Winning at WFH
Lockdown didn’t slow down Tina Fey one bit as she oversaw a number of projects, such as “Mr. Mayor” and “Girls5eva”
When the coronavirus hit last spring, some people embraced lockdown as an opportunity to get around to doing the things they always said they’d do someday. The monthslong hiatus from normal life meant there was finally time to crack the spine on that moldering copy of “War and Peace,” binge-watch the must-see TV show that had gone unseen or perhaps embrace the art of banana bread-making.
Not Tina Fey.
She spent extra time with her husband, the composer Jeff Richmond, and their two daughters. But her workload never wavered. In the past months, she’s been a pandemic-era jack-of-all-trades. Want a taste of Hollywood’s new normal? Fey helped write the handbook.
While production was entirely shut down in , she put finishing touches from home on “Mr. Mayor,” the NBC sitcom starring Ted Danson and Holly Hunter, and remotely filmed a “ Rock” reunion special entirely over Zoom that aired in July.
As the pandemic wore on and the entertainment industry got more innovative, Fey oversaw the creation of an entire season of television for the upcoming Peacock comedy “Girlseva” by convening a virtual writers’ room.
In between, she co-hosted the Golden Globes with Amy Poehler from opposite coasts, emceed a tribute to Broadway and saw the Disney Plus release of Pixar’s “Soul,” in which she voices the sassy cynic called .
What do you think of the part of the ceremony that you did watch?
It was nice to see people out and see a red carpet. I have a problem; when awards shows actually start, if you’re home, you just clean your kitchen. I only half listened. But I did think people looked good.
What’s the latest on turning the “Mean Girls” musical into a movie?
We’re still relatively early on. We’re looking for a director right now. The first time we had new actors play these roles [on Broadway], it was like breaking the seal, like, “Now these roles belong to more than one set of actors.” I’m excited to see who ends up being in the movie.
Would you have the Broadway actors reprise their parts?
I think our Broadway actors are probably too old [laughs]. It’s been four years since they did it on Broadway.
Would you ever direct?
I’ve thought about it, but I really respect directors who think in pictures. The great thing about TV is that a showrunner can do hands-on stuff with the actors without having to think about the coverage or camera shots. I’ve always left it to people who it’s truly their calling. I never wanted to be a director that was there just to make sure people don’t paraphrase the script.
Are you a natural leader?
Once I became a head writer at “SNL,” that was the
beginning. You’re taking other people’s sketches, and you don’t take them away and manhandle them. You try to sit there with them to figure out, “How can we help you make the best version of what you were hoping to do?” Then the trial by fire of “¢ Rock.” I learned so much in those seven years about production, handling people, respecting your crew’s time, collaborating with designers and even when to bother a guest star to come in.
Amy Poehler and Robert Carlock are among your frequent collaborators. What’s the secret to longterm working relationships?
It’s the No A-hole policy. For a start, no one should be throwing a baked potato at anyone. That’s the baseline. With someone like Amy Poehler, we have a shorthand with each other. With someone like Robert Carlock, we can trust each other to finish it. It’s a great foundation to build on. And then Jeff Richmond, we’re married. He can’t escape me.
You’ve said women in writers’ rooms were once regarded like cappuccino machines: We have one, so why do we need another? Has that changed? In some ways, yes. Any project I’m a part of, I’m trying to very proactively shape these rooms to be as diverse as possible. That cappuccino machine thinking — now, people have to [stop] thinking that way about other marginalized groups. Whether it’s