Hollywood – Comedy fans know Mary Lynn Rajskub for her satiric work on the HBO comedy series “Mr. Show With Bob and David” and “The Larry Sanders Show” and in such features as “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,” “Road Trip” and as Adam Sandler’s sister in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love.”
But two years ago, the 34-year-old Michigan native made a sharp turn in her career by joining the cast of Fox’s thriller series “24” as the annoyingly brilliant computer geek Chloe O’Brian, who helps Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) find the bad guys as a member of the Counter Terrorist Unit. Last season, Chloe got the opportunity to leave the confines of the CTU headquarters and work in the field – even shooting to kill terrorists.
“It was a blast,” she says. “I was kind of against guns at the beginning of the day, but once I practiced shooting it, it was like, ‘This is cool.”‘
The actress, who began her career as a performance artist, also appears in the new Harrison Ford thriller, “Firewall,” which opened last Friday.
Rajskub plays Janet Stone, the loyal assistant of a bank’s computer security specialist (Ford) who helps him battle bank robbers threatening his family.
Q: You are a computer genius on “24” and an assistant extraordinaire in “Firewall.” How are you with computers in real life? And have you ever worked as an assistant?
A: I am really bad with computers. I can’t take pleasure in watching TV anymore because I can’t figure out how to turn it on.
I never worked in an office. I always waited tables. I was 20-
something looking for a job and tried to be a bagger at a grocery store once, but I think the boss sort of sensed I was, like, trouble. He didn’t even let me apply.
Q: Did you ever do anything dramatic before “24”?
A: I mostly auditioned for comedies. I’m good at it, and I love it. I didn’t even audition for that many dramas. I actually didn’t want to go on the audition for “24.” I had had a really bad “CSI” audition the week before. … With “24,” I called my agent after I got the material for it. The character really wasn’t written yet, so on the page it was, like, “Yes, Jack, I will.” So I said to my agent, “I don’t think I can really do anything with this.” When I called my mom, she said, “That show is amazing.” Once I saw the show, I said, “It’s a really cool show. I am going to be a fool if I don’t go.” The producer met me in the hallway (when I went in to read) and he said, “I saw you in ‘Punch-Drunk Love,’ and I know there is nothing on the page, but we are going to write a part for you.”
Q: “Firewall” is your biggest film role to date, and most of your scenes are opposite Harrison Ford. What was he like to work with?
A: He puts people at ease, and he’s funny. A lot of times when you meet celebrities that big, they can have that aura that you can’t really (approach them), but he goes out of his way to be friendly.
Q: With your “24” work schedule, do you get any time to perform live?
A: I actually did a live performance a few months ago. It was hard because I was working. But I scheduled four half-hours for myself every two weeks. It’s new material, and I’m really glad I did it because the only way to generate stuff is to do it onstage.
