In Gayle We Trust – Elisa Donovan Interview And Special Giveaway

If you haven't checked out In Gayle We Trust yet, I really suggest you do. The offbeat snippets about the incredibly perky insurance saleswoman are great examples of how to work the webseries genre.

Another episode is hitting tomorrow, and I have a couple of special treats while you wait. First, an interview with the show's star, Elisa Donovan. Second, I have a giveaway, and one lucky winner will receive an signed copy of the script. The script is signed by Elisa Donovan, Brian Palermo (who plays Gayle's husband), and writer/director Brent Forrester.

There are eight episodes available already, and the show's site also gives you a lot of extras in the way of behind-the-scenes clips and interviews.

Nestled somewhere in the middle of America, Maple Grove is populated with a host of colorful characters, and they all turn to one person for insurance needs, counseling and much much more.  Though an insurance agent by trade, Gayle Evans has become the default cure-all for the small town, as her pleasant disposition and sound advice has made her a go-to resource in the lives of her clients.  From a newlywed couple seeking weekly marital advice, to a over-confident plumber trying to protect his coveted identity, to a traveling hypnotist needing liability coverage, Gayle's clientele range from sympathetic to pathetic to outright bizarre.  In Gayle We Trust, a 10-part comedy series from NBCU Digital Studio is written and directed by multiple Emmy-winner Brent Forrester (The Office, The Simpsons, King of the Hill).

Here's the interview -

Jim Halterman, Progressive TV.

Jim Halterman:      Hi Elisa. Thanks for your time today.

Elisa Donovan:      Hi, absolutely.

Jim Halterman:      I really loved the episodes, I probably watched about a half dozen of them and just they're really cute and fun.

Elisa Donovan:      Oh great.

Jim Halterman:      Yeah. And obviously, you know, I'm guessing you and the writers, you know, you must all have kids, at least know about family and juggling all that. Can you talk a little bit about that and just how that's become a part of the show because it's very real.

Elisa Donovan:      Well, you know, it's funny, Brent does have children, yes, the creator and director. I don't have children but every - all of my friends who - many of my friends do have children - and they have all responded so strongly. I mean it's really funny because I think all right well, I mean, I'm having a great time with having a child onscreen but I don't have the actual experience of it.

And in particular one girlfriend of mine in New York, (Eileen), who's a teacher, called me and was just in hysterics and she said this is what we do with our - this is what we do with my son at the table.

And she has literally had that experience with the voices and the things. And she is like oh I can't even tell you how great it is. And she passes it on to all of her, you know, her associates because she's a kindergarten teacher. And everyone clearly has had that experience before.

Jim Halterman:      Right.

Elisa Donovan:      And, you know, I have nieces and nephews and friend's kids but that's what I'm drawing from.

Jim Halterman:      That's really great. Okay I'll come back and ask another question later.

Elisa Donovan:      Okay.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Troy Rogers, deadbolt.com.

Troy Rogers:         Hi Elisa. Thanks for taking the time.

Elisa Donovan:      Hi, how are you?

Troy Rogers:         Not too bad. Now I wanted to know what's one of the funniest and insurance-related stories you've heard?

Elisa Donovan:      Insurance-related stories, oh my goodness that's a great question. Thankfully I don't really have any of my own to share. But oh my goodness. Oh gosh I don't know.

Troy Rogers:         Okay what about one from the show? Which one did you like?

Elisa Donovan:      Oh I love, I mean, they're all hilarious but I love the man who comes in to get insurance for his dog. When he - in case, you know, in the unlikely event of his demise.

And it's hilarious because he's clearly delusional first of all but he thinks that the dog is completely in love with him and, you know, needs his companionship and then you realize that the dog has simply left the building and is desperately trying to get away from this man.

So I think it's really, you know, it is something that I've realized and people who deal in insurance that you are really dealing with people's personalities and their fears and their, you know, their apprehension at losing they love and it gets incredibly personal which is really something that I never thought about it from that angle.

So we kind of exacerbate that dynamic to the fullest. But it is pretty real, you know, because people are talking about losing things that they love so it - it's pretty I guess it can be pretty intense.

Troy Rogers:         Okay, thank you.

Elisa Donovan:      Thanks.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Sarah Fulgham on totallyher.com.

Sarah Fulgham:     Gayle is very sweet whereas your characters on Clueless and Sabrina were very saucy.

((Crosstalk))

Sarah Fulgham:     ...to play?

Elisa Donovan:      You know, that's so funny, I've been asked that before and well I have to say I am really pleased to be playing such a nice person now because it's nice to take, you know, you take these characters home with you and you live with them.

And it's amazing how - what a difference it is to bring home such a nice person who's happy to be there and everybody's happy to see her. And it really is a very different experience.

