Kether Donohue Takes ‘You’re the Worst’ to New Heights
Interview by Michael Aaron Gallagher of StayFamous.Net
Kether Donohue. Photo by GETTY/ FOX.
Actress Kether Donohue is riding a wave of success in Hollywood. With more than 40 acting credits to her name, including the breakout comedy Pitch Perfect, she recently joined the cast of the FOX TV Special Greese: Live, taking on the role of Jan. But it is playing the character of Lindsay Jillian on the wildly unorthodox comedy You’re the Worst on FXX that has audiences laughing and begging for more.
Before I sat down to watch the show for the first time, Kether told me on Twitter, “Tune in! You won’t be disappointed, I promise.” And she was right. You’re the Worst is smartly written and sometimes naughty in a no-apologies sort of way. It is a story about flawed characters, who find each other, while desperately clinging to their diabolical ways. And it is as much a commentary on modern American relationships as it is a reminder that sometimes life has a funny way of working itself out.
In a recent interview with Kether, I asked her about her role on the series and what sets it apart from many other modern romantic comedies.
“I absolutely do think it does have romance,” Kether said, “And I absolutely think it is Stephen Falk‘s unique twist on the genre. I think it’s a really fresh take on romantic comedies. Typically in romantic comedies you can kind of predict what’s going to happen. The characters are cookie-cutter and surface. In You’re the Worst, what sets us apart is that no character, including the supporting characters (which is pretty revolutionary in my opinion), no one stays surface. Everybody’s a complex, multifaceted human being. It’s not afraid to show darker sides of life and what goes into sustaining a romantic relationship. Because relationships are hard work, and you don’t normally see that in the genre.”
Another way it differs from other romantic comedies is the filming location. You’re the Worst is set in one of the least romantic places, the “real” Los Angeles, California.
“What I think is cool,” Kether said, “is the juxtaposition between the kind of superficial image we have in our heads of LA, that everything’s fine and dandy all the time, against these gritty characters that are very New York, at heart. The characters are not at all what you think of when you think of LA. They are so raw and so real.”
Actress Kether Donohue stars in the comedy “You’re the Worst” on FXX.
Nominated for the 2015 Critics Choice Television Award for Best Comedy, You’re the Worst is enjoying an even better sophomore season on FXX.
“What’s awesome for me,” Kether said. “The highest compliment that I could receive from a friend is when a friend tells me, ‘Hey, Kether. If you were not on the show, I would still watch this.’ For me, that’s the test. Because, obviously I have very supportive friends. For years and years and years they’ve tuned in to projects that I’m on to support me. And what’s really nice is that my friends, they’re not just tuning in to support me, they’re genuinely tuning in because they like the show. And it’s really cool. It’s like I said, the highest compliment that I could receive from a friend.”
You’re the Worst airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on the FXX television network.
Kether Donohue Takes ‘You’re the Worst’ to New Heights
Copyright 2015 by Michael Aaron Gallagher
Photography courtesy of FXX
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