Mere months after Andrea Savage changed the game on the Season 2 finale of “iZombie” as Vivian Stoll, she’s back to her same tricks on the Season 5 finale of “Veep” as Laura Montez, who—SPOILER ALERT—ends the episode as the President of the United States, leaving Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer unemployed.
We spoke to Savage the day after the finale aired on HBO about her audition, the joys of Dreyfus, and the importance of controlling your own fate.
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On joining ‘Veep.’
“I was cast for the finale, and then we shot some press conference stuff that they put [earlier] in the season. And when I auditioned, they didn’t let me know what the role was. It was fake sides, and I just kind of went in and read and improvised with Julia. And they gave me a big speech to cold read that was just a very straight speech, and I thought, Hm, OK. And then after I got it, they were like, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re going to be the President of the United States of America. And if you tell anyone we’ll kill you.’ ”
On improvising in an audition with Louis-Dreyfus.
“I just thought I was going in and reading and she’d be there, so luckily I didn’t know ahead of time necessarily, because then you’re not getting that in your head. And for a lot of comedy women, she’s kind of everything you want to be, and sometimes when you meet someone like that, you’re like, What if they’re a dick or not as talented? But she delivers on every front. She’s so incredibly smart about her comedy and so detailed but somehow it’s effortless even though it’s really specific and thought through. And she’s an amazing producer! A super-involved producer. She’s very involved in the tapes, the look. Everything about it was like a dream come true.”
On walking onto the ‘Veep’ set for the first time.
“I’d already met her, and I know Matt Walsh quite well and I knew Tony [Hale]. And there was a day where we had a table read and then rehearsals, and we were hanging out all day and everyone was just super inviting and super cool and it was like, ‘Oh, these are my people!’ But it was still intimidating, for sure.”
On vanquishing audition nerves.
“I’m not someone who gets super nervous for auditions anymore. If I get nervous, I tell myself that’s because I’m excited and I try to look at it more as I’m excited to do this because it’s cool. Even going in with [Louis-Dreyfus], even if I end up not getting this role, I was like, ‘Oh my god, to sit in the room with her and read with her? That’s just a career highlight.’ So focus on that. And also at a certain point, you know this is in my wheelhouse, so I can have fun with that. And then there are the ones that aren’t in my wheelhouse that I do get nervous for!”
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On ‘Sweet Valley High.’
“[For] ‘Sweet Valley High’ I did 22 episodes with an accent and fruit on my head. I was actually union, and then ‘Sweet Valley High’ was nonunion, so I had to leave and go into penalty and pay a fine and then to get back in the union I had to pay all over again. But worth it. Worth it. Renata Vargas was worth it!”
On advice for young actors.
“Get onstage and never stop creating stuff on your own. Don’t rely on just being an actor and waiting for the phone to ring. You’ve got to be creating your own stuff. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but get up, practice your craft, and get a little control over your own destiny. [Upcoming truTV series ‘I’m Sorry’] is the eighth pilot I’ve sold but the first one we’ve filmed, and I’m so excited for it!”
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