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It doesnt really matter what they were.
Her manner of speaking was really why I took this whole job and ended up in this whole situation.
And then that set me off to take in everything about Linda.
I would rather be catheterized than use the public ladys bathroom.
She said that to her hairdresser.
Jane Mayer quoted that in an article in 98, complaining about Hillary using the public bathroom.
It made me really fall for her, and I wanted to write in that voice.
There were many, many other lines like that, too.
Its always so many syllables and so many words.
That also suggested this intelligence, too, that I think was very frustrated.
That was crystallized to me because of what Sarah had written.
Was that your intention?
I think I was very interested in what Linda was escaping.
Theres something especially in Sarahs performance that really roots us in that experience.
Were stuck there with her.
You feel how unguarded she is at home.
I love when shes watchingMajor Dadand taking notes on it.
She tries to involve her daughter in that experience.
To answer your question, I guess, yes, I think she does [enjoy the drama].
Im sure she has pride in that.
But I dont know, you said what did you say, enjoys the drama of it?
I think theres a lot of layers to what this is.
There are scenes where that was my sense of it.
Thats an extremely reductive way of looking at something.
When you know something and no one else does, you love to tell them.SB:I agree.
I did do some of that stuff with my movement coach.
We thought about Lindas nose being the thing that leads her, because shes always picking up a scent.
It was just like, what if my nose moved before I did when I turn my head?
It was just so clear to me who she was.
It was not Sarahs invention of Linda.
It felt like a person wrote about a person they knew very well.
I felt very protective of Monica.
It just felt unfair.
Again, it just doesnt feel fair to me.
She does allow for some of it to a degree, but I can tell theres a limit.
That could just be my perception.
There was something also that made me feel a little dirty.
I dont know that I want Monicas assessment of who Linda was then.
Its impossible for her to assess that without the wash of everything that happened to her.
After Id written a few of them, I think she would give feedback.
I would trust her to give me feedback because she would, whenever she wanted to.
I would never press for more, especially on that.
For her own scenes maybe, but not for Linda, for much of the reason that Sarah said.
Some of its funny, its very suspenseful, its obviously very serious.
I could listen to the FBI recordings and some of the conversation not all of it though.
And a lot of it comes from that, but its not verbatim.
SP:Its not verbatim, but there was so much of it.
To me, it was everything in a nutshell.
I think she wanted to do a good job.
She wanted to do it expertly.
Obviously in the tapes, you dont have a camera on her face.
I couldnt really see what she was doing behaviorally, but I can hear her.
Im sure Sarah will say the same thing.
I can hear her nerves in her voice on those tapes.
She was in a really self-consumed moment.
And all of that was on the page.
Im not saying it was easy to do.
Im just saying it was very clear to me what the scene was and how important it was.
She said trying to make her not likable.
SP:I remember responding so well to that.
That was a great moment for me.
Im curious if that surprised you.
That was certainly not my feeling about what you were doing at all.
But a lot of people have very set ideas in their minds about this moment in history.
Part of the point of the show is to reopen your brain about it again.
Werent we still shooting?
Or we just finished or something.
Because also, these people havent even seen all the way till episode ten.
But it was the first time I had to consider, Oh, the decision has been made.
It was disheartening, it was depressing, and it was devastating to me that that was the response.
Thats just the most honest answer I can possibly give you.
It crushed me, truly.
I can barely even talk about it.
Im not well, Jen, about the whole thing.
Sarah can talk about it though maybe.
The thing is, not everybody perceived it that way.SP:Totally.
It was just for me, it was like a body slam, is what it felt like.
Like being dropped from a very high height with no cushion on the ground.
Sarah Burgess, did you want to say something?SB:I dont know.
I dont feel that differently about it.
I allowed myself a very distorted point of view.
I guess I was not traumatized that someone didnt find her likable.
I hate her so much.
I dont know what to do with any of this information.
I dont know how to move on with my life.
So obviously, no one does that scene trying to …
I dont know what it means to take a stab at make her likable.
Obviously, I could write a scene where Linda did something virtuous and nobody noticed.
She could rescue someones pet.
There are things I could have easily written.
But I dont want that on my conscience.
We all behave differently with different people we interact with, even though we tell ourselves we dont.
I trusted that, and I feel very proud of and see that so much in the show.
Its very painful for that to be reduced.
Im happy for people to be entertained by Lindas difficult behavior sometimes.
That is 100 percent part of it.
I realize there are scenes where shes very angry and upset about seemingly mundane things.
But I think I trusted that all thats underneath that and depicted would always be taken into account.
I think thats probably human nature.
I think its also very American.
Both of these things are true.
I think its the same thing with Linda.
What she did to Monica was obviously not great.
I think it requires self-reflection in ways that some people are also not interested in doing.
But what do I know?
I could say a really unpopular thing, which is I love Linda Tripp.
I dont hold one viewpoint about her.
Im trapped with that fact.
I felt some connection to how she got there.
I dont know how to answer that question entirely.
I dont expect them to have an expansive view about it, because they dont need to.
Theres a whole host of reasons to echo what Sarah said about why thats not necessary.
Its not the goal.
That was not in my mind, not ever, not once.
All I wanted and all that mattered to me was that there would be some possibility for deeper understanding.
Again, you dont have to love her the way you love a box of puppies.
I dont mean to say that.
You should have had her rescue a box of puppies.
Thats what you shouldve done.SB:I know, Jen.
SP:I know.
We made a real mistake.
Fuck the Snapple on the desk and the potato chips.
