529 --> 00:20:49.549 choreography eight times a week perfectly while 00:20:49.549 --> 00:20:52.470 maintaining your vocal stamina. Yeah. And that 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:54.630 single performance is Berthin. It secured her 00:20:54.630 --> 00:20:57.009 second Tony Award, plus another Drama Desk Award, 00:20:57.230 --> 00:20:59.630 an Outer Critics Circle Award, and an Elliot 00:20:59.630 --> 00:21:02.150 Norton Award. Just another sweep. Incredible. 00:21:02.150 --> 00:21:04.569 Those two wins are the absolute highlights, but 00:21:04.569 --> 00:21:07.089 the other three nominations just underscore her 00:21:07.089 --> 00:21:09.589 consistency, right? Exactly. Her other nominated 00:21:09.589 --> 00:21:13.509 roles included the really demanding, almost operatic 00:21:13.509 --> 00:21:16.890 vocal work of Candide in 1997. Okay. The classic 00:21:16.890 --> 00:21:20.769 American musical Oklahoma in 2002, playing Aunt 00:21:20.769 --> 00:21:23.059 Eller. Right. And returning to the Mel Brooks 00:21:23.059 --> 00:21:25.559 world again. with Young Frankenstein in 2007 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:28.920 playing Frau Blucher. Nice. Exactly. Yeah. The 00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:31.400 sheer breadth of musical style she mastered across 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:34.059 those nominated roles is remarkable. And she 00:21:34.059 --> 00:21:36.000 wasn't limited to musical theater either. She 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.700 showed equal skill in straight plays. She earned 00:21:38.700 --> 00:21:41.279 another Tony nomination, this time for Best Featured 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:43.720 Actress in a Play, for playing Dottie Otley in 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:46.660 the 2016 revival of the classic Farce Noises 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:49.160 Off. Which is one of the most demanding comedic 00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:51.200 roles in theater, period. Totally. And she also 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:53.509 won an Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance 00:21:53.509 --> 00:21:55.410 in the play Act One, she just kept delivering. 00:21:55.690 --> 00:21:57.549 And her willingness to challenge herself even 00:21:57.549 --> 00:22:00.089 extended to the really personal and demanding 00:22:00.089 --> 00:22:03.309 world of solo performance. Back in 1996, her 00:22:03.309 --> 00:22:06.470 critically acclaimed one -woman show Nude, Nude, 00:22:06.569 --> 00:22:09.549 Totally Nude. It's a great title. Isn't it? It 00:22:09.549 --> 00:22:12.390 earned her a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding 00:22:12.390 --> 00:22:15.109 One -Person Show. That requires you to carry 00:22:15.109 --> 00:22:18.529 an entire evening, just you, relying only on 00:22:18.529 --> 00:22:21.210 your own charisma and material. That takes guts. 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:24.059 But the physical demands of this level of theater, 00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:27.019 they are unforgiving. And the sources do document 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:28.900 a moment where that commitment came at a pretty 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:32.299 serious cost. Ah, yeah, the injury. In 2019, 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:35.000 she was all set to perform opposite Nathan Lane 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:37.240 in the world premiere of Taylor Mac's play Gary, 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:40.980 a sequel to Titus Andronicus. Okay. But she had 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:42.759 to withdraw from the production shortly before 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:44.559 it opened because she suffered a significant 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:46.599 injury. During rehearsal, she actually broke 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:50.019 four ribs. Four ribs. Wow. That's a stark reminder 00:22:50.019 --> 00:22:52.140 that even in a play, and especially with the 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:54.119 kind of high energy physicality Martin brings, 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:56.900 the work is incredibly rigorous and physically 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:59.900 taxing. It requires dedication way beyond just 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:03.039 learning your lines. Absolutely. But injuries, 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:05.819 thankfully, haven't defined her longevity. Her 00:23:05.819 --> 00:23:08.200 commitment to the stage is clearly ongoing. The 00:23:08.200 --> 00:23:10.400 sources confirm her recent appearance just this 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:13.740 year, 2024, back on Broadway in the Lincoln Center 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:16.259 production of Ayad Akhtar's new play, McNeil. 00:23:16.539 --> 00:23:19.200 Oh, wow. And she was co -starring alongside Malbert 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.940 Downey Jr. Get out. Okay, so she remains a fixture 00:23:22.940 --> 00:23:26.619 on the most respected stages in the world, constantly 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:30.079 seeking out new, challenging material. Incredible. 