Griffin ‘begged’ for that ‘You’ cameo
Comedian still hustling to separate herself from controversial photo
If you blinked, you may have missed Kathy Griffin’s “You” cameo, but as the industry saying goes: “There are no small parts, only small actors.”
Griffin played herself on the show and was tasked with giving a speech at a pivotal moment (season 2, episode 6). Griffin’s cameo lasted approximately 90 seconds, but the actress who said she’s had a rough time in Hollywood since she posed with a fake severed Trump head in 2017, feels her bit part only happened because she was persistent.
“I straight up was just begging for five lines on something that would be seen by people that had nothing to do with Trump — nothing that was controversial,” Griffin told USA Today in a phone interview. “(“You” showrunner Greg Berlanti) called me up, he was so nice — he said, you know he’s a gay guy, he said, ‘You know Kathy, after all you’ve done for the community, all these decades, I’m happy to do this for you.’ ”
Griffin, who said she is no longer represented by an agent, has taken to trying to secure roles by contacting executive producers and showrunners on social media, via direct messages.
“I’m certainly learning how to do more things, as they say, ‘in house,’ and (it’s) one of the things that I became proactive about after the Trump scandal because it’s kind of like Hollywood feels like I have something that they’re going to catch... People don’t want to get Kathy Griffin-ed.”
On set, Griffin was welcomed by the cast and was given some creative liberty with her lines.
“It was a day where I got to be on planet normal,” Griffin said. “It was just such a fantastic gift.”
Between her cameo on “You” and her surprise wedding to Randy Bick, Griffin’s had an upbeat start to 2020.
The two wed just after midnight on New Year’s Day in a surprise ceremony officiated by Lily Tomlin.
“New Year’s Eve has a certain significance for me, let’s face it, it’s kind of bittersweet,” said the comedian, who was fired from her CNN New Year’s Eve hosting gig after her controversial photo shoot.
“Randy actually had the idea... he said, ‘You know, what if we did it like basically right after midnight? And that way it’s a positive thing to do on New Year’s Eve for both of us.’ Then he said, ‘But if we waited until New Year’s Day, then technically it’s a double whammy of positivity where it’s starting out a new decade on a really fun and positive note.’ ”
Griffin has more to celebrate, too. In 2019, she released “Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story” on Amazon Prime.
“I haven’t made a penny from it, but honestly the fact that it’s available in 62 countries worldwide is a huge point of pride and that it went to so many film festivals and won awards and I got to do keynote speeches,” Griffin said. “It’s been a really gratifying part of this experience.”
The film had its world premiere at SXSW in 2019 and won the Freedom of Speech Award at Traverse City Film Festival 2019 in Michigan.
Griffin said her life has changed and she isn’t the same person as she was before her scandal.
“While the picture has caused me a lot of duress, it’s also made me global — everybody knows the crazy red-haired lady from the photo,” she said. “It has made me more fearless and I really feel strongly that whoever comes at me, they have to understand I’ve prevailed against the president of the United States.”