This article originally appeared in the February 2007 issue of Venice Magazine. Since then, “Ugly Betty” has gone on to be one of the top-rated shows on television. And Jensen, along with co-star Ricky Gervais, recently wrapped up “Extras” with the “Extras Holiday Special” which premiered on HBO last month. The final 2-hour episode was the perfect capper to a series which was frequently hysterical but also quite sad at the same time. The finale visits Gervais’ Andy as he has become the walking definition of a celebrity jerk. He gets an extra on his catchphrase-driven sitcom fired for approaching him about getting a throwaway line on the show, and has completely taken his friendship with Jensen’s Maggie for granted, at one convincing her to play his assistant when a journalist visits his house for an interview. But the series ends on the higher note of Gervais' rejection of being famous for the sake of being famous, and finally SPOILER AHEAD………………………………......................he and Maggie drive off into the sunset together, that being the grey skies of England in this case, presumably to move on to being more than just friends.
Although I’m going to miss “Extras” greatly, it’s nice that Gervais knew when to end the show. The commerce of the entertainment industry dictates that a successful show be milked for all it is worth, but in this case, someone with the success of Gervais was able to dictate that the story end where it naturally should.
OUT OF THE WARDROBE CLOSET
Ashley Jensen, the wardrobe mistress of “Ugly Betty,” sews up a great year.
By Terry Keefe
It doesn’t get much better for an actor than being on two of the best series on television at the same time. The actor in question being Scottish-born Ashley Jensen, who has plum roles on both “Ugly Betty” and “Extras.” Her part on “Betty” is as the wardrobe supervisor Christina, who in the initial episodes is one of the only kind characters that Betty encounters during her first days at the fictional Mode Magazine. The character has provided a nice grounding counterpart for some of the flashier characters on the show, as well as a much-needed sounding board for Betty.
And as for the new season of “Extras,” tastes in humor certainly vary but this writer thinks the new material is some of the funniest material ever in a series. For the uninitiated, the show features the adventures of career film and television extras Andy and Maggie, played by Ricky Gervais and Jensen. The new season adds the wrinkle that Andy has now written a show called “When the Whistle Blows,” for the BBC, in which he has been somehow cast as the star. Although Andy set out with higher artistic aspirations for the show, it’s been dumbed-down for the lowest common denominator and its humor now revolves almost entirely around a series of constantly-repeated catchphrases such as “Are you having a laugh?” and “I don’t get it!” [Say these with a thick British accent fast and they get a lot funnier.] Despite his contempt for his own material, Andy starts to take on haughty star trappings, but finds that real stars like David Bowie still don‘t want to hang out with him. Meanwhile, Maggie is still an extra, but now Andy is at least able to get her hired on some of his own productions. A particularly great running gag is that the male stars always find themselves irresistibly attracted to the extra Maggie, while she wants nothing to do with them. This provides one of the season highlights when Daniel Radcliffe plays himself on the set of a Harry Potter film and he subjects Maggie to every sort of verbal sexual advance imaginable. She still turns him down. And in another episode, Orlando Bloom strikes out with her as well.
You’ve been very busy!
Ashley Jensen: I can’t believe my luck. To go from “Extras” to “Ugly Betty,” I feel like I walked into the best show that went to pilot, that won Golden Globes, all in a matter of steps. “Ugly Betty” is charming and delightful and just sort of tumbled into America at the right time. And it’s hopeful too, with nice underlying messages. So it’s great to be a part of something like that. Because so much of what’s on television is gloom and doom and you have to cover the children’s ears. It’s a show that everybody can watch.
The underlying messages are what sets it apart. When the first promotional picture of America as Betty was released, with the braces and bad fashions, it seemed like the show would be a very broad comedy. And it often is broad, but it’s also very grounded in reality.
