Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're the place you
come to get the real story, the essential insights
from a whole bunch of sources, all boiled down
for you. Exactly. We do the digging so you get
the core understanding. And today, we are really
getting into it with someone truly exceptional.
Allison Janney. An absolute powerhouse, wouldn't
you say? Oh, absolutely. Her name just screams
versatility, quality. She's built this incredible
career, and it wasn't overnight. No, definitely
not. And that's kind of our mission here today.
We want to unpack how she did it, you know, piece
by piece. Yeah, map it out. From her start in
theater, the grind of those early years. Right,
through the huge impact of the West Wing, obviously.
Massive. And then culminating in that, well,
that incredible Oscar win. It's about showing
how she constructed this amazing resume, role
by role. And the awards. It's almost hard to
keep track. It really is. The stats are pretty
wild. Our source and confirm. One Oscar, okay,
one BAFTA, one Golden Globe. And seven primetime
Emmys. Seven. Seven. Which adds up to, what,
74 career wins and 116 nominations overall. It's
just rare, that kind of recognition across film,
TV. Yeah, she just commands attention, whatever
the medium. I remember this description from
Entertainment Weekly years ago, it really stuck,
called her uncommonly beautiful and infinitely
expressive. That captures it well, that presence.
It really does. She has this authority on screen.
She does now, absolutely. But interestingly,
that commanding presence, especially her height,
was something she actually had to overcome or
work around early on. Oh, okay. So her path wasn't
exactly straightforward. Not at all. It started
somewhere completely different, actually. A dream
totally unrelated to acting. Okay, so let's go
back. Alison Brooks Janey, born in Boston in
1959, but mostly grew up in Ohio, right? Cincinnati?
Dayton? That's right. And it sounds like the
arts were definitely around her from the beginning.
Yeah. How so? Well, her mother, Macy Brooks Putnam,
she was a former actress herself. And her father,
Jervis Spencer Janey Jr., he was in real estate,
but also a jazz musician. Ah, OK. So that creative
energy was in the house. Seems like it. You know,
a value placed on expression. And we found this
fun little historical detail, too. On that show.
Who do you think you are? Oh, yeah. She found
out she's a direct descendant of Stephen Hopkins,
you know, from the Mayflower. Wow, no kidding.
That's some deep history right there. Isn't it?
But, okay, before embodying historical figures
or, well, anyone on screen, she had a very different
focus. Right. Figure skating. Competitive figure
skating was her first real passion. Intense stuff.
All that discipline. Totally. But that dream,
well, it came to a pretty sudden end. Yeah. Sources
mentioned a freak accident when she was a teenager.
Exactly. That accident, combined with her height,
she's 6 feet tall, 1 .83 meters. Which is pretty
statuesque, especially back then for skaters,
I imagine. Yeah. It essentially closed the door
on competitive skating for her. Classic case
of, you know, one door closes. And another one
opens, maybe unexpectedly. Height detail. You
said that was crucial later. Oh, hugely crucial.
It became the sort of paradox in her early acting
career. Initially, a real hurdle. Casting directors
were like, what do we do with her? Interesting.
But before she hit that wall, there was college.
Kenyon College in Ohio. Yes, Kenyon. And this
is where things start to shift towards acting.
She majored in theater and crucially, she crossed
paths with two absolute legends, Paul Newman
and Joanne Woodward. Wow. Newman was an alum
there, wasn't he? He was. And he was back on
campus directing a play. Janie decided to audition.
And the story of how she got the part is just
fantastic. It really is. It shows her instincts
weren't just theatrical. She knew Newman was
obsessed with race car driving. Right. So in
her audition, or maybe it was more like an interview,
she didn't just talk acting. She bragged about
speeding. No way. Yeah. She apparently boasted
about shaving 30 minutes off the 130 -mile drive
to Kenyon. She played to his passion. That is
brilliant. Utterly brilliant. And she connected
with him on a human level, not just as an aspiring
actress. Exactly. And it worked. He cast her,
directed her in that first campus play. Incredible.
And that connection, it didn't just end there.
No, it was the start of some serious mentorship.
Newman and Woodward really encouraged her, saw
her potential. They advised her to get proper
training. So where did that lead? First, to New
York. She studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse,
which is famous for the Meisner technique. Okay,
very respected. Very. And then she got a scholarship
to study over in Lunder at the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Art Arde in mid -1984. Wow, so top
-tier training in both the U .S. and the U .K.?
