By Gregg Shapiro
Don't be surprised if you start to hear Molly Shannon's name mentioned in the same sentence as Best Actress and Academy Award. In "Year of the Dog," the directorial debut by queer screenwriter and actor Mike White ("School of Rock" and others), Shannon gives the kind of transformative performance we've seen in recent years from fellow ex-"Saturday Night Live" cast members such as Bill Murray and Adam Sandler. Dog-lover Peggy (Shannon) is dealt a serious blow when her beloved Beagle companion Pencil dies suddenly in the first few minutes of the movie. Be sure to bring some tissues, because what follows is likely to have movie audiences in tears of sorrow and of laughter.
Gregg Shapiro: I'd like to get what is probably the most obvious question out of the way first and ask you if you would, in fact, consider yourself to be a dog person.
Molly Shannon: I am a dog person. I love dogs. Growing up, we had two. We unfortunately had to get rid of them because I had an allergy. But, yeah, I love dogs. As matter of fact, maybe we'll get one. I have little kids. I have a three and a half year old and a two year old, so I maybe would think about it, because they would love it. But it would just have to be hypo-allergenic.
G.S.: At the beginning of the movie, Peggy seems to be comfortable in her place in the corporate world. Could you ever imagine yourself in such a setting?
M.S.: No, I cannot. It would be death. I did that actually when I first moved to Los Angeles. I went to NYU drama school, moved out to L.A., and I didn't have that much money, so I temped. I did different entertainment jobs and I worked in an office for a television company doing TV research and the walls were aqua green. It felt like death to me … .
G.S.: Peggy falls for Newt (Peter Sarsgaard), who claims to be celibate and unable to be intimate with either women or men. Have you ever had a crush on someone who turned out to be gay?
M.S.: Oh, my god, yes (laughs)! Oh, my god, are you kidding? Yeah, yeah, yes. In college, at NYU Drama School, and all the dance majors, it was like "Everybody's gay!" (throws her arms up in the air). Coming from Cleveland, I was like, (shrieks joyously) "This is fantastic!" I liked this boy who was a tap dancer and he was really into musical theater and he was gay, but he wasn't so out, and he still kind of dated girls. But we ended up becoming great friends, so it wasn't this painful thing, but I was like, "I want him to be my husband!" At that time that suited me well; I didn't really want anything more than that.
G.S.: Mike is best known as a screenwriter and actor, and with "Year of the Dog" he makes his directorial debut. What was it like to work with him on this project?
M.S.: It was amazing. Mike is such a talent and people love him. He's able to do big commercial comedies and he's able to do real independent original movies like "Chuck and Buck" (and) "The Good Girl." So he attracts all these amazing actors, because he's such a good writer. Everybody wants to work with him. He's so sought after. … We've been doing Q and As in L.A. and people just roar. He's very honest about show business and he's kind of cynical and funny. He is one of the funniest people I know. But also really filled with heart, deep thinking, sensitive, kind, and thoughtful. He's a rare bird.
G.S.: Could you ever imagine chucking it all for a cause in the same way that Peggy did?
M.S.: Yeah, I could. I really like how she struggles through stuff to get to a better place. She does make bad choices and gets off course, but I really feel like it's so true to life in finding yourself. Sometimes it's not all that pretty and you can do shameful things to get to there. I think it's so wonderful to be who you are, whatever makes your heart sing. She does find that. She's not all good and does go off the path and do some really bad things that are really shameful. But I really admire her and I like that Mike tells her story and I love that she finds what's important to her. People struggle to find themselves; it's not some straight and narrow path.
G.S.: With "Year of the Dog," you have joined the ranks of other "SNL" alum who have gone the serious route Bill Murray ("Lost in Translation," "Broken Flowers"), Will Ferrell ("Stranger than Fiction"), Adam Sandler ("Reign Over Me").
M.S.: All men!
G.S.: Yes, you are the groundbreaker.
M.S.: OK! Just pointing that out (laughs). I like being in their company (laughs), but let's just say they're all men. Let's talk about that! It feels great because sometimes I think that there is a misconception with women, and people are like, "What happened with the girls?" But it's hard, there isn't always so much to choose from. So I really appreciate it. I can't believe Mike wrote me this movie. I'm like, "Yay!" I feel so lucky.
G.S.: If you didn't already have a sizable gay following, playing Val on "Will & Grace" probably increased your visibility. Was that something that you were aware of?
M.S.: (laughs) Uh, yeah, people really liked that a lot! I know, it's so funny. That was so easy, too. It was so easy and fun compared to "Saturday Night Live," because I didn't have to write it. I would show up and memorize the lines. It was so much fun.
"Year Of The Dog"
Starts April 27
Main Art Theatre, Royal Oak
www.landmarktheatres.com
