Jeremy Sisto, Carly Chaikin, Cheryl HInes co-star with Levy. (ABC)
As Tessa Altman, the hip teenager uprooted from Manhattan by her father and banished to her version of hell — the suburbs — Jane Levy displays a sardonic awareness of teen angst that makes “Suburgatory,” a new ABC comedy, sparkle. She’s one of a trio of young actresses, including Zooey Deschanel of “New Girl,” and Kat Dennings of “2 Broke Girls,” that have viewers watching sitcoms again. In her first starring role in a TV series, Levy more than holds her own against Jeremy Sisto, cast against type as her overprotective dad, George, and Cheryl Hines, who plays middle-aged Barbie doll Dallas Royce, the housewife next door.
When Levy calls to speak to The Post, she apologizes for her “sniffly voice,” a consequence of her 12-hour work days.
“At first it was as if someone had crushed my body with a rock, but now I’m getting used to it,” she says of the schedule. “I did get sick this week because I’m working a lot, but it’s great,” she says.
When Levy, 21, went to ABC for a 15-minute “meet and greet” with executives she had no idea she’d wind up starring in one of the season’s most popular new comedies.
“Whoever I was supposed to meet with couldn’t meet with me. There was some miscommunication,” she recalls. “I was about to go home and someone said, ‘Why don’t you meet with this other woman?’ So I did. She saw that I was wearing motorcycle boots and said, ‘Have you heard of this script called, ‘Suburgatory?’ ” I said, ‘No’ and she said, ‘Read it right now!’ “ A week later, Levy had the part.
Levy is, of course, a few years older than Tessa, but she says she been able to imbue her character with her own experience of growing up in a northern California suburb.
“It was really, really nice. Everyone had a house with a gate around it to protect them from each other. There was not much diversity, racial or financial. Everyone was an upper middle class Democrat. It’s very homogeneous,” she says.
“A big thing for Tessa and something that I took from my own experience is how much of a bubble the suburbs are. I remember having friends cry because they had to cut two inches off their beautiful long hair. They get that from the moms who spend so much time on their image and they shelter their kids from everything.”
Levy, whose mother, Mary, is an artist, and father, Lester, is a musician, also lived for a few years in New York City where, by contrast, she says, “You walk out the door and life hits you in the face every day. So, I’ve been able to take a lot from both my experiences in playing Tessa.”
With her character also serving as the show’s narrator, its Technicolor aesthetic reflects the way Tessa sees her surroundings. “That’s why it’s so bright. You’re looking through her lens and the way she perceives things in her head,” Levy says.
The actress reveals that doing the voice-overs was the most nerve-wracking part of the job. “At the beginning I didn’t know who I was talking to,” Levy says. “Now I think of it as I’m telling my best friend in New York about the crazy experiences I’m having. That best friend is the audience.”
On the set, Levy has gotten “really close, really quick” to her TV dad Sisto. She says, “I’m so new to all this and a bit younger than he is. He looks out for me and gives me help when I need it. Cheryl and Jeremy are kind of the mom and dad of the cast.”
Levy, who is single, only started “actively pursuing” acting three years ago. Her first TV acting job was a recurring role of Showtime’s “Shameless” before coming to “Suburgatory.” She cites Patricia Clarkson as an actress whose she emulates. “Recently I’ve gotten really into her because she can be so funny in films and so heartbreaking in dramatic roles,” she says. “I’d love to do the kinds of parts she’s done.”
Levy is off to a promising start. She recently wrapped “Nobody Walks,” costarring John Krasinski, and “Fun Size,” a teen comedy due out next year. “I really want to go and do films,” she says.
For now, though, Levy is happy residing in “Suburgatory.” “It’s thrilling to know people are watching,” she says. “The show could go on forever because there’s so much to talk about and make fun of when it comes to living in the suburbs. It’s all good.”