That's a heck of a foundation. Absolutely. Having
Newman and Woodward essentially give her that
stamp of approval early on must have been huge.
No doubt. But let's circle back to the height
thing. You said it was a hurdle. What kind of
feedback was she actually getting? Well, she
shared this quote herself, and it's pretty blunt.
A casting agent years ago told her that because
of her height, the only roles she could realistically
play were lesbians and aliens. Lesbians and aliens.
That's incredibly limiting. It's stark, isn't
it? It really speaks to how narrow the boxes
were, especially for women back in the 80s, early
90s. Yeah, the typical female lead wasn't usually
six feet tall. Right. She wasn't the ingenue
type or the conventional wife, just based on
physicality in their eyes. So she had to really
fight for parts that matched her presence. You
know, intelligent characters, strong characters,
maybe unconventional ones. So she had to kind
of wait for the industry perception to shift
or for roles to catch up to what she offered.
Pretty much. She had to turn what they saw as
a limitation into her unique strength, her signature.
That commanding presence became her trademark,
something no one else could replicate. And that
waiting period, it definitely involved a lot
of just work. The working actor grind, as they
say. This wasn't an overnight success. Not even
close. It was about building slowly, consistently,
laying the groundwork. What did that look like,
practically? Well, she started doing off -Broadway
stuff around 1989, and significantly, she spent
a good chunk of time in daytime TV soap operas.
Ah, the soaps. Which ones? She did stints on
As the World Turns and had a pretty solid two
-year recurring role on Guiding Light. She played
Ginger, one of the Spaulding family's maids.
You know, people sometimes knock soap operas,
but the demands must be intense. All that dialogue,
quick turnarounds. Oh, absolutely. Think about
it. Memorizing lines fast, hitting your marks
perfectly, turning emotions on a dime. That's
incredible training, especially for the kind
of fast -paced, dialogue -heavy work she'd do
later. Good point. Like prep for Sorkin, almost.
Exactly. It teaches you efficiency. And alongside
that, she was doing the classic New York actor
thing, guest spots on procedural shows. Like
Law & Order. Everyone did Law & Order. Yep. 1994.
She played a character named Anna Madsen in an
episode called Old Friends. She was a witness
reluctant to testify against the Russian mob.
It's like a rite of passage. Totally. But the
real heat, the industry cred, that came from
the stage, right? Definitely. While grinding
it out on TV, she was simultaneously building
a really strong reputation in the theater world.
That's where the buzz started. Her Broadway debut
was in 96. Yes, in a revival of Noel Coward's
Present Laughter. She played Liz Essendine, starring
opposite Frank Langella. And the reviews were
good. More than good. The New York Times specifically
highlighted her performance, even in a supporting
role. They called it the most fully accomplished
performance on the stage. Wow, that's huge praise.
It was. And it led to awards recognition. the
Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama Desk nomination,
people were noticing her ability to elevate everything
she was in. She makes everyone else look better.
Kind of, yeah. A force multiplier. And that momentum
carried her straight into another major stage
role the very next year, 1997, Arthur Miller's
A View from the Bridge. A classic. A really heavy
play. Who did she play? She played Beatrice Carbone,
the wife, a really complex, tragic role, initially
opposite Anthony LaPaglia. He was later replaced
by Tony Danzo, wasn't he? Bit of trivia there.
He was, but her performance as Beatrice was the
constant. And it earned her a Tony Award nomination
for Best Actress in a Play. A Tony nomination.
Plus another Drama Desk Award, this time winning
for Outstanding Featured Actress. Right. So by
this point, the theater world absolutely knew
who she was. Not just reliable, but a genuine
star capable of handling heavy drama, complex
language. She was ready. Okay, so Broadway conquered.
Now, 1999. This seems like a pivotal year, even
before the West Wing hit. She popped up in some
memorable films. Yeah, 99 was like a showcase
of her range just waiting to explode. Three really
distinct, high -profile supporting roles, back
to back to back. What were they? OK, you had
her as Miss Perky, the kind of offbeat guidance
counselor in the teen comedy Ten Things I Hate
About You. Loved her in that. I know you can
be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed, but
can you ever just be whelmed? Exactly. Then,
totally different, she was Loretta in the very
dark satire Drop Dead Gorgeous. Another great
quirky role. And then the big one that year,
American Beauty. Right. The film that won Best
Picture. She played Barbara Fitz, Colonel Fitz's
wife. A much more subdued, dramatic part. Totally.