00:23:30.339 --> 00:23:32.720 So let's maybe bring some of the elements of 00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:35.220 her identity together here. Despite her status 00:23:35.220 --> 00:23:37.420 as this American -born, Tony -winning Broadway 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:40.539 legend, Martin has always maintained this really 00:23:40.539 --> 00:23:42.839 profound connection to Canada, the country that 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:44.440 really launched her career. Right. She still 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:46.779 divides her time, doesn't she, between Los Angeles 00:23:46.779 --> 00:23:49.079 and Toronto? Exactly. And that connection was 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:51.380 actually formalized relatively recently, after 00:23:51.380 --> 00:23:54.240 living and working in Canada for 47 years, basically, 00:23:54.259 --> 00:23:57.559 since that pivotal move back in 1970. She officially 00:23:57.559 --> 00:24:00.720 became a Canadian citizen in December 2017. Wow. 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:03.539 47 years later. That's quite a formal acknowledgement. 00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:06.130 of her commitment to and her incredible success 00:24:06.130 --> 00:24:09.069 within the Canadian cultural landscape yeah it 00:24:09.069 --> 00:24:11.650 really is turning to her personal life for a 00:24:11.650 --> 00:24:14.069 moment she was previously married to the writer 00:24:14.069 --> 00:24:18.450 Bob Dolman okay and they have two sons Joe and 00:24:18.450 --> 00:24:21.150 Jack Dolman and here's a really lovely connection 00:24:21.150 --> 00:24:24.170 that kind of circles back to those Godspell origins 00:24:24.170 --> 00:24:27.349 oh yeah through her marriage to Bob Dolman she 00:24:27.349 --> 00:24:30.130 became the sister -in -law of her former Godspell 00:24:30.130 --> 00:24:34.519 and SCTV cast mate Martin Short. No way. Martin 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:37.720 Short married Bob Dillman's sister, Nancy. So 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:39.839 that original constellation of stars we talked 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:42.859 about, they literally became family. That's amazing. 00:24:42.940 --> 00:24:45.059 That integration of professional and personal 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:46.859 life, you see that often in those tight -knit 00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:49.240 comedy circles, don't you? You really do. It 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:51.579 seems fitting, too, that someone who has observed 00:24:51.579 --> 00:24:53.660 and chronicled so much of the entertainment industry 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:57.420 would eventually document her own past. In 2014, 00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:00.380 she published her memoir. Ah, right. The book, 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:03.039 which has the wonderfully titled, Andrea Martin's 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:06.140 lady parts. Right. It really captures the specific 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:09.039 tone of her career, kind of self -deprecating, 00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:11.720 but insightful and very funny. It gives you a 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:13.880 unique look into that transition from the improv 00:25:13.880 --> 00:25:18.160 rooms in Toronto to the glamorous, but also really 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:21.440 demanding world of Broadway and Hollywood. Sounds 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:23.759 like a must read. And she's received significant 00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:26.220 official acknowledgement in Canada, too, right? 00:25:26.339 --> 00:25:29.480 Oh, yeah. In 2018, she was inducted into Canada's 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:32.069 Walk of Fame. She joined a pretty legendary list 00:25:32.069 --> 00:25:34.029 of figures that year, including Seth Rogen and 00:25:34.029 --> 00:25:36.150 Leonard Cohen. Wow, that's a steamed company. 00:25:36.410 --> 00:25:39.029 Definitely. And even after, what, half a century 00:25:39.029 --> 00:25:41.130 in the business, she shows absolutely no signs 00:25:41.130 --> 00:25:43.450 of slowing down. She continues to tour with her 00:25:43.450 --> 00:25:46.769 one -woman show, Andrea Martin. Final days, everything 00:25:46.769 --> 00:25:50.019 must go. Still touring. Yep. with musical director 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:52.660 Seth Rudetsky. It just demonstrates that she 00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:54.920 maintains that essential direct connection with 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.339 her audience, constantly refreshing her material 00:25:57.339 --> 00:25:59.819 and honing her performance skills. It's just 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:02.380 a career built on this foundation of profound 00:26:02.380 --> 00:26:05.200 adaptability and really a refusal to be defined 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:09.019 by any single medium or character. Hashtag, hashtag, 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:11.279 outro. So if we try to synthesize everything 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:12.960 we've kind of pulled from the source material 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:16.480 here, the story of Andrea Martin. really feels 00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:18.740 like a definitive blueprint for artistic success. 