Soroff On
Jessalyn Gilsig
The ubiquitous TV actress talks about Friday Night Lights, underwhelming ants and, of course, the kids on Glee.
 Photo Credit: Cheyenne Ellis
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The ubiquitous TV actress talks about Friday Night Lights, underwhelming ants and, of course, the kids on Glee.
Television actress Jessalyn Gilsig, 40, was born and raised in Montreal and studied acting at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. Along with numerous stage credits in off-Broadway productions, she appeared in films like The Horse Whisperer, Prom Night and The Stepfather, but first rose to prominence on David E. Kelley’s TV drama Boston Public. After taking a hiatus from the small screen to return to the stage, Gilsig went back to Los Angeles to star in hit shows like Prison Break, Heroes, CSI: NY, Friday Night Lights and Nip/Tuck. She currently stars as Terri Schuester on the wildly successful Glee. She lives in Los Angeles with her daughter.
First of all, let’s discuss your name. I’m assuming there was no conflict when you registered it with SAG.
No, indeed. I did think of changing it because my first name is unusual enough, but once people get past it and see my last name, they’re like, “Oh, God. This is too complicated.” But I thought it would break my Dad’s heart if I changed it.
I think it’s the original Gaelic of the name Jocelyn. I was once in Tiffany’s, buying a gift, and the woman said, “Oh, Jessalyn will help you.” I said, “Is your name Jessalyn? Mine is too!” And she said, “No. It’s just me and some girl on TV.”
I ask myself that all the time.
Glee
I would say yes, but it’s much more intense for the kids. I haven’t experienced what they have, because my role isn’t so prominent. The kids freaking out part is something I’ve never had before, and I feel this very maternal need to defuse the situation and say, “It’s not that interesting that I’m on Glee.”
I was just in Istanbul, where I didn’t think anyone watched the show, and this guy came up to me. I assumed he was hitting on me, and finally he said, “You are Mrs. Schuester!” I had to beg him not to tell anybody. It has a crazy reach. Then again, I was in Montreal, in line at a store, when a woman said, “Are you…” And I said, “Yes, I am.” And she said, “Sharon Patterson’s daughter?” I had to dig myself out of that one.
Glee
Oh, yeah. People just love it so much, and it touches people in a way that no other television show I know of has. A flight attendant on Air Canada gave me free cheese and crackers.
Glee
Oh, yes. When Chris Colfer first started, he was really young, maybe 18, and had never lived away from home. I said, “Your mom must be so proud. Has she come to see your new apartment?” And he was like, “Not yet,” and I kept saying, “Chris, you have to invite her to see it,” and finally he said, “I don’t know why you’re going on about it. It’s just my mom.” I was like, “Ouch! I’m a mom.” I’m sure he was thinking, “Listen, old lady, I don’t want my mom all up in my space.” It was hilarious.
[Laughs.] I’d say Destination: Infestation, the original title of which was Ants on a Plane. It called for Antonio Sabàto Jr. and I to respond with sheer terror to a few little ants. We were battling them, and the budget was so low, they said they’d be adding more ants afterward, presumably in coach. But we had to react to them as if it was a huge swarm, and then they didn’t add them, so we were freaking out over the number of ants you’d see on your front path. And halfway through the movie, they couldn’t get anymore of the black ants they’d been using, so they had to switch to yellow ones, which was never adequately explained. But you gotta pay the bills somehow.
Nip/Tuck
I think that show was so genius, and it really addressed the issues of superficiality and vanity. In the pilot, they did a nose job, and the consultant told us that the force with which you have to break a nose in order to fix it is the same as going through the windshield of a car. Plastic surgery is brutal.
I haven’t. And it’s too late for me.
I did. And in Hollywood that’s like being a fossil. I’m done. I’m completely finished. Now people say, “You look so good for 40!” with that weird falsetto thing in their voice. It’s awful.
Nip/Tuck
[Laughs.] I wish I had a little more Gina in me. I adored her so much. That role was such a gift. Usually, you play a part and it’s a character you create. With her, I almost felt like she existed independently of me in some way. I’m not as direct as she is. I’m not as sexually overt. I’m not as manipulative.
The one we all idolized was Cherry Jones. I remember Felicity Huffman.
Friday Night Lights
Absolutely. Just performance-wise, it’s so incredible. I think that show and All in the Family are the two most authentic depictions of a marriage on American television. I’ve played so many wives clutching their cardigans and deferring to their husbands. That’s not how anybody acts. I think the complexities of that show are astonishing.
It was tough. I was doing Nip/Tuck and Friday Night Lights at the same time. They never made me a series regular, so I had to keep taking other work, and I remember one day, I flew out to Austin on Sunday night, worked Monday morning, flew back that afternoon and did Nip/Tuck on Tuesday. One time, I went to work on NYPD Blue at 5 a.m. and wrapping on Nip/Tuck the next morning at 4 a.m. It was a 24-hour day. It almost killed me. But in this business, you can’t say no.
Boston Public
I guess I do. But I feel like that show was something of a personal failure. I wasn’t ready for that opportunity, and it overwhelmed me. I was like a deer in the headlights. I actually asked to leave the show after two years and moved back to New York to do theater. When I came back, I was back at square one, and I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to stay in the business. But that show gave me my first break, and I probably owe my career to it.
[Laughs.] People sometimes say, “She’s like Kelly Preston only with a big nose.” Some people really hate my nose. And then I remember some FOX executives sitting me down and saying, “Look. We obviously have to deal with the fact that some press is going to say you look like Michelle Pfeiffer [David E. Kelley’s wife].” And I was like, “Umm, OK. They can mistake me for her anytime!”
I think I’m very odd-looking. My mother’s so funny, because when I get recognized, she always says, “I just don’t think you’re that distinct looking. How do people know it’s you?” [Laughs]
Glee
Good question. Someone just said to me the other day that they couldn’t believe it was only the second season because it’s hard to remember a world before Glee. The show may not sustain, but the concept of kids finding their voice and self-acceptance and acceptance of others will probably open up into other things, and it will always be a part of the fans’ lives.
I’ve resigned myself to being the person who will never sing on the show. And I have a pretty good voice!
Of course! I sing all the time! But one thing being involved in the show has brought into my life is that sense of, “Just let it all out!”
The weirdest thing is that people send me match-ups. They take different Terri scenes and one person synched it with a song called, “I’m in Love With a Sociopath.” I just loved it. I couldn’t believe someone would take the time, and they’re really well done!
She’s overly sensitive and quick to perceive a slight, and I have a little bit of that.
Credits: Photographed by Cheyenne Ellis; wardrobe styling: Eric Niemand; hair: David Gardner/Solo Artists; makeup: Spencer Barnes/Solo Artists; clothes: BCBG gown, Jewelry by Nola rings.
