E-mail a friendTracey Ullman
airdate March 24, 2008
Award-winning comedy actress Tracey Ullman is best known for her offbeat characterizations. While still in her early 20s, she headlined her own comedy-variety TV series in the U.K. and also had a successful singing career. She launched her U.S. career with an eponymous show on the Fox Network, which won the net its first Emmy nom and spawned the The Simpsons series. She went on to produce programs for HBO and appear in features. She currently stars in the Showtime series, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union.
Comedian does her impersonation of Tavis. (1:35)
Award-winning comedy actress explains how she comes up with her characterizations. (10:35)
Tracey Ullman
Tavis: I am pleased to welcome Tracey Ullman to this program. The seven-time Emmy winner is back with a new sketch comedy series which kicks off this weekend, in fact. "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union" premieres Sunday night, March 30th, on Showtime at 10:00 p.m. and features her unique take on life in America. Here now, a scene from "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union."
[Clip]
Tavis: You are so funny.
Tracey Ullman: I sort of look like her, actually. (Laughter) I based it on Shari Lewis' sock puppet Lamb Chop. (Laughter) (Unintelligible) played the part of Lamb Chop in the live action. We just put on these huge eyelashes. It was fun, that one.
Tavis: You nailed Renee, you nailed her. Yeah.
Ullman: Oh, heavens, no.
Tavis: Yeah. (Laughter) How do you go about perfecting - you've played so many characters over the course of your career. How do you go about perfecting the character?
Ullman: It's just, like I say, with Renee, I have a wonderful makeup artist, Sally Craven, who I've worked with since the BBC in England. And just the eyelashes worked there. And it's like sucking a lemon. I don't know; it's this one little thing. I'd never impersonated real people before; actually, this is the first show I've decided to do this.
Tavis: Right.
Ullman: And it's fun, there's sort of more at stake. And I want to be Arianna Huffington, who I know that you know. She sounds like Ava Gabor in "Green Acres," doesn't she? (Laughter) You know what I mean, all that - if they make a - you know, a film of it. And that's a real litmus test, Tavis.
Tavis: You have Arianna down, yeah.
Ullman: Yeah, it's like you're taming the accent. But I start with something, I thought, I really love her Greek accent, so I'll add to that.
Tavis: Why decide, at this point, to your earlier statement, to start playing real people as opposed to characters you make up?
Ullman: I'm an American now.
Tavis: That's right, you have - 2006.
Ullman: I became a citizen in 2006, because I'm still British, so I have -
Tavis: Congratulations.
Ullman: Thank you very much.
Tavis: I think.
Ullman: - joint citizenship.
Tavis: Yeah, I think.
Ullman: Yeah.
Tavis: yeah.
Ullman: I know, 15 years ago, (unintelligible) I'm going to be an American and my friends would go, oh, great. Now they go, why?
Tavis: Why? Exactly. (Laughter)
Ullman: Because I want to vote. I want to vote and I want to imitate people. (Laughter) And do daring stuff. I think I'll send me to Guantanamo Bay now, Tavis. I'm going. I'm here, mate. I'm here. So I went downtown with 5,000 other people, we all wave flags and they show us this film of, like, moon landings and the monster trucks and the waving wheat fields.
And then President Bush came on and made a speech. Silence. And then (laughter) they played that "I'm Proud to be an American," because at least I know I'm free. I'm like - I was waving my flag.
Tavis: What did you make of that experience, having been here - you've been here, like, what, 20 years now, in the country?
Ullman: A long time.
Tavis: Long time. Seriously, what did you make of the experience of becoming a citizen, having been here for as long as you had been?
Ullman: It was really interesting. I liked taking the test in civics, and I've been here 25 years -
Tavis: How'd you do on the test?
Ullman: - I've had my children here - 100 out of 100. See, I can even do high-fives now, without being -
Tavis: Yeah, there you go. Yeah, yeah, that's an American thing.