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.900 And it's success built squarely on versatility 00:26:21.900 --> 00:26:25.319 and just relentless technical execution. Yeah, 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:27.519 she is a master of the pivot. It's incredible. 00:26:28.059 --> 00:26:30.079 Moving from the highly collaborative, sometimes 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:33.259 chaotic energy of ensemble sketch comedy, where 00:26:33.259 --> 00:26:35.339 she had to invent and write her own characters 00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:38.200 on SCTV. Right, creating from scratch. To the 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:41.839 high pressure, globally exposed world of blockbuster 00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:44.079 cinema, where she delivered this universally 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:46.640 recognizable character in Aunt Vula, clearly 00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:48.859 tapping into her earliest observational skills 00:26:48.859 --> 00:26:51.589 and cultural influences. And then. maybe most 00:26:51.589 --> 00:26:54.289 astonishingly, pivoting again into the hyper 00:26:54.289 --> 00:26:56.910 -precise, award -winning realm of dramatic and 00:26:56.910 --> 00:26:59.730 musical stage work. Setting a record on Broadway, 00:27:00.009 --> 00:27:03.029 a seemingly unbeatable record for Tony nominations 00:27:03.029 --> 00:27:05.170 in the Featured Actress in a Musical category. 00:27:05.230 --> 00:27:08.480 It's just... Very few performers could even claim 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:11.339 success, let alone high level award winning success 00:27:11.339 --> 00:27:14.720 across such distinct artistic mediums. It proves 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:17.019 she's fundamentally a master technician of performance. 00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:19.900 Yeah. Her career really feels like a testament 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:23.660 that true longevity in this business comes not 00:27:23.660 --> 00:27:25.759 necessarily from just chasing the spotlight, 00:27:25.940 --> 00:27:29.619 but from consistently delivering exquisite craftsmanship. 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:31.720 Yeah. Whether you're improvising a scene about 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:34.789 cut rate furniture. Right. Or performing acrobatics 00:27:34.789 --> 00:27:36.890 while singing perfectly on a Broadway stage eight 00:27:36.890 --> 00:27:39.190 times a week. That dedication to the craft. Yeah. 00:27:39.289 --> 00:27:41.730 And that leads us nicely to our final provocative 00:27:41.730 --> 00:27:44.210 thought for you, the listener. Andrea Martin 00:27:44.210 --> 00:27:46.849 holds the record for nominations specifically 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:50.410 in the featured actress category, the supporting 00:27:50.410 --> 00:27:52.990 role. I'll have to. Support. So that invites 00:27:52.990 --> 00:27:55.369 us to really consider what specific quality, 00:27:55.490 --> 00:27:58.130 maybe beyond just raw talent, allows a performer 00:27:58.130 --> 00:28:00.930 to consistently excel in that supporting capacity 00:28:00.930 --> 00:28:03.420 to maintain that. level of critical relevance 00:28:03.420 --> 00:28:06.160 and acclaim for five decades. Yeah, it's a great 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:08.359 question. She consistently proved she was the 00:28:08.359 --> 00:28:10.339 secret weapon, right? Yeah. The person you could 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:13.579 drop into almost any environment from a low budget 00:28:13.579 --> 00:28:16.079 Canadian slasher film to a Star Trek episode 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:19.039 to a huge Tony winning musical. And she would 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:21.059 instantly elevate the entire production. So we 00:28:21.059 --> 00:28:23.400 invite you to maybe reflect on the difference 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:26.339 between being, say, a temporary star, maybe defined 00:28:26.339 --> 00:28:29.500 by one or two big lead roles and being a dedicated, 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:31.869 indispensable master craftsman, which. Andre 00:28:31.869 --> 00:28:35.130 Martin fundamentally undoubtedly is. A true artist's 00:28:35.130 --> 00:28:37.609 artist. Absolutely. Truly inspiring figure and 00:28:37.609 --> 00:28:39.890 just a phenomenal deep dive into the craft of 00:28:39.890 --> 00:28:42.210 performance itself. That has been the deep dive. 00:28:42.309 --> 00:28:44.230 We hope you enjoyed this look into the remarkable 00:28:44.230 --> 00:28:45.430 career of Andre Martin.