Interview with... Alice Amter

For a few years now I've been a fan of the TV sitcom, The Big Bang Theory.
My wife isn't too keen on the show though, so it means I get to watch it in peace.

Over time I've found a commonality with the characters, and in turn, the characters' parents.
Case in point is Alice Amter in the role of Mrs. Koothrappali, who is the mother of Raj on the show.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alice Amter. I hope you enjoy...



1. How did you get involved with The Big Bang Theory?

It was simply an audition, with two female roles at play, Raj's girlfriend and Raj's Mom...
I decided to go for the Mom role even though I was the youngest one of the Mom auditioners because there was a chance the character would recur.....I also had a feeling that there was something very special about this show and a voice in the back of my head said "you have to get this one". I had one audition with casting and then a call back with Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, then I heard nothing and thought I had lost the part to another actress. I then got the call that I had to go back in again. At that call back there were some new actresses and one actress from the previous two rounds, so I figured it would be me or her. They didn't call right away so I assumed they had given the role to her until my Manager called and told me they had selected me. I was very happy and excited.

2. Have you done other comedy work? As an actress what do you consider to be your strength?

Yes I have but would love to do more. Doing comedy is so much fun. I love to make people laugh. I had a lot of fun shooting "The Good Girl" with Jennifer Aniston and Zooey Deschanel.

I'm very good at accents and creating characters....something of a chameleon.



3. Can you please tell us what’s coming up next for Raj’s parents on The Big Bang Theory?

I'm afraid you'll just have to wait and see....we really have no idea what's next until we get the script.

4. Do you think there’s a chance they’ll appear on his doorstep, rather than on his laptop screen?

A lot of people have suggested this to me, so it seems like the idea would be very well received. Personally I would love for this to happen. I would love to see the Koothrappali's totally enamoured with Pasadena and all things American.



5. Being that your character on The Big Bang Theory appears only on a laptop, do you have much involvement with the live studio audience?

We pre-tape our segments and it plays in sequence in front of the live studio audience so we don't have to be there.
Personally I prefer to tape in front of the live audience because there's so much energy in the room and the applause at the end is nice... We did that in our first episode, it was great!

6. What would be a dream role for you?

I'd love to play Cleopatra.

7. What’s coming up next for you?

I haven't decided yet.



I want to thank Alice for her time with this interview. I found her to be a very nice person, with some very interesting things to say.

For further info about Alice I highly recommend you check out her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Alice-Amter/91554497912?ref=search

What did you think of this interview?
Please comment, or email me directly at mgbouw@yahoo.com.au
Until next time!