Ullman: It was a bit crappy - yeah, they made me do that. They made me wear a big foam finger and go like that. (Laughter) No, they didn't. They made me - so I guess suddenly you just realize you want to do it. It was an interesting process and as I say, I do want to vote and be a part of it. I've been here a long time; I've watched so many PBS documentaries, the Ken Burns ones, so I know all about -
Tavis: Oh, he's the best.
Ullman: That's my high school education.
Tavis: He's the best, yeah.
Ullman: He's the best. Oh, I just want to join in properly.
Tavis: Are you a political person? You said you want to vote. This year is -
Ullman: Yeah, yeah, I find the, yeah -
Tavis: - the perfect time to be a citizen.
Ullman: The whole political scene this year is very interesting.
Tavis: What do you make of it?
Ullman: It's horrific how we overspeculate and overanalyze every moment, and I don't know how they're all going to make it to November. (Laughter) Who will time it to be in the news cycle that day that will get lucky? It's like will I run a 9.3-second 100 yards on that day and become the president? It's a different electoral process in England.
It took me three years to realize that Margaret Thatcher was a woman (laughter) years ago. I remember just driving to work one day and I thought, she's a woman, I didn't get it. So the whole vote for a woman, Hillary will be the first one, it's like we live in a bubble here. (Unintelligible) okay, we've had Benazir Bhutto, we've had Indira Gandhi, we've got Angela Merkel, we've had Margaret Thatcher. So it's very interesting process, and I do get to vote this time, so let's see.
Tavis: Tell me more about "State of the Union," speaking of voting.
Ullman: Heaven forbid I should get too involved in politics. There's nothing worse than actresses getting too involved. It's like oh, shut up.
Tavis: You've got a TV - you've got a TV -
Ullman: Know your limitations, I know, just do it in a funny way or something, don't sit there -
Tavis: You got a TV show called "State of the Union," come on.
Ullman: I'm not going to ride on the front of tanks or stand up at the Oscars and go on about the Zionists. (Laughter) Oh, Vanessa, (unintelligible) Vanessa, shut up, stop it, just get the Oscar. Don't say stuff like that. Just because your brother (unintelligible) told you to. It's lethal, it's - ugh.
Tavis: But you've got a show called "State of the Union," so you're in now.
Ullman: Yes, yes, yes.
Tavis: You're in now.
Ullman: But I cover a vast spectrum of America, just regular folks, the celebrities and politicians. I do a little Nancy Pelosi thing and Arianna and Lori David, the environmentalists.
Tavis: What's your Nancy Pelosi thing? Because she doesn't -
Ullman: No, I don't (unintelligible) but you'll have to watch the show to see it. It's a little sight gag.
Tavis: Here's why I ask, though, here's why I ask. Okay, I'll watch it. Here's why I ask, though - because there are some people who I see a certain part about their character that you could actually play up. I'm trying to figure out what Tracey Ullman focuses in on with Pelosi, because she doesn't give you a whole lot - she's pretty -
Ullman: No. It's something to do with cosmetic surgery, Tavis, and that's all I'm saying.
Tavis: Oh, okay, enough said, I got it.
Ullman: Because there's a problem in this country with women aging with dignity. Yeah. They're bits of their ass out and putting it in their lips, and it doesn't look good, and it shouldn't be done. I'm going to do it, look. When I'm in the carpool line picking up my kid - get in the car, I've got to do some icing. (Laughter) Please - Mommy's in so much agony. Come on, please, get in the car. It's just - we can't do that, girls, can we? (Laughter) They do. Every day here in Hollywood.
Ullman: Oh, yeah.
Tavis: Yeah, yeah, yeah. when did you know that you were funny? When did you know that you had this gift to do what you do so well - these characters and
Ullman: I just - I'm a character actress, I love impersonating people. I think when I was a little girl people could play the piano or were good at soccer or something. I just imitated everybody around me, and my friends and neighbors and family. And my father died when I was six and it was pretty grim in our house, and I used to do shows on my mother's mantelpiece while she'd lay in bed and watched me.
