'For me, comedy is second nature'

interesting perspective

This young girl got exposed to the world of theatre in high school and then refined her skills by studying improvisational comedy during her higher studies.

Eliza Coupe’s journey from the stage to the front of the TV camera was made with time.“It can be films or television. It depends on the actor and what the actual role is. I can do films, television dramas and comedy. It depends on what kind of role it is,” says Coupe when asked which is more difficult a medium — television, films or theatre.

The American actress who is widely popular for her role in comedy series ‘Happy Endings’ admits, “It is very easy for me to play comedic characters. I have always done comedy and have always found it just effortless to do comic roles. I don’t have a problem with it. For me, it is just second nature.”

But in her latest project, she chose to take up the character of Nina Whitley and present on screen the highs and lows of her life in the TV show Benched – which airs on Star World Premiere. Coupe elucidates, “I play a lawyer, who was a high-powered attorney and then had a bit of meltdown in front of the entire office and had to basically go and be a public defender so that’s where the whole series takes place in the public defender world, like a fish out of water.”

“I love all the parts I have played and get excited when I get new parts to play. There was a show that I did but it never aired.

I played a very different character in it, one which no one has ever seen me play before. She was a wild child and I would love to play that character again,” she adds expressing her satisfaction with all the roles that she has played in the past. 

A reason for this could be her decision to choose characters that have “different dimensions”. “I had a lot of fun playing Dr Denise Mahoney in the show Scrubs. When the role of Nina was offered to me, the character was layered and I could actually relate to her.

So saying ‘yes’ to a role has a lot to do with the writing. If the writing is good and the story is good then I will do it. Even if the character offered to me is not the main character. I just finished doing a film because the writing was so good that I couldn’t say no.”

“I am open to anything as far as the writing is good, the concept is good, the character is good. I will do anything, be it films, television or dramas. I want to produce, I want to direct as well,” says Coupe as one wonders what her next role would be.