So in one year, you see sharp comedy, broad satire,
and quiet tragedy. It proved she could slide
into any genre, any tone, and be completely believable.
That stage training paying off on screen. Absolutely.
She could hold her own in these major film ensembles.
It perfectly positioned her for what came next.
She wasn't just a theater actor doing bit parts
anymore. She was someone people like Aaron Sorkin
were specifically noticing. And notice her he
did. The timing was just perfect. The West Wing,
C .J. Craig, White House press secretary. This
role just changed everything, didn't it? Fundamentally,
Aaron Sorkin, the creator, had apparently seen
her in the movie Primary Colors. Ah, another
political film. Right, and he basically called
her in specifically to audition for CJ. Just
like that. Pretty much. It was this ideal meeting
of actor and material. CJ Craig was loosely based
on Dee Myers, who was President Clinton's press
secretary. Okay, so a real -world inspiration.
Yeah, but Janie just made that role entirely
her own. She brought this mix of intelligence,
warmth. competence and vulnerability that was
just magnetic and the character grew so much
over the series she didn't just stay behind the
podium No way. She starts as press secretary,
the public face. But her influence grows. Her
capabilities are recognized. And eventually she
gets promoted to White House chief of staff.
Which is huge. The top appointed job in the West
Wing. Exactly. And that journey is why CJ resonates
so much. The Atlantic actually ranked her as
the best character on the entire show. Better
than President Bartlett. Wow. Yeah. They said
her capability and combination of strength and
simple compassion represented the fan. And that
portrayal led to just. An avalanche of awards.
Those four Emmys for CJ. We need to break that
down because it's pretty significant how she
won them. It really is. This is the proof of
her mastering the character's evolution. So the
first two Emmys she won were for supporting actress
in a drama series. Okay. Makes sense for the
early years focused on the press room. Right.
But as CJ's role expanded, especially when she
became chief of staff, the role carried more
dramatic weight, more screen time. So the show
and the voters recognized that shift. They did.
Her next two Emmy wins for CJ were in the lead
actress in a drama series category. Winning lead
and supporting Emmys for the exact same character
on the same show. That has to be incredibly rare.
Almost unheard of. It just shows how brilliantly
she navigated that character's arc. And yeah,
she ended up being the most awarded actor in
that phenomenal cast. Plus four Screen Actors
Guild Awards for the role, too. Just incredible.
But beyond the awards, CJ did something else
important, didn't she? Something about the Sorkin
woman critique. Ah, yes. The Sorkin woman argument.
This was a recurring criticism of Aaron Sorkin's
writing, especially early on. Remind us what
that was about. Critics argued that Sorkin often
wrote female characters who were incredibly smart.
Like they were there to challenge the guys or
prop them up, maybe seem a bit brittle or overly
intellectualized. Kind of, yeah. Often seeming
flustered or defined by romantic entanglements
despite their brilliance. The critique was they
sometimes lacked maybe true independent agency
or depth beyond their function in the men's stories.
Okay. So how did CJ break that? mold well cj
was just fully realized vulture ranked her as
the second best sorkin character ever across
all his shows they called her classy self -assured
and legitimately funny her promotion to chief
of staff purely based on merit and capability
not tied to a romantic plot line she had her
own complex inner life her own professional trajectory
she felt complete and funny we can't forget the
funny she was hilarious oh absolutely The physical
comedy she could pull off within that high -stakes
environment was amazing. The prime example has
to be the jackal. Yes. Lip -syncing in her office,
pure gold. Or even more famously, perhaps, the
turkey pardon incident. Oh my god, the turkeys.
When the first one dies. Yes. And she has to
choose between two live turkeys, deciding which
one gets the presidential pardon, all while trying
to keep the press corps from realizing anything's
wrong. The controlled chaos. The barely suppressed
panic. Yeah. It's a masterclass in comedic timing
under pressure. Totally. It shows her range within
just that one role. The sharp Sorkin dialogue,
the high drama of politics, and then this brilliant
physical comedy. She could do it all. C .J. Craig
cemented her as a truly multifaceted star. Okay,
so the West Wing makes her a household name,
an Emmy magnet. What happens next? Does she transition
more fully into film? She definitely leverages
that TV success into more substantial film roles,
yeah. But interestingly, she didn't necessarily
chase leading roles. She seemed drawn to... strong
supporting parts in really high -quality ensemble
films. Becoming that actor who instantly elevates
a cast. Exactly. You see her working with top
directors, top actors. Even during the West Wing,
remember, she did The Hours in 2002, playing
Sally Lester, Meryl Streep's partner. That's
a serious, prestigious film role mid -CJ. Right,
and after West Wing wrapped. The quality continues.
