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Establishing Rapport with ‘The Girl Next-Door’
H
aley Strode has proven her skills on
both screen and stage, effortlessly
executing dramatic and comedic
roles for which she has received significant
praise. With charm, sharp intelligence and a
vibrant personality, Haley is a multitalented
actress who has showcased her talent across
the board.
She was last seen onscreen co-starring as
Marcia Keeler in Gangster Squad where she
shared the screen with Josh Brolin, Giovan-
ni Ribisi, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn and
Emma Stone. And her impressive list of tel-
evision appearances includes a recurring
role on Important Things with Demetri
Martin as well as guest appearances on
Mind of Mencia, Lewis Black’s: Root of All
Evil, Pack of Wolves, CSI: NY, Castle,
Whitney, Vegas, L.A. Noir and The New
Normal.
Bringing her charisma to the theatre stage,
Haley received rave reviews for her per-
formance in the Katselas Theatre Compa-
ny’s production of Le Ronde de Lunch. The
comedy, written by Peter Lefcourt, was
awarded Stage Scene L.A.’s Best Produc-
tion for 2009-2010. Her previous theatre
credits include Oxford Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night as Viola, A Midsummer
Night’s Dream as Hippolyta, Othello as
Desdemona, Romeo and Juliet as Juliet, A
Streetcar Named Desire as Stella, Noises
Off! as Brooke, and The Importance of
Being Earnest as Cecily.
Here, Haley talks about her new sitcom,
Wendell & Vinnie where she plays a next-
door neighbor named Taryn opposite Jerry
Trainor and Buddy Handleson. The show is
set to premiere on Nick at Nite on Saturday,
Feb. 16 at 8 PM ET/PT. (Check local list-
ings)
Kam Williams: Hi, Haley, thanks for the
time.
Haley Strode: Of course, Kam!
KW: What interested you in Wendell &
Vinnie?
HS: Taryn is the kind of role I’ve always
wanted to play: the eternal optimist, sweet
and thoughtful, but fiery when she needs to
be. She’s got it all, and then some. I was
enamored, and after reading the entire
script, I fell in love. It’s classic sitcom
through and through. One thing I absolutely
loved about the show from the beginning
was that not only are the characters hilari-
ous, but they’re also incredibly relatable.
When a poignant moment unfolds, as it
does in every episode thus far, it has the
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by Kam
Williams
ability to pull on your heartstrings. It’ll
make you laugh and cry, and it’s one of that
kind of show that I love and grew up watch-
ing, like Cheers, Friends, and Frasier. A lot
of our writers actually worked on and have
won Emmys on those shows.
KW: Tell me a little about the sitcom?
HS: The show revolves around a 30 year-
old man-child, Vinnie Basset [played by
Jerry Trainor], who is living the bachelor’s
life in L.A., when he suddenly becomes the
prime caretaker of his bookworm, brainiac
nephew, Wendell [played by Buddy Handle-
son]. The two form a sort of odd couple
duo, being that Wendell, on many occa-
sions, can be more discerning and responsi-
ble than his uncle. And with the help of their
next-door neighbor my character, Taryn,
and Vinnie’s sister, Wilma [played by
Nicole Sullivan], a support unit is formed to
help raise Wendell… and sometimes Vin-
nie. [Laughs]
KW: How would you describe your char-
acter, Taryn?
HS: As I said, Taryn is the kind of girl that
has it all. She’s the quintessential girl next-
door. In the pilot episode, we see her strug-
gling with a new town and existence really,
because she’s newly divorced. There’s defi-
nitely a vulnerability there, mixed with the
fire she possesses to turn down Vinnie’s
advances from the beginning. But once she
meets Wendell, and sees how much Vinnie
loves his nephew and wants to be a good
parent, the side of her that wears her heart
on her sleeve becomes intertwined in the
family unit.
KW: What message do you think the
show is trying to deliver?
HS: I think ultimately the message is that
no matter what life throws at us, no matter
what our circumstances are, surrounding
ourselves with people who love and support
us is the key to leading a happy and fulfilled
life. Family doesn’t have to be convention-
al; it just has to have love and laughter at its
core.
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KW: You recently played a serious role in
Gangster Squad where your husband [Gio-
vanni Ribisi] dies, leaving you a single-
mom. Which do you prefer, drama or
comedy?
