THE GRIFFINS, STILL GOING STRONG: FAMILY GUY MVPs LOOK BACK

ALEX BORSTEIN Lois How did you get cast as Lois?

I was working on MADtv, which was developed by Leslie Kolins Small, who at the same time was shepherding Seth with Family Guy. Originally, they thought Family Guy was going to be interstitials during MADtv. I did the pilot presentation. I met Seth and went in the booth and just started doing this voice. It was inspired by my cousin in Long Island but was slowah … and lowah.

What’s your all-time favorite episode? Impossible to answer. I will say one we did recently, [season 21’s] “The Munchurian Candidate,” made me laugh so hard. Lois and Peter’s love life is stalled, and Lois would like him to pleasure her in a certain way. So they go to a therapist, who gives him hypnotherapy. Every time he hears the theme song to the show Extra — “Extra, Extra!” — he performs for Lois.

How about a favorite line of dialogue?

It’s in an episode where all the guys take ipecac and they vomit for what feels like 45 minutes. After a perfect beat, Lois Griffin walks in from the kitchen and says, “Who wants chowdah?”

How have these 400 episodes shaped your craft? I’ve done things I was scared to do. I’ve taken chances. I pushed myself vocally and comedically.

SETH GREEN Chris

Do you remember your Family Guy audition? Yeah, small group. Empty boardroom, real corporate, felt like it had just been rented for exactly this purpose. They had a little recorder, a microphone.

Did Seth MacFarlane give you any notes?

No, they didn’t give me any advice. They had a picture of Chris, which was the first time I’d seen him. So I looked at this hat and this hair and the earring. And he was overweight, and he had a look on his face that was like, “I don’t give a fuck.” Chris felt like he was going to be a mouthpiece for adolescent disgruntlement. So I pushed it from that perspective. I’m just like, “I’m not going to study. I don’t like any of that.”

What moments made you laugh hardest?

I love the couch gag between Chris and Peter in the Star Wars episode. Just the whole decision in the garbage compactor to be like, “You know what? I’m taking this couch.” I don’t know why that gets me so good. And then all of their efforts to try and get the couch out of the space: “Well, we’re just going to have to take off the cushions.” It’s so funny.

Do you ever walk into the writers room?

Oh yeah. I love the writers room. Everyone tires of me very quickly.

MILA KUNIS Meg

How did you wind up on Family Guy?

I was 15. Another actress was voicing Meg and then left the show, and they were recasting it. I went in and auditioned for it. But it’s not like I did a voice. I just did my voice. And then my only note from MacFarlane was, “You’ve got to slow down.” Because I guess I was talking really fast.

You’ve spent so much time with Meg now.

What are your thoughts about her?

I love Meg. I mean, how can you not after 400 episodes of voicing this character? I feel like I grew up with her.

She’s low-key my favorite character on the show. Listen, let’s not make it “low-key.” What’s the cool kid saying? “No cap.” Let’s just be all loud about it. I fucking love Meg. I’m so bummed that she gets the short end of the stick and all that, but she’s all of us.

Do you have a favorite joke you want to salute? There are certain things that I remember us doing early on that I could have sworn would never get on the air. And one of them was [the song] “Prom Night Dumpster Baby” [from season five’s “Airport ’07”]. I was like, “There’s no way that’s getting on the air.” And then it did get on the air, and I was like, “Wow, that’s awesome.”