2007 was a big year again. She played Bren McGuff,
the very practical, sharp -tongued stepmom in
Juno. Another iconic role. Totally. Same year,
she's Prudy Pingleton, Penny's very uptight mother,
in the musical Hairspray. Okay, comedy again.
Yep. And then a few years later, 2011, she's
Charlotte Phelan, Skeeter's mother in The Help,
another complex character in a major ensemble
drama. And those ensembles often got recognized
collectively, didn't they? With her as a key
part. They did. Hairspray and The Help both won
Best Acting Ensemble Awards from the Critics'
Choice Movie Awards. The Help also won the big
one at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Ensemble.
Her presence adds that layer of critical credibility.
She makes the whole project better. That seems
to be the consensus. But what's really fascinating
is while she's building this impressive on -screen
filmography, she's simultaneously building a
whole other massive career where we never see
her face. Ah, the voice acting. Exactly. Her
voice work is incredible. And it's kind of ironic.
isn't it thinking back to her height being an
early issue for casting her voice that distinctive
authoritative yet warm voice became this huge
asset in a medium where physicality doesn't matter
at all that's a great point so what are the big
voice roles well the most famous is probably
peach the starfish in Pixar's Finding Nemo of
course From 2003. And she came back for Finding
Dory, too, right? In 2016. Yep, reprised the
role. She was also Gladys Sharp, the sort of
villainous HOA president character, in DreamWorks
Over the Hedge in 2006. Okay, another big animated
film. And she did TV animation, too. She had
a recurring role for years on the Disney channel
show Phineas and Ferb. Who was she on that? Charlene
Doofenshmirtz, the ex -wife of the main villain,
Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Right. These are major...
mainstream voice gigs requires a totally different
skill set. Totally different technique. And here's
a fun one for the theme park fans. You know the
Star Tours ride at the Disney parks? Yeah, the
adventures continue. Since 2010, she's been the
voice of Ali Sansan, the spokes droid you hear
in the queue and during the boarding process.
No way. I had no idea that was her. Yep. So millions
of people hear Allison Janney's voice every year
without even realizing it. That's amazing. Okay,
so let's recap. Tony nominee on Broadway, seven
-time Emmy winner mostly for drama, major supporting
roles in acclaimed films, and Pixar star. Where
possibly could she go next? Well, how about conquering
television comedy and drama simultaneously? Okay,
now you're just showing off. Well, she was showing
off. The 2010s, this decade, is where Janie just
solidified her reputation as being, well, almost
uniquely versatile. She took on two incredibly
different TV roles at the same time, won Emmys
for both, and proved she could master any format.
Okay, let's start with the comedy, Mom, the CBS
sitcom with Anna Faris. Ran for eight seasons,
right? Until 2021. That's the one. She played
Bonnie Plunkett, a recovering addict, very cynical,
often self -centered, but also trying to rebuild
her life and relationship with her daughter.
A multi -cam sitcom. That's a very different
rhythm, a different style of performance than
The West Wing. Completely different. Live studio
audience, big punchlines, physical comedy, but
also needing to ground it in real emotion, dealing
with heavy themes like addiction. It demands
sharp timing and the ability to switch tones
instantly. And there's a really powerful personal
reason she took that role, wasn't there? There
was. Very personal. Janie has spoken openly about
how her younger brother, Hal, tragically died
by suicide in 2011. He had battled addiction
and depression for years. Oh, wow. It's heartbreaking.
It is. And she said that playing Bonnie, someone
actively fighting addiction, someone in recovery,
felt like a way to honor Hal's struggle. To,
you know, put a human face on recovery and maybe
help reduce the stigma. Using her work for something
deeply meaningful. Exactly. It gave the role
an extra layer of purpose for her. And that connection,
that commitment, it absolutely shone through.
The critics loved her. And the Emmy voters, too.
She won again for Mom. Two more Emmys. Outstanding
supporting actress in a comedy series back to
back in 2014 and 2015. That brought her total
up to six Emmys at that point. Six. OK, but you
said she was doing comedy and drama simultaneously.
Yes. And this is where it gets statistically
wild. While she's nailing the broad comedy beats
on Mom every week. She's also doing. She's guest
starring on the incredibly serious, critically
acclaimed Showtime drama Masters of Sex. Oh,
right. The show about Masters and Johnson. Who
did she play on that? She played Margaret Scully.
