Martha Plimpton entered the acting world very young, with a breakthrough movie performance in The Goonies, followed by Running on Empty, Parenthood and 200 Cigarettes. She is currently starring on the Fox Channel's sitcom Raising Hope and has been nominated for multiple Tony Awards. Plimpton returned to her theatrical roots at a luncheon with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, chatting afterwards Nunn on One.
Windy City Times: Hi, Martha. We are the same age so I have been watching your career since The River Rat.
Martha Plimpton: Great. Thank you!
Windy City Times: We are so happy to have you back in Chicago.
Martha Plimpton: I am thrilled to be here.
Windy City Times: Congrats on your new show Raising Hope. I heard it is renewed already for the second season.
Martha Plimpton: Yes, it is.
Windy City Times: When did you know it would be a hit?
Martha Plimpton: I don't think it has quite hit me quite yet. It is an ongoing gradual process. We are building an audience and developing a relationship. I guess when we first were picked up for our back nine. I knew we were having a good time. We were enjoying it but there was no way of knowing if it was translating for an audience. Finding out it was picked up for that back nine was fantastic. I don't even know that it's a hit yet. I hope it is.
Windy City Times: Oh, it is. How is it working with Cloris Leachman?
Martha Plimpton: She's fabulous and crazy.
Windy City Times: I want to interview her.
Martha Plimpton: Are you sure about that? [ Laughs ]
Windy City Times: I think so. We could talk about booze. What else?
Martha Plimpton: Guys!
Windy City Times: Is your character, Virginia Chance, similar to you?
Martha Plimpton: She must be because the producer Greg Garcia thought I would be good for the part. We must have something in common. It hard to say but I guess neither one of us suffer fools to well. We are both kind of blunt and straightforward. We both like a good joke. I think Virginia is crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside. I think I am a little bit like that.
Windy City Times: Tell people a little bit about the show.
Martha Plimpton: It is a comedy about teen pregnancy, a baby whose mother is executed and grandmother has Alzheimer's disease. With all of that, don't forget it's a comedy!
Windy City Times: Did they come to you or did you audition?
Martha Plimpton: No, I auditioned like everyone else but I did get a call and did talk to Greg before I started going through the audition process. I read the pilot and I thought it was hilarious but I wasn't sure I wanted to play a grandmother yet. He assured me that was the joke; she's too young. The audition process and the testing process is so odious and miserable that you don't want to do it unless there is a prospect of working with great people on the other end. It seemed clear to me that if I was going to sign on for a seven-year contract and work with people that these are the ones that I want to do it with.
Windy City Times: Since we are sitting at the Women of the Arts luncheon, do you have a favorite actress who you look up to?
Martha Plimpton: Oh my gosh, there are so many! Gena Rowlands, Barbara Stanwyck—the list is endless. There are a lot of musicians that I admire as well. Some that we think of as being very theatrical, like PJ Harvey.
Windy City Times: Do you get tired of talking about some of the old movies that you have acted in?
Martha Plimpton: No, I don't but it depends on the questions, obviously. Is it a little bit predictable? Yes, but on the other hard it is nice that they are still curious about them. What a drag it would be if people had just forgotten all about them. That is kind of the whole point, right?
Windy City Times: Exactly. It was fun watching all of the old clips here at lunch.
Martha Plimpton: I have to say, I have a certain amount of gratitude about it.
Windy City Times: Do you talk to people from past films, like Joaquin Phoenix or Diane Wiest?
Martha Plimpton: No. Well, of course, I have many friends that I have worked with and I am close with. Those people from that time? No, not so much. I run into them and I love seeing them. I love Diane, she is one of the greatest ladies around. She is a woman that I really admired growing up and watching her work, Hannah and Her Sisters and all of that stuff.
Windy City Times: Of course. You have had a long career and a very good sense of humor about things.
Martha Plimpton: I'm trying!
Windy City Times: Do you feel like theater kept you grounded?
Martha Plimpton: Yes. You can't be completely full of yourself if you want to be part of an ensemble. You have to have a sense of humor about yourself. You have to be willing to be silly. Also, it is just too hard. There are so many uncertainties and it is so peripatetic. It can be kind of lonely. If you are too serious about it then it makes it harder.
Windy City Times: How is theater a different world than television or movies?
Martha Plimpton: The work is so completely different. Working on TV can be exhausting. It is working 14-hour days sometimes. On the other hand the work itself can be funny and silly. You have to concentrate on not getting lazy and not using tricks. You have to be vigilant and not fall back on bad habits.
Raising Hope gives a whole new meaning to alternative families every Tuesday on Fox. Log on to www.fox.com/raisinghope for listings. For more Steppenwolf benefits such as the Red or White Ball, visit www.steppenwolf.org .
