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'Hot in Cleveland': Q&A with Jane Leeves

Jane Leeves in 'Hot in Cleveland'

© Sky

The second season of hit sitcom Hot in Cleveland is currently airing on both sides of the Atlantic, and those of you who've watched the show will know that it features former Frasier star Jane Leeves in a role a million miles removed from the humble Daphne Moon. Jane plays Rejoyla 'Joy' Scroggs, a neurotic beautician with a critical mother, a long-lost son and an eccentric band of friends. We caught up with the charming actress recently to chat about the future of Hot in Cleveland and found out what it's like to work with Digital Spy favorite Betty White.

What was it that first attracted you to Hot In Cleveland?
"It's only been about a year since the project began. It was February 2010 that we started it, and it was the fastest process ever. We did the pilot, it was picked up within three weeks and then we started shooting. Now we're heading into season three! When I read it, it jumped off the page to me. The characters jumped off the page, and character is the first thing you look for, especially in something that will hopefully be a long-running series. That's very hard to do in a pilot, because you have to lay so much pipe, like 'This is about…' and 'My name is…'. But the expositional stuff was very organic to the characters in the script, so that's how you know that something's going to work. I went in and met with [creator] Suzanne Martin, and Sean Hayes from Will & Grace, who's one of our executive producers and a very talented guy. We talked about it, and they initially thought that I would be attracted to the role of Melanie, the sweet one [eventually played by Valerie Bertinelli]. I was like 'No, no, I want to play Joy!'. She's the brittle, damaged, cynical wise-arse, and that was the one I was attracted to!"

The show has very strong female characters - was that something that drew you in?
"Absolutely, and that it was female-driven. People say it's like Sex and the City, but I think it's more Golden Girls with our age ranges. We all range from 50 to 90, so to me, it's more of Golden Girls [vibe], but it's about women of a certain age reinventing themselves as well. They're saying 'That chapter in my life is done, now what?' and [it explores] the possibilities that holds."

Jane Leeves in 'Hot in Cleveland'
Is the storyline with Joy's long-lost son going to be resolved soon?
"Oh yes. We will be reunited! We actually shot an episode [where that happens]. We just did a thing for the Paley Center in Los Angeles, and they chose that episode to air, because it is one of our best episodes. It had a difficult birth, because those [sorts of episodes] are always difficult to do. But it turned into a really funny episode, and heart-warming at the same time. That's when you know a show is singing - when you can laugh and shed a tear at the same time. It was really fun."

Joy's mother appeared in the first season too. Will we see more of her?
"The fabulous Juliet Mills! Yes, we all absolutely adored her and she was wonderful, so hopefully [she'll be back]. She will have to make an actual appearance, because we were just Skype-ing [on the show]. But she was there on the set, and we absolutely fell in love with her. She was really funny."

How was it being reunited with your Frasier co-star Peri Gilpin in a recent episode?
"It was amazing! It was great, but sort of surreal! John Mahoney [Frasier's Martin Crane] just did the show as well, and we had the time of our lives with him. It was such a dreamy week, the week he was on, because we also had Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé. They were sort of crooners in the '60s, and he was a peripheral member of the Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra and all those guys. It was just surreal and hilarious. It was a 'birth-dates' episode - it's an episode that we've decided we're doing every year, where we each set each other up on a blind date for our fake birthday. This one was so achingly funny. There's everything from conjoined twins, to Jesus, to impressionists, and John Mahoney stirring it all up!"

Jane Leeves in 'Hot in Cleveland'
You had a production company with Peri Gilpin as well, didn't you?
"We don't [anymore] because it was just too much. We have kids, and work, and once we had our kids, it was like, 'I can just about do [only] this!'"

With your company gone, is that why you decided to take on another regular television role?
"Yes. Also the fact that my kids are my life, and I wanted to raise my children. I had been offered other things, hour-long mostly, and you have no life with that. You're on a set 16 hours a day and my husband said 'If you do that, I'll kill you'! There was no way I could've done that and raised my children at the same time, so this was all the things meeting at the right time. The gods aligned and it worked out brilliantly."

Betty White signs copies of her new book 'If You Ask Me'
How is it working with your Hot In Cleveland co-star Betty White?
"She's amazing! We have a lot of young viewers, and especially a lot of young male viewers, who watch our show. It constantly surprised me, but then I realized it's Betty! They started this campaign in America for her to host Saturday Night Live, which she never wanted to do. Then she did it, and it was brilliant and hilarious. I don't know how the woman does it. She's 90 years old, she has you in stitches the whole time and she works harder than anyone. We try to keep her workload light, but if we do that, she's off doing a book tour or flying across the country to do something else! It's phenomenal, it's so inspirational. She's [also] got the filthiest mouth! Anyone will tell you that. She has the crew in stitches with these one-liners. She must have them stored in that maniacal brain of hers. She's just this brilliant inspiration, and I want to be Betty White when I'm 90 - working, laughing and telling dirty jokes!"

What else can you tease about what's coming up in season two?
"It just gets better and better, it really does. It's funnier, more outrageous, with lots of mishaps and certainly lots of male guest stars. That's great for us - they come and visit, then we send them packing! I get to meet my son. Betty gets proposed to and says yes - she has many suitors on our show! It's just even more fun."

Season three will be the longest season yet at 24 episodes. Is it reassuring that TV Land has made that commitment?
"Absolutely yeah, it really is. TV Land is a small cable network, and somebody said that our show is to them what Mad Men was to AMC. We sort of gave them their brand - this is what TV Land does now. The faith they've shown in us strengthens your resolve to do good work, and it strengthens the writers' resolve too. They can start thinking ahead, and they don't have to worry about the future. Everybody just jumps on the train and the train keeps going!"

How do people respond to you now? Do they still talk about Frasier or has Hot in Cleveland taken over?
"Hot In Cleveland has taken over now, it's extraordinary. I can go to the most unlikely places. I'm thinking that it's middle-aged women watching our show, but it's not just them. I was in a fish market in Santa Monica, and the young guy behind the counter goes, 'Love the show! You ever gonna meet your son?'. It's just really, really extraordinary. We knew the show was good, but the way it took off was surprising. It's got a big following."

The second season of Hot In Cleveland airs on Tuesdays at 8.30pm on Sky Living in the UK, and returns to TV Land in the US on June 15. The Hot in Cleveland - Series 1 DVD is available in stores now.

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