SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2005
Mary Lynn Heats Up Screen as Info Whiz
by Mike Duffy - Source Detroit Free Press |
Computer nerd is the word for CTU
info systems whiz Chloe O'Brian on "24."
And quirky character actress Mary Lynn Rajskub, the Trenton native who plays
jerky cool Chloe, was a bundle of different emotions when she heard that she
was the only cast holdover joining "24" star Kiefer Sutherland for the
fourth season of the Fox suspense thriller.
"It's quite an honor," says Rajskub. "I was shocked. And it made me nervous
because they gave Chloe a little more responsibility this season."
Having made the decision to give the "24" cast a radical changeover of new
faces, the show's producers also blessed returnee Rajskub (pronounced RAY-skub)
with some key Chloe moments in the four tense opening hours that kick off
the new season at 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday on Fox.
So who exactly is Chloe O'Brian?
"She's smarter than everybody else. She's just misunderstood," explains
Rajskub of her dour, sometimes snarky, CTU alter ego. "Chloe's a computer
genius who's just trying to help save the world. But she doesn't have the
best social skills."
Suffering fools is not part of the Chloe game plan.
Rajskub possesses a rare flair for improv comedy and offbeat, unconventional
humor. That's a talent she displayed as a regular on the HBO cult classics
"Mr. Show with Bob and David" and "The Larry Sanders Show." She has also
popped up in an assortment of sly supporting roles in such films as "Sweet
Home Alabama," "Dude, Where's My Car?" and the critically acclaimed
"Punch-Drunk Love," where she played Adam Sandler's sister and came to the
attention of the "24" producers.
Though Chloe isn't exactly a laugh riot, Rajskub thinks her character's a
queen of understated amusement.
"It's my favorite type of comedy," says the actress, "to be in a show that's
very dramatic and suspenseful ... I'm not trying to do slapstick. Chloe just
does her job. That's much funnier to me."
Also, apparently, much sexier to some devoted fans of Chloe O'Brian and
Rajskub, who have developed somewhat of a fervent Internet following.
"I ended up in a chat room the other day where they were discussing Chloe,"
says Rajskub. "And someone says, 'She's sooo hot!' "
The cybergeek attention for her downbeat "24" info diva doesn't bother
Rajskub. Just the opposite. "I love it, it's cool."
That's it. Computer nerd is the word.
Chloe O'Brian? She's sooo hot, she's sooo cool.
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