Interview with Lake Bell

You may know Lake Bell from her starring role as Cat Black on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim series, CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. You may also know her from the recently canceled HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, as a columnist in The Hollywood Reporter writing about cars, or her stint as a model, or from the short film she wrote and directed, WORST ENEMY. In short, she’s a busy woman, with a lot of talent, and varied interests.

Recently, I got to speak with Lake, who directed the season premiere of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, “The Boy with the Pancakes Tattoo,” as well as tonight’s episode, “Staff Dance.” Here are the highlights of that conversation.

I asked Lake what the biggest difference was between acting and directing. She responded that the main difference is that you’re directing. All kidding aside, she likes the experience of running the ship and working in a new genre, her previous directing experience being drama-centric. It helps, she says, because of the “absurdist mania” that comes from working with her favorite people in the world.

That’s right. Lake loves her co-stars. While that may be no surprise, given the sheer amount of fun that radiates from the program, she did say directing was a serious gig. Often, the air on the set of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL is to joke around and have a good time. But with only two days per episode to shoot, and filming two episodes back to back, someone has to take charge and make sure that they don’t goof around too much. Lake takes that responsibility very seriously, and she said the others couldn’t have been more supportive of her efforts, not giving her any trouble or hazing.

In fact, Lake was recruited to direct CHILDRENS HOSPITAL after the guys in charge, Rob Corddry, David Wain, and Jonathan Stern, saw her short film. WORST ENEMY having earned praise and positive attention at Sundance and elsewhere, they were far from the only ones to take notice. But having Lake on staff as an actor, anyway, they had the unique opportunity to convince her to direct not one, but two episodes. And they didn’t just ask once, making sure that she knew it was a serious offer.

Lake describes her time directing as being “in heaven.” She totally dove into the position, sitting out a number of episodes as an actor (her choice) so that she could prep, execute, and polish the stories in post-production. Tasked with some serious, action-heavy, huge tales to tell, she worked her butt off to make sure she did a good job. If the season premiere is any indication, her hard work has really paid off.

I asked Lake if she would rather concentrate on acting or directing going forward, and she said ideally, she’d like to split her time. She has been so busy lately that she has been unable to accept any new acting jobs. In a perfect world, that won’t be the case forever. For now, though, she is content to go with the flow, and tackle what comes her way.

Her schedule cleared up a little bit for these new challenges because of the cancellation of HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, another series that she starred concurrently with CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. Lake says she understands that cancellation is not personal, and that television is a business. While she misses the people she worked with, and the HBO show holds a special place in her heart because she met her future husband, artist Scott Campbell, on set, she thinks that things happen for a reason. She tremendously enjoyed the work, but now she’s open to participate in jobs she couldn’t have done otherwise. It’s a wise attitude to take, and one that should serve her well in the business, long-term.

I wanted to know which role Lake would most like to reprise. Given the range of characters Lake has played, from these recent roles, to a guest spot on NEW GIRL last year, to being a series regular on BOSTON LEGAL, to the films she has appeared in, like IT’S COMPLICATED and A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY, there is a wide range of characters to choose from. Lake’s answer was quick and sure: Lucy from NO STRINGS ATTACHED, who she describes as being “bizarrely comfortable” to play. The reason she chooses Lucy is because of Liz Meriweather’s fantastic writing.

The call flew by. Thanks to Lake Bell for taking the time to talk with me. Her second directed episode of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, “Staff Dance,” airs tonight (August 16th) at midnight.

"I'm Good" with How to Make It in America

     After a nearly year and a half hiatus, HBO's How to Make It in America kicks off its second season with "I'm Good." Apparently the 'I' in the title refers to Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk), who begin the episode in Japan, selling their t-shirts and working on expanding to hoodies. However, returning to New York City is a disappointment. They attempt to throw a party to build brand recognition, and all manner of things go wrong. Meanwhile, Rachel (Lake Bell) returns to NYC, too, and Rene (Luis Guzman) tries to make things right with his girl.

      The Japan sequence is nice, if a tad more optimistic than usual for the series. It would be far too easy, of course, if Ben and Cam already have things together by the beginning of season two. So they only succeed in a limited way, and for a short time. Makes sense. In order for their type of business to work, it needs to keep innovating. They have ideas, but their execution still has many bugs to work out. As such, while they beg and plead to get their hoodies featured in a store window, to no avail, they still lag behind someone else's brand new craze, which makes them feel like they haven't made it. And they are right.