But I love being, you know, the spice in the soup which is Amber or Morgan or those kinds of characters but they are, you know, they generally are - they are the spice in the soup so you can have too much of them or else it overpowers everything.

But somebody like Gayle is just, you know, she can be around all the time because everybody loves her. You know, and she's just as flawed as everyone else but she's, you know, the hero. And I love it; it's been so much fun. I base her a lot on my mom.

And my mom is not from the Midwest but she has this just relentlessly positive attitude that, you know, you could just see the edges of her patience being stretched after, you know, an inordinate amount of pressure. So I kind of base Gayle on my mom who I love being around so.

Sarah Fulgham:     Oh that's really sweet. Thank you.

Elisa Donovan:      Yeah.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Rebecca Miller, popculturemadness.com.

Rebecca Miller:     So you were just talking about comparing some of your past characters to Gayle. So like they're very opposites on those so how did you - how did those roles help you prepare for this one?

Elisa Donovan:      I think they made me deserving of this one - to finally get to play someone nice. You know, when you - I always approach characters from the opposite place so, you know, if you're playing somebody, you know, it's the old idea of like if you're playing Iago in Shakespeare who's this horrible, horrible man you have to see, you know, the human side of him or why he does these things.

So, you know, that's an extreme example but you look at the opposite side of things. So in terms of Gayle or Amber or Morgan I would just always see them as these very human people who just had different, you know, had specific needs and saw the world from a certain perspective.

And so with Gayle, you know, maybe her - I sometimes look at her relentless positivity as, you know, maybe she's just afraid of losing some things on the other side so she, you know, doesn't want to hurt people. And you kind of look at it from the opposite perspective so that there's a certain level.

Because, you know, if you watch Gayle there is just a little bit of impatience that comes up towards the ends of certain episodes. And you see, you know, she does have a boiling point; she's certainly human. But, you know, she has a bit more patience than most.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Monica Garsky, Flash News.

Monica Garsky:     So earlier you mentioned how much you were enjoying having an onscreen kid and whatnot. Can you tell me just some of the things that you have learned about kids through this?

Elisa Donovan:      In particular I just love Shane, he's just a doll, this kid. And I have definitely learned that, you know, it's really easy to be the onscreen mom or the buddy and you can, you know, they look up to you. And I really have learned the difference between having to - the amount of patience and time and nurturing it takes to really have a child.

Like I only have them, you know, when I work with them for 12 hours or day or really eight hours I think is what kids - that's the most they can work. And I realize how impressionable they are, you know, and how you can - anything that you say they really pick up.

And with Shane in particular he's so - I just - I really, really adore him and we had a great rapport immediately. And he's really - he's really curious and really smart. And he's one of these kids that is - he's unusual.

I think I was an unusual kid. And so I - unusual meaning that he's really perceptive and he talks about, you know, feelings and things he observes. And he's a really great kid. And, you know, it teaches - I think it just teaches me about life and, you know, in general. So I'm enjoying it.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Jim Halterman, Progressive TV.

Jim Halterman:      Hi. I wanted to know, you know, with a lot of these digital shows getting made is kind of the hope that eventually you can see the show become like, you know, the standard 22 minute and make it on the primetime schedule either on the network or on one of the cable channels?

Elisa Donovan:      Oh are you saying do I - wait...

Jim Halterman:      I was just asking is that kind of the hope in doing these, you know, Webisodes?

Elisa Donovan:      Oh I thought you said it is the hope. Clearly I heard you...

((Crosstalk))

Elisa Donovan:      ...like yes it is the hope. Oh I think that answers your question. No, I mean, I think ultimately that would - that's probably the goal in the traditional sense but I really think that, you know, this is such uncharted territory so I think nobody really quite knows where all of this stuff, you know, where it's headed.

But certainly, yeah of course, you know, I would love to make Gayle a half-hour sitcom that's in primetime, absolutely I would love that because, you know, you reach a wider audience sort of in a more saturated way. And you know, then the budgets get bigger, everything kind of gets easier.

But, you know, I would also love to do it again just as it is because ultimately you just want to work with great people and on material that you love. And in this case that's absolutely what it was for me. I mean, (Francis) just a gorgeous human being and a great man and super kind and uber-talented.

So, you know, you - for me that's more what it's about. And then you want to reach people. So certainly, you know, we don't want to do it in a vacuum. You know, I don't know if that's even a consideration, you know, I don't know if that's something that they look at when they create these things. I think it starts, you know, as it is and then you see what happens.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Troy Rogers, deadbolt.com.

Troy Rogers:         Yay I got back in again.

Elisa Donovan:      Hello.

Troy Rogers:         Now I wanted to know how hard is it to get a story told in less than five minutes as compared to something like 90210?