A character completely 180 degrees from Bonnie
Plunkett. Margaret was this deeply repressed
1950s housewife married to a closeted gay man
played by Bo Bridges. Her whole world is slowly,
painfully unraveling. Wow. Talk about different
ends of the spectrum. From sitcom addiction recovery
to 1950s repressed anguish. Exactly. Think about
the technical skill required. Bonnie is all external,
loud, expressive, quick quips. Margaret is all
internal, quiet suffering, subtle glances, things
left unsaid. J &E was juggling these two completely
different performance styles, sometimes probably
in the same week. That's incredible discipline,
moving between those worlds. It really is, going
from the precision timing needed for multi -cam
comedy laughs to the nuanced, internalized acting
required for a prestige period drama. And did
Masters of Sex also lead to awards recognition?
It did. In 2014, the same year, she won her first
Emmy for Mom. She also won the Emmy for Outstanding
Guest Actress in a Drama Series for playing Margaret
Scully. Wait, she won two Emmys in the same year?
Yeah. For two different shows in two different
genres? Yep. Comedy Supporting Actress for Mom,
Drama Guest Actress for Masters of Sex. That
seventh Emmy win is kind of the ultimate proof
of her versatility. Okay, let's listen again.
Lead, drama, supporting drama, supporting comedy,
guest drama. Has anyone else done that? It's
incredibly rare. It just demonstrates complete
mastery across the board, whatever the format,
whatever the genre, she delivers at the highest
level. Unbelievable. And she was still fitting
in movies during this time, too. Oh, yeah. Still
popping up in key supporting roles. Like, she
was hilarious as the Rye CIA boss, Elaine Crocker,
in the Melissa McCarthy comedy spy in 2015. Right.
And then totally different again, she played
the skeptical... Detective Riley in the thriller
The Girl on the Train in 2016. Always keeping
us guessing. Okay. She's dominated television
across multiple genres and formats. She's a go
-to supporting actor in film. What's left? The
Mount Everest of acting awards, I suppose. The
Academy Award. And the role that got her there
was truly something else. Aye, Tonya. 2017. Playing
LaVonna Golden, Tonya Harding's mother. LaVonna!
Oh, man. What a character. Chain smoking, abusive,
perched on a chair with that bird on her shoulder.
Unforgettable and terrifying and somehow darkly
funny. Exactly. It's such a complex, risky performance.
Fearless doesn't even begin to cover it. And
the story behind her getting cast is pretty amazing,
too, right? It wasn't just a typical audition.
Not at all. This is really special. The screenwriter,
Stephen Rogers, didn't just want Janie for the
role. He wrote LaVona Golden specifically for
her. Wow. He pictured her from the start. Pictured
her, and apparently wouldn't take no for an answer.
The sources say he took it a step further. He
actually refused to sell the screenplay. Until
the producers officially agreed to cast Allison
Janney as Livona. He basically held the entire
project hostage until she was locked in. That
is an incredible level of commitment from a writer,
betting the whole film on one actor. It really
is. It speaks volumes about what he knew only
Janie could bring to it. That specific blend
of, like, menace, pitch -black humor, and underneath
it all, maybe a flicker of twisted maternal feeling.
It's a razor's edge of a role. And she clearly
felt the weight of it. She called it one of her
most challenging parts. She did. It required
a total transformation. Physically. Vocally.
That harsh accent, the posture, the whole demeanor,
it was so far removed from her own natural elegance,
she just vanished inside Livona. Yeah, you completely
forget it's Allison Janney. And the critics definitely
notice. Oh, unanimously. She was the standout.
Michael O'Sullivan at the Washington Post summed
it up well. He wrote that Janney steals every
scene she's in playing Livona, a Harriton whose
nodding goes beyond tough love. You just couldn't
take your eyes off her. Herodin. Yeah. That's
a good word for it. And that universal acclaim
translated directly into awards, didn't it? It
absolutely did. This wasn't just a nomination
here or there. This was a clean sweep. She won
basically everything. The Grand Slam, they call
it sometimes. Pretty much. For Best Supporting
Actress, she took home the Academy Award. The
Oscar. The Oscar. Plus the BAFTA, the Golden
Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics'
Choice Movie Award, and the Independent Spirit
Award. Just domination. Wow. That settles it,
then. That sweep confirms her status at the absolute
peak. Not just a TV legend, but an undeniable
Oscar -winning film star. She reached the summit
in both worlds. And, you know, even after reaching
that absolute pinnacle with the Oscar, she hasn't
slowed down. Not really. What's really interesting
now is seeing her kind of circle back. How so?
