The Province

Sarah Chalke returns, but not as Becky

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Sarah Chalke was just 16 years old when Roseanne changed her life.

Born in Ottawa and raised in North Vancouver, Chalke starred in comedian Roseanne Barr’s groundbrea­king sitcom of the late-’80s and ’90s, sharing the role of the Conner family’s oldest child Becky.

“I had an incredible experience the first time around,” Chalke told reporters at the semi-annual television critics press tour in January. “I am so grateful to Roseanne for taking a chance on a kid from Canada.”

She’ll be back — along with the original Becky, Lecy Goranson.

In the new, nine-episode 10th season, the hot topic around the table is Donald Trump, with Roseanne clearly in the U.S. president’s corner.

Questions about Barr’s personal support of Trump dominated the cast press conference, which is disappoint­ing, said Chalke.

She preferred to talk about the tight-knit set, the talented writing and production staff and how two actresses who played one character were both back on the show.

When she was approached for the revival, Chalke was told that she would be playing an entirely new character, a married woman named Andrea who hires Becky to be her surrogate. It’s a rather ingenious solution to the problem of bringing the two actresses together in the one family.

“My answer right from the beginning was a hundred per cent yes,” said Chalke, now 41. She loves that her character is both “unintentio­nally offensive” as well as “well-intentione­d but controllin­g” — in other words, she’s still a true Conner.

Chalke joined the series in 1993 when Goranson chose to leave after five seasons to go to university. Chalke sent “a grainy VHS tape down from Canada the second that I heard about it.” By her third audition, she had won the part.

“It was so early on in my career and my first big job and I was so young” said Chalke. “For me, that experience was really about watching and learning and being in awe.”

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