Celebrity Spotlight: Donna Lynne Champlin 

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself and career?

A: Well, let’s see. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA in Music Theatre, I spent over 22 yearscultivating a very satisfying acting career on Broadway, Off Broadway and regionally. I did a couple of bit parts on some NYC TV shows (including Law and Order) but never really considered having any sort of non-theatre career until I booked Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. That opened a bunch of doors for me in the on-camera community, and I’ve been happily bouncing back and forth between TV, film, and theatre gigs ever since.

Q: How would you describe your “Law & Order: SVU” role?

A: Uhmmmm, a dream come true? Hahaha. For real though, what a gift that role was. Megan is a victim who “doesn’t act like a normal victim” which is like Christmas for an actor like me. It’s the first time I’ve been able to show (on-camera) the acting range I have been doing in the theatre for so long. Using those dramatic muscles again was thrilling, but it was also a very new experience for me, doing that kind of multi-leveled, emotional work on a TV set instead of a proscenium. You aim for the same authenticity but via a vastly different technique. I loved every second of it though. What a blast.

Q: How was the character described to you?

A: Ironically, it was never described to me before I signed on. SVU called end of day on a Friday and asked if I was available ASAP and could I be in a costume fitting on Monday. I said “sure”, they offered me the role and we did the deal. It was all so quick that I just assumed someone had dropped out last minute for a small role, and I was happy to help them out of a jam. Then I read the script the next day and was like “Holy s***! This part is huge and it’s a barn burner!”.

Q: How do you relate to your character and if not, which of her characteristics do you wish you had?

A: Megan is a middle aged, small-town, “every woman” and so am I. I’m from a small town in upstate NY, and I also look very much like “every woman”. So, I understand very well what kind of life this woman lives on a day-to-day basis from my own upbringing and personal experience. I’m just not used to the Megans of the world being so central to the storytelling in a show like SVU. How marvelous was that!? Kudos to the SVU writer’s room on representing what I imagine is an enormous part of their audience.

I guess Megan and I are similar in that we’re both fighters, we take time to process things, we’re fiercely private, and we need to be “doing” things constantly; actively “fixing” in a therapeutic way. Sitting around is very uncomfortable for us, so we need to keep busy, even if we must manufacture things to do. On the flip side, Megan is pretty messed up and traumatized for most of the episode so there isn’t much else I wish I had in common with her…except for her right hook. That thing is deadly.

Q: What was it like working with such a great crew?

A: It was incredible. What a wonderful collection of talented, hilarious, professionally committed people. After 26 seasons and lots of very disturbing storylines, I was fully prepared for a very heavy, possibly even “tired” set vibe – but it was exactly the opposite. Of course, the tone is always set by #1 and Mariska is just a fantastic leading lady. Her positivity trickles down to every department and the energy almost felt like a comedy set; very bubbly, with everyone cracking jokes and laughing. It became clear quickly that they have keep it light in between scenes to counteract the darkness of the scenes. It’s a brilliant coping mechanism they’ve developed to stay emotionally healthy on set. It also doesn’t hurt that they are all extremely funny people.

Q: What were some challenges of playing the character?

A: My greatest challenge is (still) emotionally releasing my work over to post–production. In the theatre, you have complete control over what your character does onstage. Whether it’s a good night or a bad night, you are 100% responsible for the finished product. Not so in TV and film.

I was particularly protective of Megan because she was so unpredictable; we did many kinds of takes per scene. We’d do a scene angry, then sad, then confused, then in shock, then inappropriately funny, then aggressive, then timid, then a combination of everything, etc. And while I was happy with all those takes individually; it was a tremendous trust fall to hand over all those different options to a department that’s – for lack of a better word – “invisible” to you as a guest star.

Of course, all my worrying was a total waste of energy as I was absolutely thrilled with the outcome that aired. A huge, grateful shout out to the brilliant SVU editing wizards for taking such great care of Megan and her story.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories from working on set?

A: Ha! Great question. Our schedule was split up by the two-week Christmas break and the last day of shooting before everyone left for the holiday was the big courtroom scene. It was also “Ugly Holiday Sweater” day. I remember sitting there on the stand in between takes, just giggling my ass off at the insane juxtaposition of our super serious scene work with some of the most ridiculous holiday outfits I have ever seen. Again, very serious, very good work was done that day, but that crew also knew how to let their hair down. So much fun. I loved it.

Q: What was a big takeaway for you from your experience embodying ‘Nikki Henry’ in “The Perfect Couple?”

A: Less is more. Definitely. It was the first time I got to play such a still, grounded character on screen. It’s always a challenge to fight the urge to “do more” with that kind of role, but it’s also a tremendous relief to play a character who’s allowed to “do less”as well. I trusted our director (Susanne Bier) implicitly, especially when she would tell me to pull it back. Only once did she give me the direction to “make more of a meal out of it” and the crew and I burst into laughter because you never tell a comedienne to “make a meal out of” anything. Not if you want any piece of that set left standing by the time we’re done chewing our way through it. Susanne quickly said “No! Wait…no no no! I forgot who I was talking to. DON’T make a meal out of it!” and I was like, “Hahahahahaha! Too LATE! I have witnesses! Let’s gooooooooooooo!”.

Q: What else are you working on?

A: Well, besides some “irons in the fire” that I’m excited about, I’m doing a lot of pre-Broadway musical workshops, new play readings, demos & voice over work here in NYC. I’m also writing a lot which has been extremely satisfying. So, between all that and going to my son’s middle school, year-end concerts, expos, baseball games, etc…I’m keeping busy.

Q: Tell me a fun fact about yourself.

A: I absolutely love home improvement projects. Nothing makes me happier than buying a new power tool or learning a new construction skill. I recently refinished my basement and turned two bedrooms in my mom’s house into a library and a walk-in closet. I am also completely obsessed with YouTube videos of people renovating old cabins in the woods, historical homes, etc. Truly obsessed.

Q: What are you watching on TV these days?

A:. I loved Black Mirror. The casting this season, wasimpeccable. Every single actor from lead to background; so perfect and brilliant. Kudos to the casting directors on that. Other current faves are Hacks, The Studio, The Diplomat, Welcome to Wrexham, Etoile and Mobland. I was super bummed that The Franchise and Kaos didn’t get renewed as I enjoyed both of those shows immensely. I also love revisiting favorite shows; it’s like comfort food for my brain. I just did a re-watch of True Blood, now I’m re-watching Preacher.

Q: Anything else you want to share?

A: I’m putting together an on-camera class which I’m hoping to roll out sometime this summer in NYC. So, heads up New York actors – I will post about it on my Instagram when we have a solid date, place and time.