And I'd be everybody - I'd be Julie Andrews or Edith Piaf - making all that rubbish. Bette Midler, anyone, just to - and it just became a thing in my house to put on little shows. We're good at laughing at ourselves in England, I think, so I think what I do now is just an extension of that. I love it when you say things like, "I'm Tavis Smiley. Tonight, the senator couldn't make it, he's on the campaign trail, but we have one of the original O'Jays coming up."
You said that one night, and my husband and me were lying in bed, we went, "How do we know it's one of the Chi-Lights?" (Laughter)
Tavis: I think I just got -
Ullman: Could be one of the Four Tops.
Tavis: Was I just impersonated by Tracey Ullman? Is that what just happened on my show?
Ullman: I love you.
Tavis: That Tracey does Tavis?
Ullman: Tavis Smiley.
Tavis: Is that what that is? If you can impersonate Black men, you can do anything.
Ullman: I impersonate Black characters on my show.
Tavis: Yeah?
Ullman: I do the airport security girls.
Tavis: Yeah, and how -
Ullman: I love those girls. iPods away, iPods away. (Laughter) They don't mind (unintelligible) when I walk through security check and they'll look at me and they go "You on TV?" So I love it, I love it. I've done it for years.
Tavis: Do you ever get serious? Like, how do your kids, like what -
Ullman: Oh, I'm rarely serious.
Tavis: Does mommy ever get serious?
Ullman: I'm very serious, actually, when I'm at home. I'm not the funny one in my house.
Tavis: Oh, I can't believe that.
Ullman: I don't like - no -
Tavis: I can't believe that.
Ullman: My husband's hilarious. He can't sing, he can't dance, he can't act - he's totally talentless, and he's hilarious. (Laughter) And my son and daughter are funny, and we have a good time. But I'm just -
Tavis: You crack me up. I'm just sitting here, just waiting for you to do something. I don't even want to ask anything.
Ullman: I know; it's just like I'm this really frightening schizophrenic.
Tavis: I don't even want to ask any questions. Just go ahead and do something, yeah.
Ullman: I'll squish your knee. You're so smart.
Tavis: So this show, the Showtime show is like nine episodes?
Ullman: I did five.
Tavis: You did five.
Ullman: I managed to shoot five in two weeks and with the budget I was given, and it's Showtime this time, and I really enjoyed it.
Tavis: Wait, wait, wait - you did five in two weeks?
Ullman: Oh, it was crazy.
Tavis: That's a lot of characters to play in a condensed period of time.
Ullman: A lot of characters, a lot of makeup. A lot of - I was Andy Rooney one minute and Renee Zellweger the next, and I really enjoyed it. And I've used a lot of stock footage to intersperse, to travel around the country, and Troy Miller, brilliant director, did all this editing and sort of so it goes from dawn to dusk, sea to shining sea.
Tavis: When you're playing so many characters, do you ever cross up the voice or the facial?
Ullman: Yeah, and if I get too exhausted I go home as a nagging Jewish wife or something - oh, my god, (unintelligible), I can't stand - Allen, don't drive this way or I'm going to just throw up I'm so nauseous. Would you please (unintelligible). And then my husband just goes "Stop it. Stop it and go to bed. (Laughter) Stop it. That's enough, and go to bed." "What's up? What's the matter with you?" "Go to bed, and stop it." I don't know. Just have to put a black bag over my head and put me in the other room like a parrot.
Tavis: All right, well, we'll go to bed on that note. That's the ends of our show. (Laughs) Tracey Ullman - funny, funny, funny, "State of the Union," March 30th, on Showtime.
Ullman: Yes.
Tavis: I can't wait to see it.
Ullman: Oh, it's lovely to meet you. Thank you very much.
Tavis: Nice to have you. Come back any time.
Ullman: Oh, can I?
Tavis: Any time, yes you can.
Ullman: Oh, great.
Tavis: Yeah, any time.
Ullman: With one of the Chi-Lights, or?
Tavis: Just you.
Ullman: Thank you.
Tavis: Yeah. You can play one of the Chi-Lights.
Ullman: (Laughter) I will, I will, I will.
Tavis: You can do anything. I love her, Tracey Ullman.
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