HS: This is a great question, I’m asked
this a lot. While I love working on dramatic
characters and stories, it’s comedy that I
love the most. For me, it’s incredibly
rewarding to make a person laugh. Laughter
is one of the greatest parts of life.
KW: What was it like working with such
an accomplished cast that included not only
Giovanni Ribisi, but Sean Penn, Ryan
Gosling, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte, Anthony
Mackie, Michael Pena and Robert Patrick?
HS: It was truly an incredible experience.
I’ve been a huge fan of Giovanni’s for a
long time; he’s such a chameleon. It was an
honor to work with him, as well as the rest
of this stellar cast. Being that it was male
dominated, it was often fun feeling like a
part of the ‘boys club’ that took place on set.
Such a talented, fun and luckily for me, wel-
coming group of men that made the entire
experience a memorable one. Our director
Ruben Fleischer, was the most welcoming
of them all. I can’t say enough about how
wonderful it was to work with him and
watch him work.
KW: What would be your dream role?
HS: I’ve often tried to imagine my dream
role and what that would truly mean. I’m
not sure I’ve reached a clear picture of it
yet, but I have always said the reason I
wanted to act was ultimately to develop
characters that evoke emotion and conse-
quently change lives. So many incredible
actors do that for me. It’s something I’ve
known about myself for as long as I can
remember.
KW: What directors would you like to
work with?
HS: Cameron Crowe, Michel Gondry,
Charlie Kaufman, Wes Anderson, Jonathan
Dayton, Rob Reiner and many, many more.
KW: Is there any question no one ever
asks you, that you wish someone would?
HS: I wish someone would ask me about
my big brothers so I could talk about how
proud of them I am and all their accom-
plishments. My oldest brother owns and
operates our family’s fifth generation farm
alongside my father, and is a member of the
Kentucky Agriculture Leadership Develop-
ment Program. Only 22 are chosen to travel
worldwide to study and teach different
methods of farming. They’ll be heading to
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Haley Strode
Washington, DC in the fall to speak to leg-
islators about how to improve methods of
agriculture in our country. My other brother,
Matthew, is a general surgeon in Georgia,
halfway through his residency and working
on research that will hopefully be used to
help children with specific deficiencies.
This month he’ll be presenting a paper he
wrote on this at a national surgical confer-
ence. My brothers are incredible and I
couldn’t be more proud of them.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you
ever afraid?
HS: Yes, but I always manage to rework
my fear into drive.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are
you happy?
HS: Extraordinarily so!
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When
was the last time you had a good laugh?
HS: Today, on set. There has not been one
day I’ve left without my cheeks and stom-
ach hurting from laughing so hard. It’s the
greatest workout routine ever.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
HS: A badass pair of heels, and cookie
dough ice cream
See HALEY on page 8
D
A
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S EATTLE 2013
St. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
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Thursday February 14
BOOK, BAKE AND BLING SALE TO BENEFIT NW
HARVEST. Fins the perfect Valentine’s gifts for your
loved ones. Enjoy a cup of coffee while you
browse our large collection of books, jewelery,
crafts and yummy baked goods. Ballard
Oddfellows – Alki Lodge #170, 1706 NW Market
Page 2 The Seattle Skanner February 13, 2013
AYRON JONESAND THE WAY PLAYS A BENEFIT FOR
SEATTLE TEEN MUSIC. A show with a portion of the
proceeds going to Seattle Teen Music. All ages,
$10 at the door, $7 for high school and college
students with I.D. $8.00 in advance. The Vera
Project, 305 Harrison St. For more info call 206-
956-8372.
LION DANCING, FIREWORKS AND FESTIVE
ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRATE VIETNAMESE LUNAR
NEW YEAR! Join us and experience the cultural
roots of Vietnam through music and dance
performances, hands – on activities, Vietnamese
food and much more. Seattle Center Armory and
Fisher Pavilion. Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday February 23
Saturday February 16
FAMILY FESTIVAL AT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM. Join us for
a big family festival to celebrate the opening of
Seattle Art Museum’s special exhibition. 10 a.m. –
3 p.m. SAM Downtown, 1300 1st Ave.
Saturday & Sunday February 16 & 17
THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENTS AN
AFFTERNOON WITH MADELINE ALBRIGHT. Come
join former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline
Albright for a discussion about her memoir
Prague Winter: A Personal Story Remembrance
and War, 1937 – 1948. From 2 – 3:30 p.m. at
Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave. Free doors open at
1:15 p.m.