Beloved for her roles in both film and television, Jaime Pressly has successfully navigated the path from modeling to acting. Having appeared in fan favorites such as My Name is Earl and I Love You, Man, Jaime has now begun work on an upcoming feature film, Abby in the Summer, where she plays the lead. Other than that, Butterfinger has placed her in charge of finding their next spokesperson. Jaime was kind enough to speak with TheCelebrityCafe.com’s Alec Campagna about her spectacular career and future endeavors.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: My Name is Earl was a massive television hit and continues to delight viewers in syndication. Can you tell our readers about your years on the show?
Jaime Pressly: It was honestly one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had and one of the most incredible groups of people I’ve ever worked with. Working with Greg Garcia, the creator, was the highlight above all. Working with him, made me want to stay in the business because before that I had just gotten back from Mainland China for five months doing a film. I was at the point where I had been doing it for years and living out of my suitcase and was ready to stay home and have some sense of normalcy and he showed me that you don’t have to be an ass to be in this business. He’s really good to everyone he works with, he never yells. In all the four or five years we worked together, I never saw him lose his cool or treat anybody disrespectfully. He’s a good man and so brilliant at what he does and he gave me a better outlook on the business in general.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Is there any chance that there will be a My Name is Earl feature film? (The series famously ended with the caption “To Be Continued.”)
Jaime Pressly: People ask us that all the time, and all of us, including Jason Lee, have all said we would do it in a heartbeat. It’s a matter of whether Greg Garcia has the time and has found the right script. Being that he has Raising Hope right now and he’s doing one more season or half of a season himself and then he’s moving over, he just signed a deal with CBS, so he’s gonna be going over there. But if he were to ever write the script, we are all in. So who knows?
TheCelebrityCafe.com: What new projects are you currently attached to?
Jaime Pressly: On Monday I’m starting a film called Abby in the Summer and I’m playing Abby and exec producing for the first time so I’m really excited about that. Frances Conroy is playing my mother and Robin Thicke, it’s his film debut, he’s gonna be playing my ex-boyfriend, and some other great people are in it. We’re in the middle of finishing everybody’s deals right now. We’re [also] in the process of creating a new TV show. A lot of setting up is a process, everything’s a long process, it takes a while to get everything developed. We’re getting ready to be in the thick of it starting Monday.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Before becoming an actress, you were a very successful model. What made you decide to pursue acting?
Jaime Pressly: I grew up with musical theatre and in a dance studio. My mom’s not only a dance teacher, but where we’re from she’s a choreographer for the performing arts department. So I grew up around a theatre being in and watching all the plays and I have been on stage since I was three as a dancer, so I kind of caught the bug early. I come from a very, very funny family, tons of personality. When one person’s finishing a joke, the next person’s getting ready to stand up to tell theirs. It’s kind of just in my blood; I love making people laugh and just entertaining in general. So it was something that was always the goal. Modeling was just an opportunity to get my foot in the door, figure out how the camera works, and travel. At 15, I went to Tokyo, and at 19 I got to live in Italy. It was an opportunity for me to go live in other places and learn other cultures, and as I said, get my foot in the door for the business I’m in now.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You recently starred in a FOX sitcom, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, alongside Katie Finneran, Kevin Rahm, and Chad Coleman. Can you tell me a little bit about that experience?
Jaime Pressly: Coming from Earl, I wanted to make sure that whatever set I was on, since you’re with these people more than you are your family, I wanted to make sure that everybody got along, and that it was you a happy place, a happy set. Seeing as it was the first time in a series that I was, jokingly we say “number one on the call-sheet,” where I was the lead on the show, I wanted to make sure I led by example, as did Greg Garcia, so we all had a very, very happy set. It was a very pleasant place to be, great schedule, which I wasn’t used to because, I’ve done multi-camera before, but multi-camera when you get to shoot in front of a studio audience is kind of like the greatest schedule you could ever ask for because it allows you to have a life. While the show didn’t continue, the 13 episodes we did shoot were 13 weeks of the greatest experience I’ve had equal to Earl because everyone was so genuine and kind and generous and funny and talented and well-rounded and it was just a great overall experience for everybody.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: You’ve received quite a bit of recognition for your work, namely an Emmy, and nominations for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. What has been the highlight of your career?
Jaime Pressly: Well I definitely think that Earl thus far has been the highlight. I got to stand on stage and accept an Emmy for something that I enjoyed doing and loved to do, for a character that I miss every day. It doesn’t get much better than that. And to be nominated by your peers for, like you said, the SAG Award is quite an honor as well. And Golden Globes, that’s bigger because that’s the foreign press, so that makes you feel like you’ve arrived even though I’ve been here for years.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: I’ve been told you’re at this year’s Comic-Con. How has that been?
Jaime Pressly: It’s great. You know, I’ve been to Comic-Con before but when I was here for films, I was in the thick of it in the main floor where it feels like there’s a million people. Today, it’s been much easier because we’re in our own room across the street so that everybody comes into the room and they get to interview me and then they leave and then the next one comes in. So it’s been much easier than my last few experiences at Comic-Con but we’re getting ready to go over to Sirius Radio and do some live stuff and I’m gonna get a closer look at everybody. But I’ve definitely gotten to see some of the people on the street and it is definitely an eclectic group of people. Some great people-watching going on today.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Butterfinger has placed you in charge of finding its last spokesperson before the world ends. How has that been coming along?
Jaime Pressly: It’s great. We shot the stuff a couple of weeks ago but today’s the first day that I’m actually getting to do press for it and they’re actually out on the floor of Comic-Con passing out flyers and everything and actually auditioning people and putting people on tape. People can go to Butterfinger on Facebook and it’ll give you all of the information and it’ll tell you exactly what you need to do and when to send it in and where to send it in. Basically, people just need to send in, if they’re not doing it here at Comic-Con, a video of them doing something really amazing, whatever they think it is, whatever their talent is, or something funny, and tell us why they think they would be the best choice for the last spokesperson on Earth for Butterfinger.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: How do you balance being a mom and an actress?
Jaime Pressly: It’s difficult. I was pregnant [with Desi] during the whole second season of Earl. It’s always difficult in the beginning to figure it out. But I chose to do television more than film and if I’m gonna do a film it either needs to shoot in L.A. or if it shoots somewhere else it has to be in the summer and not during the school year because I choose to stay home and make sure that Desi has a sense of normalcy. We have the neighborhood house so all of the kids come over every day. He goes to school a couple blocks away and he’s getting ready to start kindergarten in August. So it’s not easy whether it’s being an actress and being a mom or being a working parent in general, I don’t think that’s every easy. Being a parent is one of the most difficult things you can do and it’s also one of the most incredible things you can ever do.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?
Jaime Pressly: We’re gonna be choosing by August 10 who the last spokesperson on Earth is for Butterfinger, so everybody should send their submissions in as soon as possible, and, like I said originally, they can go to Butterfinger’s Facebook page, and it’ll give them all of the information. They’re gonna win $15,000 cash, vacation, and lots of other cool stuff.