![]() How is Sam in Somebody Somewhere different from your stage persona? You run away from it for a reason, and then you come home for a reason. I really find a sense of peace when I’m driving back from KCI on I-70 to Exit 313. But now I crave going to places like Top of the World where I can look out and see it for its simple beauty. It’s weird, there are all these things that people make fun of about Kansas, like being flat and whatever. I had challenges growing up, but I have a lot of fond memories of Kansas and of the people. I’m the youngest of six kids, so by the time I came around, my mom was like, “Well, do what you want,” you know? We used to ride our bikes and go everywhere at night. What impressions of your childhood remain after being away for so long? My mom had gone into a nursing home before the pandemic, and the visit felt to me like it had a little more heft and weight this time. It was more emotional this time because the show sort of forced me to look at where I’m from in a different way. Was it emotional being back in Manhattan, or do you get back quite a bit? ![]() Left to right: Jeff Hiller, Mercedes White, Murray Hill, and Bridget Everett star in Somebody Somewhere. It brought the show home for me in a whole different way. The series is filmed in Illinois but there are scenes that show Manhattan, Kansas, landmarks-did you shoot any B-roll there? It is largely because of those people in Manhattan that I am the way I am. Granted, I haven’t lived there for a number of years, but my mom is still there, two of my brothers are there, my best friend lives there. We wanted to give our most authentic version of what being from the Midwest is like. I was in the writer’s room every day and working closely with our showrunners, who are also from the Midwest, and our writers and our other executive producer to really nail Sam’s voice and the tone. Did you work with the writers to get the cultural-emotional pitch dialed in? Most movies and TV shows set in the Midwest are cringe-inducing, but Somebody Somewhere feels true and well-observed. The show is set in Manhattan, Kansas, where you’re from. And it was such a positive experience and positive vibe on set, it really saved my life. But we got through it, and I’m actually happy that I had something to focus on. So, doing this show was part of healing, and then my dog died halfway through so it was a little, ah, hard core for a while there. It was definitely challenging because my Dad and sister died within a year of each other, and it was really painful, but I’d never really dealt with it. You lost your Dad and your sister in a short span, and now your dog, too. Your new series, Somebody Somewhere, is a comedy, but grief is a strong underlying theme. I had a dog that passed away in June, but she was also recognizable, so people used to stop her on the street and be like, “Poppy!” And I’m like, “What about me?” I think every year it’s a little bit more. It is a cup of coffee on the couch, go for a walk to get some Vitamin D, come home, and wait for nighttime so I can have a glass of wine. ![]() What is your non-working life like in New York? It’s a real upgrade from where I was about five years ago where I had natural light from 11:15 to 11:30 every morning and that was it. I’ve got a nice terrace that sort of saved my life during the pandemic and lots of natural light. I’m on the Upper West Side, between Riverside and Central Park. What neighborhood do you live in in New York? Oh my god, I was just turning off my soft rock radio and finishing up a delicious breakfast here at noon on a Monday. What have you been doing today besides talking to reporters on the phone? IN Kansas City spoke with Everett by phone from her apartment in New York about filming in Kansas, returning to live cabaret shows after a two-year Covid pause, and coping with depression and grief. The show has garnered glowing reviews, and Everett’s character, Sam, looks to be the next Kansan-played-by-a-Kansan to steal America’s heart after Jason Sudeikis’s Ted Lasso. Now Everett is starring in the new HBO comedy series Somebody Somewhere, which she co-produced. In 2015, Bridget Everett quit her restaurant job to pursue a career in comedy and music, opening shows for Amy Schumer, writing songs with NSFW lyrics and singing with her band, The Tender Moments, and performing in provocative cabaret shows that got her dubbed “the most exciting performer in New York City” by Village Voice. A native of the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kansas) has taken the Big Apple by storm. ![]()
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