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I'm actress Jenna Elfman from the new ABC comedy "Imaginary Mary", and I'm here to answer all your questions! AMA!
Hi Everyone - Excited for you to ask me anything! I star as Alice in the new comedy "Imaginary Mary", which airs Tuesday nights at 9:30/8:30c on ABC. I started my career as a professional dancer, appearing in music videos by Depeche Mode and Anthrax, and danced on the 1991 Academy Awards live broadcast, choreographed by Debbie Allen. I am best known for my role as Dharma in the hit television series "Dharma and Greg". I live in Los Angeles with my husband, Bodhi, and two young sons. I film a video podcast with my husband Bodhi called "Kicking and Screaming" in which we humorously discuss our 20 year marriage together.
You can follow me on Twitter (@JennaElfman), Instagram (@jennaelfman), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jennaelfman/) and my website: https://www.jennaelfman.com/
Watch "Imaginary Mary" now on ABC on demand: http://abc.go.com/shows/imaginary-mary
AskJennaElfman-18 karma
There's more stories for women and there's better stories. We see women in front of the stories not just the obligatory girlfriend role. Women are more layered in the stories and I also think that there's more stories for women over 40 and I think that's very important. I think in America, we wrongly skew for the young but women who have lived have more stories to tell and those stories need to be told.
cwoodaus17-25 karma
Did you grow up singing Oingo Boingo songs and if so, which one is your favorite to sing?
AskJennaElfman-7 karma
I did! Starting when I was like 13. Probably dead mans party is always the best. I have a lot more favorites now that I'm older and since he's made a lot more music.
MNamer-26 karma
Do you think comedy is more difficult to enact than drama? Do you find it more fragile?
Edit: Jesus people, I don't give a shit about her beliefs, I just want to know stuff about acting.
Edit2: All glory to the hypnotoad.
AskJennaElfman-24 karma
I find it more challenging because you have to have the same level of commitment to belief in the scene with the added task of making it funny without anyone seeing it coming.
delarye1-26 karma
Jenna, nice of you to come here and do this AMA.
I'm currently sick and had to take the day off work.
What do you do when you're sick and have production deadlines? Do you take the day off, or suffer through for the sake of the schedule?
AskJennaElfman-5 karma
Well if I'm filming I have to show up at work... unless I'm missing a limb, I have to be there. What works for me, and every person's body is different, I take wellness formula (which you can get on Amazon), airborne (which you can also get on Amazon) and lots of water and sleep.
AskJennaElfman-5 karma
You cannot argue about managing the kids in front of the kids. THEY WILL TAKE YOU DOWN. They'll see your weakness and go in for the jugular.
AskJennaElfman-11 karma
I can't answer for a show on right now because I'm very behind in watching because I've been to busy.
Of all time: A tie between I Love Lucy and All The In The Family.
Gee_dude-30 karma
How was it appearing on Damages? The callibre of the acting talent was amazing on that show. Any Glenn stories?
AskJennaElfman-3 karma
My first day of filming I was very intimidated because I had to film a scene that was at a very high emotional level over and over again and it was my first day of filming with Glenn Close on top of it and by the end of the day I had a total migraine lol and only thing that helped were oreo cookies... it solved the migraine!
flyparrothead-31 karma
Hey Jenna, loved you in Can't Hardly Wait and Shameless. What was it like working on the Shameless set?
AskJennaElfman1 karma
Shameless was some of the most fun I've had. I didn't really wear any makeup and I got to play a character that was WAY outside my norm and I was truly so relaxed and had so much fun.
Mutt1223-32 karma
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
edit: I'm not a shill you stupid butt nuggets!
LMesones-32 karma
What's your best advice to step moms or girlfriends on how to handle your significant other's kids?
AskJennaElfman-7 karma
The best question of the day! I think follow their lead on what interests them not on what you think SHOULD interest them and go from there in terms of support, interest and involvement.
Rowingteam-33 karma
Hi Jenna! Sweet guitars in the 1st episode! Who is your favorite band? And what music are you currently in love with?
AskJennaElfman-5 karma
My favorite band is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. If they're in LA I don't miss a concert. I even got to take lessons from their drummer, Steve Ferrone.
One of my best friends, Nikka Costa, because she just had a single come out and I'm not always into new music - I like listening to blues and classical.
AskJennaElfman-9 karma
Well I haven't been back on ABC since Dharma and Greg and its been feeling great! Kind of like old times again in a really fun way.
AskJennaElfman-9 karma
I love that there's a big transition for her that I get to play where she starts off in such for foreign territory with this relationship and the kids and is kind of neurotic at first and gets to be vulnerable and uncomfortable and grow from that. I like that journey for her.
AskJennaElfman-7 karma
So many fun ones... my character gets a little drunk and starts acting very tribal and starts making out with Richard Dreyfuss and wakes up with tribal make up all over her face. Super weird but very fun to play.
cannonrocks-39 karma
Hey there, longtime fan here! Do they have a person or object for you to focus on when you talk to "Mary" or do you just have to pretend when you interact with her?
AskJennaElfman-18 karma
So we rehearse with a puppet and a puppeteer so we know where everyone is moving in the scene and then we film one take with the puppet so that the animators know where she moves in the scene and then when its time for actual scene its empty and everything goes away. There's a comedic actress off screen reading lines.
AskJennaElfman-43 karma
Thanks so much for your awesome questions gang! I appreciate your interest and I had fun chatting with you! I'm excited for you all to see the new episode tonight at 9:30pm on ABC and hope you continue to join us every Tuesday night. Talk to you soon. xo
AskJennaElfman-6 karma
When I did the episode when Dharma was running for city council. She was trying so hard to please all the different demographics of voters. She made herself sick and progressively got worse and worse through the episode and I got to play all of this fun physical comedy of her eye swollen shut, her hair falling out, a stye in her other eye, getting a hunchback and a limp and that was my favorite episode to film out of all 122 episodes.
AskJennaElfman-15 karma
I feel like she represents the crazy inner dialogue we all have when we're faced with a problem.
[deleted]-4 karma
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