Elisa Donovan:      Right, well, yeah. This is where Brent is a genius and where the writing is just the most - one of the most important elements because you really do have to have an entire arc in a couple of pages. And, you know, I - that is completely Brent genius.

It's more like a sketch really in that, you know, structurally speaking. So you have to really distill down what it's about. So you know, okay, this particular scene is about Gayle trying to tell these two people that they can't come in here anymore for their relationship issues.

So you know from the beginning that's what it is. And you have to get to that point really - like everything has to kind of go there directly. And the humor then comes out of it. So it's - I guess what you have to do is be really laser-focused in what the intention is in this scene so that it doesn't meander because you don't have time, you know, you don't have time to kind of let something develop; you have to know what it is immediately.

Troy Rogers:         So you're dealing in seconds and...

Elisa Donovan:      Right, right. And it's really fun in that way too because it's very clear and you know in the writing exactly where you're going. And that's super important like I can't stress that enough that the writing is really important.

As much as in certain - some of the episodes we improv'd a little more than others and, you know, went off script which Brent wanted us to do. But that was really only possible because he had created the structure that was very clear.

Coordinator:         The next question comes from Sarah Fulgham, totallyher.com.

Sarah Fulgham:     I'd also like to know what are the similarities and differences between you and your character Gayle?

Elisa Donovan:      Okay well I think the similarities are I really do just love people. And I think I generally am a person that likes to - that cares about people, that is interested in their welfare, that I have a real support - I'm a really generous and supportive person so I think those are definite similarities.

The differences I would say is I have - my patience is not nearly as extensive as Gayle's.

Sarah Fulgham:     All right thanks.

Elisa Donovan:      I am a bit more - my sense of humor is - is maybe - I wouldn't say more biting but definitely I think I'm a little - I might be a little more combative than Gayle I would say. I think most people are. She was, you know, bordering on sainthood I think.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Michelle Alexandria, Eclipse Magazine.

Michele Alexandria:    Can you tell me what it's - hello? Can you tell me a little bit about the research you did to prepare for this part?

Elisa Donovan:      I'm sorry could you repeat the question?

Michele Alexandria:    Can you talk a little bit about what kind of research you did to prepare for this part?

Elisa Donovan:      Oh research. Well I was - there were - I was given some information about, you know, the American Family and the insurance company that were working with.

So I knew kind of what sort of - what their brand means and what their way of working is and how they deal with clients and I had to learn about what's, you know, what's confidential information and how to - how they deal with their own clients and that kind of thing.

And then in terms of other research it's more, you know, being a parent, that's - I just talked to other parents and things like that.

Coordinator:          The next question come from Monica Garsky, Flash News.

Monica Garsky:     I'm wondering how you are at kind of fixing problems in real life I guess. So do you always have like your friends coming to you for random advice and that kind of thing?

Elisa Donovan:      That's really funny. I would like to think that I'm brilliant at it; I'm not sure I am. But I definitely do play the role of people - I wouldn't say coming to me for advice necessarily but more for support and insight. I certainly do play that role I think in a lot of my friendships. But I have - my friendships are that way like we're very supportive of one another and very verbal also in that way. So it's a really open dialogue.

But I definitely think that, you know, and with a lot of younger people for whatever reason I've always been that way, you know, where young people - and I don't know, you know, it could be because of the roles that I've played not the specific roles but the shows and the movies, you know, between Sabrina and Clueless especially that, you know, that age group of people they kind of always, you know, look to those characters - look up to those people.

So I think I've always kind of, you know, been a little bit of a role model and not to sound too egotistical here but, you know, where girls do - they ask me questions and things. So even in that capacity yeah I have - I do kind of play that role.

Monica Garsky:     Great. Well hopefully it doesn't get as overwhelming as Gayle's...

Elisa Donovan:      Oh no not at all. Like I said I have a real good, you know, filter. I have a good - I know how to, you know, protect myself.

Monica Garsky:     Great, thank you so much.

Elisa Donovan:      Sure.

Coordinator:          The next question comes from Troy Rogers, deadbolt.com.

Troy Rogers:         Okay last time. I just wanted to know who's your favorite resident of Maple Grove?

Elisa Donovan:      Oh that's a good question. You know what, I'd have to say my - well aside from my husband and my son I would have to say my rival because he just really, really needs a lot of love; he needs a lot of - a lot of support. And I think that, you know, Gayle is really the person to get him on the right road.

Troy Rogers:         Okay thanks.

That's it!

Leave a comment below for your chance to win the signed copy of the script. U.S. only. Winner will be randomly selected on Nov. 1st!

Here's another clip of an interview with Elisa Donovan for you as well.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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