Former Tucsonan Janet Varney is a busy actress, but at least she's usually available for dinner and a movie.
Varney, a 1993 Rincon High School graduate, has co-hosted the TBS show "Dinner & a Movie" since 2005.
Along with Paul Gilmartin and Claud Mann, Varney chats about films and makes movie-themed meals. The episodes air during breaks amid TBS films.
Varney also appears in films, helps run the San Francisco Sketch Comedy Festival, and will appear in the reality-TV series "On the Lot," which debuts Tuesday on Fox.
Varney, who says she cultivated her love for the arts at local magnet schools as a child, spoke to the Star over the phone from her home in Los Angeles. The following is some of what she had to say:
What's it like doing "Dinner & a Movie"?
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"I'm in my third year doing that. It shoots in Atlanta. There are 32 episodes a year, or somewhere in that range. I go a few times a year, stay in Atlanta for a week, shoot the shows, come home and I'm able to work on other projects. I couldn't love my job more. It leaves room for guest-stars, movie auditions and pilots."
How long ago did you know you wanted to be an actress?
"When I was a kid, all I wanted to be was a performer. I had a little book my parents gave me where each year (of school) you see who your teachers and friends were and there's a little pocket inside for various diplomas and things. The first six years had a 'When I grow up, I want to be a (blank).' When I was 5 or 6, I wrote down 'bike rider' and 'French teacher,' to be like my parents. . . . When I was 7, I wrote down 'rock star.' The whole time after that I started writing in 'actress,' and when there wasn't a spot for what you wanted to be when you grew up, I started writing it in myself."
How did you get into show business?
"After all that ambition, doing this for a living came to me kind of the long way around. I spent a good six years with no comedy, no theater, no nothing. I was working during that time at a Pottery Barn, then as a project coordinator at an interior design firm and also as an interiors buyer for a home furniture store. I thought I'd stay in San Francisco the rest of my life, and was pretty content to do that — continue working and doing stuff with interiors and the world of home furnishings.
"Somewhere along the line my friends and I started the sketch group Totally False People. Somebody from 'Mad TV' saw us and asked me to audition for an opening they had for a woman on the show. I didn't get it, but shortly thereafter, our group was invited to the HBO Aspen Comedy Festival. A couple of the festival execs told me I should consider moving down to Los Angeles. I met with an amazing manager, Kara Welker, who continues to represent me. She said, 'This can be a good place for funny women. Just do this for fun — come out for pilot season. You don't have to move here; stay with friends.'
"It was a really positive, great experience. I came really close on a couple of things, which is fairly unusual, really — the whole experience and having positive reinforcement. I had this feeling of having this handed to me on a silver platter, so I thought it would be foolish to turn my back on it."
What role did you play in "Catwoman"?
"My scene got basically cut. I'm a glorified extra at this point, but my dad could tell you where to see me if you paid very close attention. It was the scene before Halle Berry kind of becomes Catwoman. There's a party in the apartment across the street, and she goes over and beats the crap out of this guy. We're in awe of her, asking, 'How did you do that?' It was a cool experience."
How was it acting with Halle Berry?
"Halle Berry could not have been nicer. She was such a sweetie. She kept apologizing to all of the extras. She was very aware that there was a group of people having to work all night. . . ."
What do you think about the Los Angeles living experience as opposed to Tucson?
"Some people living in L.A. who work in this industry seem only to connect to that particular culture, and it just bums me out so much. I feel like they're seeing such a small percentage of their environment.
"There's so much more here that's fantastic. The magnet program in Tucson made me feel like I was connected to the city on such a greater level."
