She’s been described as “the secret weapon” on Showtime’s satirical comedy about the making of a terrible sitcom, “Episodes.” But that description of Kathleen Rose Perkins doesn’t fly with series co-creator David Crane (“Friends”). “She’s not that secret,” says Crane, now heading into the show’s third season.
The show centers on “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc, who plays a larger than life version of himself, desperately trying to hang on to the spotlight by starring in a horribly mangled American version of a popular British sitcom.
As one of LeBlanc’s on-screen bosses, Perkins plays Carol Rance, the second-in-command at the show’s powerful TV network. She’s a woman who’s better at the job than her boss — who was also her lover — but is passed over for the top job when her boss is kicked to the curb. Rance’s reaction? She plasters a smile on her face, soldiers on, and tries to please the new guy.
“She’s uncomfortable in her clothes, uncomfortable in her shoes, uncomfortable in her skin,” says Perkins, looking very comfortable seated at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.
Is her character on the verge of a nervous breakdown? “Well, yeah,” laughs series co-creator Jeffrey Klarik. “You know these TV executives. The job is really stressful.”
If only Perkins could use her real-life third-degree black belt in Tae kwon do, her character could kick some serious Hollywood butt.
“I don’t have many skills, but this is my skill,” says Perkins, 39, who has been studying the martial art for years and attends classes twice a week. “It keeps me happy and sane.”
Still, hanging on to sanity is going to be an uphill battle. Because in practicing the aggressive kicking movements over the years, Perkins tore cartilage in her left hip and has been hobbled by recent arthroscopic surgery. She’s maneuvering now with the help of a beautiful carved wooden walking stick she picked up years ago on a trip to Bali.
“No more Tae kwon do until June,” she says, determined to go back to her sport.
On screen, she’s got her work cut out for her as well.
“Episodes” skewers the TV game by lasering in on the sometimes outrageous behavior of its stars, writers and executives. In Season 3, the network’s new top dog, Castor Sotto (played by Chris Diamantopoulos) is just as bad as the old one, Merc Lapidus (played by John Pankow), who will try to get his job back.
“They’re both diabolical,” says Perkins. “I read the new scripts and kept writing ‘rug’ every time the rug was pulled out from under her,” she says. “And I must’ve written it 15 times.”
But Perkins has it much more together than her on-screen counterpart. Born and raised 30 miles north of Detroit in New Baltimore, Michigan, she exudes a kind of homespun, Midwestern ease and friendliness. She had an idyllic childhood with four older brothers watching over her. Falling in love with musical theater, she earned her BFA from Western Michigan University and went on to regional theater before trying her luck in Hollywood.
At first, the luck was all bad. In 2006, she was cast in two different pilots, and got fired from both. “It was just painful,” she says. “The second time was easier, because everyone called and tried to make it easier. But the first time it was from ‘Rules of Engagement,’ and it was awful. They fired three of the five cast members after we shot the pilot. And the producer said, ‘You know, Lisa Kudrow was fired from “Frasier” before she got “Friends.” That should give you some hope.’ But all it meant to me was that I was a non-working actor.”
But, like Carol Rance, Perkins soldiered on, and in getting this role, she’s acquired great empathy for the network executives who once gave her the sack. “Because they’re so afraid of losing their jobs,” she says. “The turnover rate is just atrocious. So we’re in the same boat. And I never knew that before. Everyone just wants to feel loved and to belong.”
In real life, Perkins is in love with a Hollywood comedy writer, Christopher Moynihan. They’ve been together for 15 years. “I’ve never been married and I don’t plan on getting married or having kids,” she says. “I’m not interested in that.”
But talking about Moynihan brings tears to her eyes. “He’s incredibly sensitive and the funniest person I know. When I went for my surgery, I was so scared. I’ve never had surgery and I was scared to death.” Waiting to be wheeled into the operating room, Moynihan arrived. “And my heart rate went down,” says Perkins. “It was 120 and it went down to 99. Even the nurse said, ‘He calms you.’ I asked him, ‘Could you make me laugh?’ And he did it on the spot.”
So now that she’s on the mend, does she want her character to fight to take over the network? “I want her to succeed,” says Perkins. “But there’s no funny in the person who’s good at the job. You need to have an idiot running the asylum.”