     Normally, when a television series ruins the plans of its lead characters, and screws up an event so royally as happens in "I'm Good," it is a huge setback. Drama is tossed in the way just to make life harder. On How to Make It in America, the opposite may be trie. Ben and Cam miss their own party after Ben gets high and they get stuck in the subway. One of Rene's employees shoots himself, and the cops come. This should only give them more story and appeal, though, not to mention the fact that their event still delivered, selling quite a bit of product. It may take awhile for them to 'make it,' but they are well on their way.

     Rachel's return to the city is not covered in detail, not unusual for the show. She comes back, but no one really knows the circumstances surrounding the return. Perhaps she was just out of money and tired of traveling, as she seems to indicate? Yet, she doesn't tell anyone she is back at first, which seems like odd behavior. What is she afraid of? She did leave Ben awkwardly, but he has moved on, not something that likely makes her feel better. It doesn't help that Ben's new girl, Julie (Margarita Levieva), responds in kind when Rachel postures to her. It's a weird, but wholly realistic, sequence.

     Poor Rene seems to be making a real go as a legitimate business man, but gets into trouble with his girl when she models for him, and he uses a shot of her backside in advertising. Rene's efforts to win her back prove that he cares about her, but he also just doesn't seem to know how to treat a good girl. He's trying, and that should count. That he chooses to date a security guard is odd, considering his criminal history. Unless this whole thing, including apology, is a sham so he can gain her trust, and then access to something she is guarding. Let's sincerely hope this is not the case.

     How to Make It in America also stars Eddie Kaye Thomas, Shannyn Sossamon, and Scott Mescudi. Watch it Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.

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How to Make It in America makes it

    HBO's freshman series How to Make It in America finished an eight episode first season with the finale "Never Say Die" this past Sunday.  I wasn't impressed with the show when it first premiered, but I watched most of the season marathon-style in one afternoon, and quickly became quite hooked.  The major complaints I had about the pilot, that it didn't explore side characters, and that the point of the series wasn't cohesive, were addressed quite well early on, and though it did still border on the art world, fashion, of a sort, did take center stage.

     Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk) remain the main characters that the audience will root for.  Going into the finale, I became incredibly discouraged on their behalf, thinking that they had lost forever their shipment of t-shirts, the first sale of their fledgling company.  Had that been the case, I don't think I would have been as happy as I turned out being, and it was just one hit too many for the struggling pair.  Sure, they are going to have plenty of bumps in starting a company, but to take away that may have killed their dream before it even really began.

     Rachel (Lake Bell), Ben's ex, also ended up with almost as much plot as they did, although she was left in kind of the opposite situation, leaving a successful job to strike out on her own.  I don't really believe Ben and Rachel belong together, and it didn't feel like that's where they were going, even though they slept together again.  I hope that I'm not wrong.

     Perhaps the most interesting character, though, turned out to be Cam's cousin Rene (Luis Guzman).  An ex-con, turned CEO of an energy drink supplier, he was introduced as a villain loan-shark, and he was the source of several of Ben and Cam's troubles.  However, Rene had a code of honor, and he was trying to go (mostly) straight.  His conversations with the local priest, which appeared very sincere, were confusing, awkward, and comical, all in a good way.  When the series continues, as it has already been picked up for a second season, he is the one I most want to see developed further.

    HBO will surely rerun the series, so if you missed it, I highly recommend catching it.

How to Make It in America doesn't quite make it

     HBO has a new show out called How to Make It in America.  It is about friends Ben (Bryan Greenberg, October Road) and Cam (Victor Rasuk, ER) trying to make money while living in New York City, apparently in the fashion scene, though after watching, I thought it was more the art world.  It is attempting to be gritty and realistic, or at least it comes across that way.  The theme song may be confusing, but it resembles the photographs shown at an artist showcase later in the pilot episode.

     This series has plenty going for it.  Besides Greenberg, it boasts other notable stars such as Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie, 'Til Death), Lake Bell (Boston Legal), Shannyn Sossamon (Moonlight), Martha Plimpton, and Luis Guzman.  Unfortunately, it didn't land in the premiere.  There was plenty of the two main guys, but very little of anyone else.  They are charming and interesting, but there wasn't enough plot to adequately set up what the series is going to be about.  Not only that, unlike other recent HBO shows, I didn't get invested in the characters right away.  At this point, I could never watch another episode and never wonder what happened.

     However, I am going to watch next week's episode.  It does intrigue me that I don't what it's about.  I've always thought that pilots are often a poor representation of the series, and I hope this one is as well.  Because I can't predict what else is coming, I will watch at least another half hour or two until I decide whether or not it is worth my time.

     If you'd like to check it out, How to Make It in America will rerun throughout the week, and new episodes will be presented Sundays at 10pm on HBO.