Weighty issues:
The stars of American Housewife talk about the new TVNZ 2 comedy which puts fat and feminism centre stage.
Two veteran supporting actors join forces.
Two veteran supporting players from long-running sitcom hits come together for the new TVNZ 2 comedy American Housewife.
Katy Mixon, best known for playing Victoria, the sassy sister to Melissa McCarthy’s Molly on
Mike & Molly, takes centre stage as the straight-talking Katie Otto,
American Housewife’s title character. And playing opposite Mixon is Diedrich Bader, still best known as dim bulb Oswald from The Drew Carey Show.
“She (Katie) is an authentic lady living in an inauthentic world,” says Mixon. “She’s sassy and she’s a firecracker.
“She says it like it is and she is basically dealing with insecurities, and so she’s learning how to recognise them and walk through the fire.”
Katie’s insecurities seem to be accentuated by her surroundings – the disturbingly “perfect” town of Westport, Connecticut.
“Westport, Connecticut is a place that she does not fit in and she does not want to fit in, They’ve moved to Westport to help their youngest daughter Anna-Kat (Julia Butters) with her OCD situation,” explains Mixon.
“And so she’s not wanting to conform to the
Stepford Wives kind of town and she is determined that it is not going to turn her children into what she’s in the midst of.
“It’s comedy, of course, but it’s also
about being able to just be real and get real with it.”
Mixon’s ability to mix sass with vulnerability is the driving force behind the show with her character partly defined by her weight.
Previously third-fattest housewife in Westport, she is about to become the second fattest with the loss of her neighbour.
“I think American Housewife represents that it doesn’t matter what gender you come from, it doesn’t matter what background you are, everybody can relate to insecurities. And so it is truly about walking through the fire.
“Seeing it, knowing that you’re not perfect, it’s going to be OK, tomorrow’s a new day and you’re going to come out the other end,” says Mixon.
As vulnerable as she is, Katie has her work cut out with her three kids. “She really supports each child and meets them where they’re at. Oliver (Daniel DiMaggio) wants to
be a rich millionaire, which is incredible, but Katie’s teaching him to not cut corners and to have truth.
“Taylor (Meg Donnelly), she’s trying to instil in her that it is OK, you don’t have to follow the pack, you can be your own person. And sweet Anna-Kat, she’s just precious. They’re all magic.”
In a departure for Diedrich Bader, he has shunned his usual wacky role to play a conventional man in this series as Katie’s husband Greg.
“The thing that really attracted me to American Housewife was the script,” says Bader.
“It’s very funny and it’s very distinctive. Every show is different, and so every show has their own beat to it, and you have to go with wherever the script takes you.
“This was a very lovely script so it was very easy. Also, my character is so close to me, it makes for a very easy transition.”
With Katie shocking her Westport neighbours by constantly telling the truth, it often comes down to Greg to play the sounding board.
“Katie’s really outspoken and a very strong strong woman,” says Bader. “And she says things that polite society frowns upon – and impolite society and all society.”
Bader has nothing but praise for his co-star.
“Katy is a lovely actress. She kind of sets the tone. She treats everybody so incredibly well but she also looks you in the eye. So we’re really acting. That doesn’t happen very often.
“People have this illusion that in Hollywood everybody knows how to act.
“There really aren’t that many actual actors. Most people just do their lines. But Katy is the real thing. She’s actually acting. It’s a lovely thing.”
“She is an authentic lady living in an inauthentic world.” – Katy Mixon