Alison Brie has already won high praise for her performance on Netflix’s latest dramedy “GLOW,” but the role wasn’t handed to her on a plate.
At the show’s premiere at the Arclight Dome in Hollywood Wednesday night, star Brie told TheWrap how an improvised line during her second audition helped her land the part of Ruth, a struggling actress who gets cast as a female wrestler. The joke involved rhyming a certain part of the female anatomy with “Natasha and Boris” — the Russian villains from classic cartoon “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.”
The “Community” and “Mad Men” alum said that while that particular line didn’t make it into the show, it helped influence her character. “I do still believe it’s a big part of why I got the role. And definitely there’s a lot of Boris and Natasha in terms of what I’m doing in the ring on the show.”
The Netflix series is based on the 1980s show “GLOW,” portraying the “gorgeous ladies of wrestling.” The ensemble cast features Brie, Betty Gilpin, Marc Maron, Kia Stevens and more. In the Netflix version, Ruth goes through several wrestling personas until she lands on “Zoya the Destroya,” who plays the heel (wrestling speak for villain) to Debbie’s (Gilpin) “Liberty Bell,” and All-American girl-next-door hero.
“We watch Ruth struggle to find who her wresting character will be, and in the process, she’s also learning a lot about herself … for some reason that’s what resonates with her and it was really fun to play,” Brie told TheWrap.
Brie made headlines in June when she said that she was asked to take her top off during an audition for “Entourage.” Perhaps her “GLOW” experience will help cleanse her palette, because even though the audition process was long, Brie said that it was her best audition experience yet.
“Even though it was very difficult, I just felt so passionate about the part, it was kind of the first time really in audition rooms that I was like, I’m just gonna come in, give my performance, and in my mind kind of try to let go of the character,” she told TheWrap. “Although, now as I’m saying it, I didn’t do that at all, I cried in my car immediately after and [was] like ‘I hope I get this part!’
“This show is the best audition experience because I got the part. Had I not gotten it, it would have been totally devastating,” she added.
“GLOW” is available to stream on Netflix on from Friday. Watch the trailer above.