I think the acting kind of covers everything, really. There are moments when we are quite heightened, and then there are moments when we have to kind of pull it in. And the tone slightly changes. So having the likes of America as a central character, someone with such a big heart, it really gives the program heart as well. It roots the show really. So because of her strength of character, all of us other characters can afford to be heightened at times and it all sort of balances out. It’s great. You know, the tone is not something we all sat around and discussed. I think that the casting of the program was just so spot-on, that everyone has sort of brought their strengths to the program. It’s just been like a great big mixing board. A great big recipe in which everyone has just slung in their bit and it’s come out like a great, big cake that works.
After visiting the set of “Ugly Betty,” it occurred to me that working on this show could make one very paranoid about one’s own fashion sense.
That hasn’t happened to me yet [laughs]. No, I don’t think I can yet afford to get myself tied into knots about that. But because I play Christina the hopeful designer, I could definitely have a bad day, wandering around the streets, and people would be like, “Oh my god, she is so unfashionable!” [laughs] That could be embarrassing.
The new episodes of “Extras” are hilarious. And biting.
It’s a theatre of humiliation and cruelty, slightly, isn’t it? [laughs] It’s been quite fascinating how well it’s been received everywhere. I spoke to someone in Korea recently and they were talking about how well it’s gone down there too. We always talk about how a British sense of humor may not translate to other countries, but this really has. I think one of the reasons, apart from the fact that it’s so brilliantly written, is that everybody can relate to “Extras.” It’s just sort of a coincidence that they’re in the entertainment business. They could be anywhere. Maggie is a girl who doesn’t really have any career aspirations. She just really wants to fall in love. And Andy just wants to be noticed for being worthwhile at his job. Those are things we all can relate to as human beings. And we all make faux pas. And we all pretend that we don’t. To be honest, though, Maggie makes more than most. She spends half her life with her foot in her mouth [laughs].
What was your shooting schedule between the two shows?
In Britain, we only do six episodes and that’s a whole season. When I came over here after “Extras”, people always asked me, “Why did they just stop midway through the season?” But we only do six episodes in Britain. We shoot for eight weeks, do six episodes, and that’s a successful season [laughs]. So I finished “Extras” at the end of July, packed up my bags, and then came out to L.A. on my own, until my gentleman and my dog came out. That was a lonely time for the first two months. I think I sort of wandered around in a daze for awhile. Literally wandered around. Thinking, “I can walk [in L.A.]. It’s fine.” I got on the metro and ended up in downtown at dark [laughs]. I’m wandering around in like a little red and polka dot dress. I was thinking, “Okay, I’m not in Notting Hill anymore.” [laughs]
Do you know what you’re doing on the hiatus for “Betty”?
I’m staying in town. I’d love to do a film, something that is in complete contrast to what I’m doing on television. I’d also like to do an animated film, as a voice. I could play a great Scottish sheep. Or a hedgehog [laughs].
OUT OF THE WARDROBE CLOSET
Ashley Jensen, the wardrobe mistress of “Ugly Betty,” sews up a great year.
By Terry Keefe
It doesn’t get much better for an actor than being on two of the best series on television at the same time. The actor in question being Scottish-born Ashley Jensen, who has plum roles on both “Ugly Betty” and “Extras.” Her part on “Betty” is as the wardrobe supervisor Christina, who in the initial episodes is one of the only kind characters that Betty encounters during her first days at the fictional Mode Magazine. The character has provided a nice grounding counterpart for some of the flashier characters on the show, as well as a much-needed sounding board for Betty.
And as for the new season of “Extras,” tastes in humor certainly vary but this writer thinks the new material is some of the funniest material ever in a series. For the uninitiated, the show features the adventures of career film and television extras Andy and Maggie, played by Ricky Gervais and Jensen. The new season adds the wrinkle that Andy has now written a show called “When the Whistle Blows,” for the BBC, in which he has been somehow cast as the star. Although Andy set out with higher artistic aspirations for the show, it’s been dumbed-down for the lowest common denominator and its humor now revolves almost entirely around a series of constantly-repeated catchphrases such as “Are you having a laugh?” and “I don’t get it!” [Say these with a thick British accent fast and they get a lot funnier.] Despite his contempt for his own material, Andy starts to take on haughty star trappings, but finds that real stars like David Bowie still don‘t want to hang out with him. Meanwhile, Maggie is still an extra, but now Andy is at least able to get her hired on some of his own productions. A particularly great running gag is that the male stars always find themselves irresistibly attracted to the extra Maggie, while she wants nothing to do with them. This provides one of the season highlights when Daniel Radcliffe plays himself on the set of a Harry Potter film and he subjects Maggie to every sort of verbal sexual advance imaginable. She still turns him down. And in another episode, Orlando Bloom strikes out with her as well.
