“I want to be the worst! I’m proud of that,” admits Kether Donohue during our recent webcam chat (watch the exclusive video above) when asked whether the title of her show, FXX’s “You’re the Worst,” might be referring to her character. “If I am so honored to be called the worst, I would wear that badge very proudly,” the actress laughs.
In “You’re the Worst,” Donohue plays Lindsay Jillian, the sassy, sexy and impulsive best friend to Gretchen Cutler (Aya Cash), who is married to her polar opposite Paul (Allan McLeod), a plain and boring banker. In season three starring Chris Geere, Lindsay’s life begins to unravel a little as she questions whether she should have settled for Paul, and also contemplates an abortion.
Donohue relishes the balancing act between the overtly comedic and more serious parts of her character, as the show has deftly tackled the darker side of long-term relationships, sex and depression over its three seasons to date. “What I love about Lindsay is that I get to do broad, crazy, awesome, silly, physical comedy,” the actress explains, adding that “it’s a dream and very rare that in that same role in that project that you also get to portray a human being who has flaws and deeper, darker stuff going on.”
“Sometimes our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses,” Donohue notes when discussing how her character developed last season. “Her living from the id or being so impulsive is obviously to her detriment a lot of the time, but it’s also in a lot of ways a secret ingredient to a happy life.”
This subtle blend of comedy and drama that audiences have come to expect on “You’re the Worst” has become a true hallmark of the show. “I always say to people who don’t know about the show and want to learn about it that it is everything you love about a sitcom or romantic comedy combined with everything you love about a twisted f***ed up indie film,” Donohue says.
Donohue is looking forward to starting the show’s fourth season, having just received her scripts for the first few episodes. As expected, the actress is tight-lipped about actual details, but can’t hide her excitement at where the writers are taking Lindsay next season. “Lindsay’s journey is one that we have not seen before,” she reveals, teasing “what will Lindsay look like when she actually has her shit together and is a little bit more on her A game?”
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