BWW Interviews: Kirstie Alley Talks Guest Role on THE MIDDLE & Plans for Broadway Debut

KIRSTIE Alley will guest star on the January 7th episode of ABC's THE MIDDLE titled "Pam Freakin' Staggs". In the episode, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) is thrilled when Pam Staggs (Kirstie Alley) - the most popular girl in high school who wouldn't give Frankie a second look back then - moves back to Orson and invites her to hang out. But Mike becomes concerned with Frankie when she and Pam begin partying every night and acting like rebellious teenagers.

Today, the actress talks exclusively to BWW about the upcoming guest role, her plans to make her Broadway debut and how she made her childhood dreams come true!

Thanks for speaking with us today Kirstie. Your role in the upcoming episode of THE MIDDLE had me in stitches. How would you describe the character you portray?

[laughing] Can I say f**ed up?

Well, you can say something along those lines.

Along those lines, yeah. Well you know, I think she's sort of typical of the high school cheerleader girls that were popular and then down the road, things went awry. But I think it seems like she's still clinging to her high school days of being popular and going out and partying every night.

Did you model the character after anybody you know, or perhaps, knew back when you were growing up?

Well there are just such great writers on this show. I'm a huge fan of 'The Middle', it's one of my top three shows, and I really wanted to do the show. The role was written for me and it was written brilliantly and the writers are awesome. But yeah, I knew those girls in high school, definitely. And some of them are dead now, cause they just kept hitting the bottle all these years later. But I really like the way the episode ends where you think, 'Oh she's finally learned her lesson,' but actually she's learned nothing. And I think that's more real.

I know the show has a huge following among younger viewers and I was thinking that even though this storyline follows two adult women, it really has a nice message for today's teens as far as the social issues they have to deal with.

I honest to God think that the struggles they face are the same struggles that we faced. I feel like they may have a better menu of struggles that they can chose from, but alcohol for example, has always been a big problem and you see what it does to people. And yes, I think the beauty of the episode is that Frankie always felt like she has really missed out on everything when she was younger but she ultimately finds out that she hasn't missed out, she gets to have the last say and the last laugh and I think that that is awesome. And it's true to the show. Like I said, I'm a huge fan of the show, and I wanted good to prevail - and it does.

You grew up in Kansas, correct?

Yep, Wichita.

Do you see any similarities between your own background and the setting of 'The Middle'?

Oh totally. That household can be any house in the neighborhood that I grew up in - absolutely. And that's why, you know when I moved to Hollywood, it was such a long shot for me to ever be hired because I basically grew up sort of similar to what you see on the show. And even on the show they depict it well, that their hopes and dreams are small slices of life and so for me to think that I could possibly go away and make it big somewhere was bold or stupid of me, I don't know which. But whatever it was, it was enough that I could see my way out of Kansas and at least make it to Hollywood.

And you were a big success, proving dreams can come true.

They can!

I wanted to ask you about working with Patricia Heaton because the two of you had such great chemistry together. Was this the first time you've worked together?

We haven't worked together before. We know each other but we hadn't worked together and you know she is just so spot on, she's so brilliant, just so consistently brilliant that it was a little intimidating because I was sort of in awe of everything she did. So it was sort of the reverse of the script - she was freakin Pam Staggs more than I was!

Ah, the irony! Is it hard to jump into a long-running series like 'The Middle' as a new character?

Well I know that Frankie has talked about my character in different seasons, so that made it a little easier. But I mean everyone on this set was so gracious and so generous with me and so awesome with me. And I'm not used to doing lines verbatim, as written by the writers. And this show is basically Shakespeare, you just don't alter a word, and that's almost impossible for me. I tried really hard, but unfortunately I'm sort of a gist actress, if I get the gist of it and don't blow a joke, what's wrong with that? [laughing] So I was very intimidated because Patty had told me before, 'You know these writers, you have to say every single word verbatim,' and I was like, 'Oh my God, you just chose the wrong actress.' But luckily they gave me a little leeway as I stumbled through.

And what about the physical comedy, for example when you had the scene with Neil [Flynn] and you licked the inside of his ear - was that in the script or was that improvised?

Yeah, basically everything on that show is written, I made up a few things, but yes, it did say 'now lick her husband'. And I gotta tell you, when I first read the script, and this is rare, I was laughing out loud. And they wrote it very outrageous and I was so happy that it wasn't a conservative character. And then when I would do a scene they'd say, 'Ok now bigger, bigger' and I was like, 'Alright, are you sure?' That's sort of an actor's dream.

Well since many of our readers are theater fans, they loved your TV Land show 'Kirstie' in which you played a Broadway diva. Is Broadway something you hope to do one day?

I do. As a matter of fact, I'm in New York right now doing publicity for Jenny Craig, and I'm meeting with different Broadway people to do a couple of different projects. So yeah, I'm ready. My kids are now 20 and 22 and I feel like I can be on Broadway for six months or a year, and I can work that into my life, because I'm a single mother, and this is about the first time that I've really seen that as a real option. So I'm excited. I think it would be swell. I'd be thrilled to do a Broadway play.

Oh wow, that would be exciting.

Yeah, it would be really exciting for me too, it would be something so different for me. I guess I'd have to have a lot of rehearsal, because as I said, I'm a gist actor and I'm pretty sure on Broadway you have to say the lines the same every night [laughing]

I guess it depends on the show, but yes, usually you do!

Yeah, usually they don't like you improvising your way through the show. You can probably get in a lot of trouble for doing that and it wouldn't be consistent, so I'd have to have a nice, long rehearsal period. And I haven't done very much theater, in fact I have hardly done any theater, so it would be great. I just want it to be great. I want my debut to be great and I just can't imagine doing a Broadway play that gets bad reviews and then you still have to keep going.

Well I certainly hope that we read about you making your Broadway debut very soon.

Yeah, I agree, I think I'm ready. I've already got the diva part down so I'm ready to go!

Watch a promo for Wednesday night's episode of THE MIDDLE below:

About ABC's THE MIDDLE

"The Middle airs "WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network and stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue and Atticus Shaffer as Brick.

"Pam Freakin' Staggs" was written by Jana Hunter & Mitch Hunter and directed by Elliot Hegarty.

For more visit: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-middle

About KIRSTIE Alley

KIRSTIE Alley's work in television has earned her six Golden Globe ® and eight Emmy ® Award nominations. She has won a Golden Globe, two Emmys and two People's Choice Awards.

Alley recently wrapped production on the first season of TVLand's "Kirstie", where she served ad both star and executive producer. In 2005, Alley co-wrote and starred in Showtime's critically acclaimed comedy "Fat Actress." She also played the title character in the NBC sitcom "Veronica's Closet" and served as executive producer for the series. In 1994, Alley showcased her dramatic range starring in the CBS TV movie "David's Mother". In 1987, KIRSTIE joined the cast of the long-running hit NBC sitcom "Cheers" as the neurotic Rebecca Howe.

Alley made her feature film debut in 1982 in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," in which she played the beautiful Vulcan officer Lieutenant Saavik. In 1999, KIRSTIE starred in the dark comedy film "Drop Dead Gorgeous," the cult-classic mockumentary that follows contestants in a beauty pageant in Minnesota. KIRSTIE starred in Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry" in 1997, and then then starred alongside longtime friend John Travolta in the hit film "Look Who's Talking." The successful film spawned two more movies in which KIRSTIE starred: "Look Who's Talking Too" and "Look Who's Talking Now."

Photo & bio courtesy of KIRSTIE Alley Official Web Site