Interview: How Good is Martha Plimpton? If You’ve Seen "Raising Hope" or "The Good Wife," You Already Know

Martha Plimpton’s career is as long as it is eclectic. The New York native began acting at the age of 8 and since then has done everything from the iconic 80s kids’ movie The Goonies to delivering three Tony-nominated stage performances. Now, at the age of 40, she has drawn rave reviews for her scene stealing portrayal of Patti Nyholm on The Good Wife, as well as an Emmy nomination for her first gig as a series regular on Raising Hope.

As the extremely blue-collar/working class Virginia Chance on Raising Hope, Plimpton plays very much against her New York background playing a woman who is anything but urbane. But as played by Plimpton, Virginia is still a very shrewd character, not to mention a loving, if flawed, mother and wife.

Plimpton recently sat down with AfterElton.com to share about her good fortune.

AfterElton: Emmy nomination or second season pick up? What was bigger for you? Keeping in mind, you’ve been nominated for an Emmy before.
Martha Plimpton: Well, only the one time. Listen, both of them are thrilling. Both of them mean good things for our show and both of them mean that we keep doing what we love to do. And both of them mean that people are responding to the show well and that they are enjoying it as much as we’re enjoying making it.

So I can’t say I prefer one over the other because obviously getting picked up for a second season means we get to keep working. We get to do it. You know what I mean? It’s all thrilling. It’s all great.

AE: Is the show as much fun to work on as it is to watch? I mean, I know you guys are doing 16 to 18 hours a day and it’s got to be a grind, but you look like you’re having fun.
MP: We’re having a really good time. We really like each other. We really like the writing. We really like the story telling. We love Greg Garcia [the show’s creator]. I feel like at this point I’d kind of do anything for him. He is a decent, wonderful, hilarious guy. Brilliant guy. Smart as hell. And he put together a really good cast of people who click so yeah, we have a really good time.

AE: It’s one of my favorite sitcoms, but sometimes when my partner and I are watching the show, we feel a little guilty sort of laughing at blue-collar people.
MP: Oh, really?

AE: Yeah and I’ve talked to Greg about this. Sometimes I worry while sitting in my Seattle liberal blue state living room that I shouldn’t be laughing at these working class people. Do you ever worry about that?
MP: No! Not at all I feel perfect allegiance with our characters on our show. I don’t feel the least bit of guilt playing funny people on television. I think we are, like the characters on our show, in situations that a lot of Americans can relate to, that a lot of Americans like laughing about and could probably use a laugh about.

I don’t think we’re making fun of people on our show. We earn a lot of the stuff that happens on our show because it’s not done out of cruelty. You know what I mean? There is nothing cynical about it. So I don’t have that issue, no. [laughs]

AE: Are we going to see you on The Good Wife again? Because Patti is one of the most brilliant characters.
MP: I love that character. I know. I hope so. It’s hard. Listen I’ve got this show to do and so that’s my first priority, but if they would have me back, and Fox would let me go and do that, then I would be more than happy.

Plimpton as barracuda lawyer Patti Nyholm on The Good Wife

AE: Why do you think Patti is so endlessly fascinating? Because everybody who watches The Good Wife talks about…
MP: It’s a great character. It’s a great character. I think the thing I like about Patti is that she’s just a really damn good lawyer and she’s willing to do anything to do her job well. I have a lot of respect for her.

AE: She’s usually the smartest person in the room.
MP: Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but I will say that I have a lot of respect for a character that doesn’t apologize for intelligence, and I have a lot of respect for the writing on that show and all the female characters on that show. I just think they are tremendously well written. I think that’s why I like her. I think people know that I’m not judging her when I’m playing her, and I think that’s part of what works about it.

AE: And I think there is fearlessness in that character that we all wish we could have in our own lives.
MP: Because when you’re playing someone who’s doing things that maybe you wouldn’t do, you can’t project that into your performance. You have to just go with it and you can’t worry about what other people will think and you can’t apologize for your character’s choices. So maybe that’s it.

AE: You often get those sorts of parts and it seems like, at least in the movies, Hollywood doesn’t do a really good job of creating many of those. Do you ever get frustrated in the roles, in at least movies that are offered to women?
MP: I think I’d be more frustrated if they didn’t exist anywhere, but since they’re on television and in the theater, I don’t have to be too frustrated. The movies will go through its phases. You know what I mean? Entertainment always goes through its phases, you know?

AE:I hope so because I get so frustrated with movies.
MP: I think maybe it’s why I like so much working in television and theater because there is more for me to do. There is stuff for me to do, you know? And when you look at the incredible list of nominees who are female nominees, particularly Margot Martindale, Christina Hendricks and Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy, and all these fantastic actresses, TV is where it’s at for women actors.

AE: Back to Raising Hope. What are we going to see with Virginia this year?
MP: Well, I don’t know. They don’t really inform us in that. They don’t really fill us in.

AE: [laughs] Ok, what would you like to see to happen with Virginia this year?
MP: I’m happy. Well, listen, I can’t really say, I’d be happy if she and Burt had more of whatever their relationship is. I love it. But I don’t go to the writer’s room and say, “Hey guys! What are you writing for me?” You know what I mean? I just don’t do that. I trust the writers. I know they are going to do a great job, I know they are going to do well by me.

AE: And Greg, he’s just brilliant. Some of the gay stuff he did on My Name is Earl - I don’t know how closely you watched that show. He did amazing stuff.
MP: Yeah.

Plimpton with co-star Garret Dillahunt on Raising Hope

AE: So when did you know you were a gay icon?
MP: [laughs] I love it! I feel like you asked me that last year too.

AE: I did but it was very quickly during a scrum at the Television Critics Association. We didn’t really get to talk.
MP: I don’t know. I don’t know.

AE: You must have gay men coming up to you…
MP: But I can’t list or give you like a day.

AE: Fair enough. Was there a role you did or was it just something you knew at some point? I bet in high school - you probably didn’t even go to a regular high school because you were acting – but you totally seem like the kind of woman gay guys would totally want to come up to and say, “Oh, I want to talk to you!” And I told you this before, but I think it’s because….
MP: Right.

AE: Because you’re smart, you’re independent and we like pretty women.
MP: Thank you.

AE: I find it hard to believe that gay guys weren’t coming up to you…
MP: Listen when you grow up in show business…

AE: It’s just there?
MP: It’s just part of you. It’s not like I left some small town and came to the big city and was like “Oh! What’s that?”

AE: Yeah.
MP: You know what I mean? It’s always been a part of my life.

AE: Okay, last question if there was a gay guy who you could wave a magic wand over and turn straight and go on a date with who would it be?
MP: [laughs] If there was a gay guy that I could wave my wand and turn straight? Well, I don’t want to out him by saying. [laughs]

AE: I don’t want you to out anyone. I want someone well known.
MP: If there was a gay guy that I could, oh my gosh…There must be one!

AE: I can’t believe I stumped Martha Plimpton.
MP: You did, you really did. I can’t think of any.

AE: All right.
MP: Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

AE: Ok, great. Perfect.