New comedy Angel from Hell debuted last night on CBS and premieres tonight on Global TV, and we had a chance to chat with series star Jane Lynch during her visit to the Global TV upfronts last spring. Here’s a bit of what she shared about the show, and her character, Amy, a guardian angel with tarnished wings.
On how she landed the role
“It was not written for me originally. My agent came across it and it was for somebody younger. [Amy and Allison] were going to be more the same age. He called them back and asked if they could tweak this for me. They said yes and sent something. I read it and went, ‘Oh, my God. It’s so good.’ I said yes right away.
“I wasn’t looking. Nobody sent me a script all pilot season, and I was doing a cabaret show around the country that I was very happy with, and I thought I would just do more of those. [Angel from Hell] was a really happy surprise.”
On her character, Amy
“She is pure compassion. Allison (Maggie Lawson’s character) is very buttoned up and sacrifices herself too much to the detriment of her own emotional and physical health. Amy’s all about being in the moment. She’s all about fun and having that weekend margarita. She may or may not live in her car. Everything’s okay with her. The only agenda Amy has is to inspire Allison to see that everything’s okay, too.
“I loved the compassion and the almost maternal aspect. Allison really needs this person’s help. Amy’s so in the moment and reverent of everything, but she’s not so reverent of anybody who wants to hurt Maggie. Mamma lion will go after them. One of the problems that Amy has is that she has compassion for select things as opposed to everything. I think that’s what’s keeping her stuck in this particular angelic realm.”
On the potentially supernatural nature of the show
“I don’t know how far into the supernatural we’re going to go. We really stayed away from it. In the pilot, there was one point where I’m talking to [Allison] and she rolls up her window and I stop it. It looks like I pushed it down. We’re leaving that nebulous. Did I really, myself, with my own power, do that? We don’t know. I don’t know that we’ll go into the explanation of how I came to be. The relationship [between Amy and Allison] is going to be most important.”
On working with Maggie Lawson
“We did what they call a chemistry read, where they brought us together and we read, and it was great from the start. I knew it would be. I did one episode of Psych and thought she was great. I was like, ‘She’s perfect.’ We knew right away.”
On Amy’s wardrobe
“I chose that. It was in the script that I wear a Kings jersey. I said no, unless it’s the most beautifully fitted Kings jersey. I knew I wanted to look like I was homeless. I chose the army [jacket]. We cut the arms off. She’s got her little beads, and those are my pajama bottoms that I’m wearing. They’re H&M. I grabbed three more pairs just in case they can’t find them because I love them so much.
Photo Courtesy of CBS