Well, her latest big TV project sees her returning
to the world of political drama. Ah, Shades of
the West Wing. Exactly. She's in a Netflix series,
The Diplomat, which started in 2024. And she
plays Grace Penn, the vice president of the United
States. Oh, perfect. From press secretary to
chief of staff and now VP. It's like CJ kept
climbing the ladder. Right. It's a fantastic
full circle moment. And she's getting rave reviews
for it, too. Rolling Stone put her performance
on their list of the 10 best TV performances
of 2024. It just fits her so well, bringing that
authority and intelligence to an even higher
office. It feels right. And she's still mixing
it up with other genres, too. Oh, yeah. Always.
Recently, she was in the period piece Palm Royale
on Apple TV plus day playing a socialite named
Evelyn Rollins. Okay. And she played Colonel
Howell in the big sci -fi movie The Creator back
in 2023. Plus, she's got more films lined up
like Another Simple Favor and Everything's Gonna
Be Great coming out soon. And she hasn't abandoned
the stage either, has she? Nope. Proving her
loyalty to her roots, she returned to Broadway
in 2017, right around the... Tonya Buzz, actually.
She starred in a revival of John Guare's play
Six Degrees of Separation. Playing Weezer Kittredge,
another iconic, complex role. Exactly. It's this
constant cycle. Stage, TV, film, voice work,
back again, mastering each one. Beyond the incredible
acting career, she's also become quite a powerful
voice for certain causes, hasn't she? Often linked
back to her personal life. Very much so. Especially
around addiction awareness and recovery. Stemming
from the tragic loss of her brother, Hal. Right.
She's channeled that grief into really effective
advocacy. She was even honored at the White House
at a Champions of Change event for her work in
advancing addiction prevention, treatment and
recovery. It makes her portrayal of Bonnie and
mom feel even more resonant. Taking personal
pain and using her platform to make a difference.
That's admirable. Absolutely. And she's active
in other areas, too. Voter rights is a big one.
You often see her reuniting with the old West
Wing cat. for things like Michelle Obama's When
We All Vote initiative. Using that C .J. Craig
clout for good. Pretty much. And she also campaigns
publicly for women's rights, LGBTQ rights, mental
health awareness, animal rights. She made a pretty
significant donation, like $250 ,000 to Planned
Parenthood back in 2017 as well. She definitely
puts her money and her voice where her values
are. Seems that way. And just touching on her
personal life philosophy briefly, she's been
quite open about her choices. Never married,
no children, and she's stated she's completely
at peace with it. Her focus seems to have been
squarely on building this truly remarkable career.
And what a career it is. I mean, just thinking
about the journey. Starting out doing soaps and
stage work, facing those early challenges about
our height. Yeah, the lesbians and aliens comment.
Right, and turning that potential hurdle into
this source of undeniable power on screen, becoming
CJ Craig, an icon. Then Bonnie Plunkett, showing
incredible comedic and dramatic depth. And finally,
LaVonna Golden, just terrifyingly brilliant Oscar
winning work. It's an incredible trajectory.
And I think what her career really teaches us,
you know, the big takeaway is about what true
expertise looks like in acting. It's not just
finding your one thing and doing it well. Right.
It's about range. It's about deep versatility,
the ability to fully embody characters across
literally every genre, every medium. She didn't
just get nominated in lead drama, supporting
drama, supporting comedy and guest drama on TV.
She won Emmys in all four. That's. Mastery. That's
her legacy. Unparalleled versatility. Yeah. That
really sums it up. So for everyone listening,
we want to leave you with a final thought to
chew on. Okay. Considering this immense body
of work, we've talked about Alice and Janie's
many, many characters. From C .J. Craig, the
ultimate competent chief of staff, to Grace Penn,
the current fictional VP, maybe even Peach the
starfish from Finding Nemo. Oh, don't forget
Peach. Never. Which one of these roles, or maybe
another one entirely, do you think best captures
her essential trademark, the unique ability she
has to just command your attention, to elevate
everything she's in no matter how big or small
the part? It's a tough choice. Lots to think
about there. Definitely. Until our next deep
dive, keep questioning, keep connecting the dots.
And keep digging for that context. Yeah.