You’ve been very busy!
Ashley Jensen: I can’t believe my luck. To go from “Extras” to “Ugly Betty,” I feel like I walked into the best show that went to pilot, that won Golden Globes, all in a matter of steps. “Ugly Betty” is charming and delightful and just sort of tumbled into America at the right time. And it’s hopeful too, with nice underlying messages. So it’s great to be a part of something like that. Because so much of what’s on television is gloom and doom and you have to cover the children’s ears. It’s a show that everybody can watch.
The underlying messages are what sets it apart. When the first promotional picture of America as Betty was released, with the braces and bad fashions, it seemed like the show would be a very broad comedy. And it often is broad, but it’s also very grounded in reality.
I think the acting kind of covers everything, really. There are moments when we are quite heightened, and then there are moments when we have to kind of pull it in. And the tone slightly changes. So having the likes of America as a central character, someone with such a big heart, it really gives the program heart as well. It roots the show really. So because of her strength of character, all of us other characters can afford to be heightened at times and it all sort of balances out. It’s great. You know, the tone is not something we all sat around and discussed. I think that the casting of the program was just so spot-on, that everyone has sort of brought their strengths to the program. It’s just been like a great big mixing board. A great big recipe in which everyone has just slung in their bit and it’s come out like a great, big cake that works.
After visiting the set of “Ugly Betty,” it occurred to me that working on this show could make one very paranoid about one’s own fashion sense.
That hasn’t happened to me yet [laughs]. No, I don’t think I can yet afford to get myself tied into knots about that. But because I play Christina the hopeful designer, I could definitely have a bad day, wandering around the streets, and people would be like, “Oh my god, she is so unfashionable!” [laughs] That could be embarrassing.
The new episodes of “Extras” are hilarious. And biting.
It’s a theatre of humiliation and cruelty, slightly, isn’t it? [laughs] It’s been quite fascinating how well it’s been received everywhere. I spoke to someone in Korea recently and they were talking about how well it’s gone down there too. We always talk about how a British sense of humor may not translate to other countries, but this really has. I think one of the reasons, apart from the fact that it’s so brilliantly written, is that everybody can relate to “Extras.” It’s just sort of a coincidence that they’re in the entertainment business. They could be anywhere. Maggie is a girl who doesn’t really have any career aspirations. She just really wants to fall in love. And Andy just wants to be noticed for being worthwhile at his job. Those are things we all can relate to as human beings. And we all make faux pas. And we all pretend that we don’t. To be honest, though, Maggie makes more than most. She spends half her life with her foot in her mouth [laughs].
What was your shooting schedule between the two shows?
In Britain, we only do six episodes and that’s a whole season. When I came over here after “Extras”, people always asked me, “Why did they just stop midway through the season?” But we only do six episodes in Britain. We shoot for eight weeks, do six episodes, and that’s a successful season [laughs]. So I finished “Extras” at the end of July, packed up my bags, and then came out to L.A. on my own, until my gentleman and my dog came out. That was a lonely time for the first two months. I think I sort of wandered around in a daze for awhile. Literally wandered around. Thinking, “I can walk [in L.A.]. It’s fine.” I got on the metro and ended up in downtown at dark [laughs]. I’m wandering around in like a little red and polka dot dress. I was thinking, “Okay, I’m not in Notting Hill anymore.” [laughs]
Do you know what you’re doing on the hiatus for “Betty”?
I’m staying in town. I’d love to do a film, something that is in complete contrast to what I’m doing on television. I’d also like to do an animated film, as a voice. I could play a great Scottish sheep. Or a hedgehog [laughs].
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