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Where you've seen her: This talented brunette with a pout that could
curdle cheese has become more visible after landing her most prominent role
yet--in Punch-Drunk Love, as Adam Sandler's pushy sister, who introduces
him to Emily Watson's character. She also appears in Sweet Home Alabama as
Dorothea, Reese Witherspoon's bank-teller friend from back home. On television
Rajskub (pronounced RAY-skub) has had recurring roles on Mr. Show, Veronica's
Closet, and The Larry Sanders Show.
What she's up to: She'll be performing her standup show Kick-Ass to the Max
at Dorscia in West Hollywood on Dec. 11. On the kick-ass music side, Rajskub and
Karen Kilgariff, a.k.a. Girls Guitar Club (seen singing in The
Anniversary Party), will be performing their blend of hilarious acoustic
mayhem at upcoming shows at the Hudson Theatre's Comedy Central space. Rajskub
will also be appearing in the films Claustrophobia and Legally Blonde
2: Red, White, and Blonde.
First big break: This Trenton, Michigan, native unintentionally fell into
comedy doing performance art while attending the San Francisco Art Institute.
After getting laughs for a non-comedic piece, Rajskub switched gears and started
doing parodies of performance art, which got her noticed by Bob Odenkirk and
David Cross, who put her on their cult program, Mr. Show, in 1995.
Rajskub was with the show for a year, until she broke up with the show's creator
Cross. "I couldn't be on it anymore. After we broke up, I had to go work at
Seattle's Best Coffee," Rajskub recalled. She wasn't brewing long before
her standup tape ended up in Garry Shandling's hand. A meeting was scheduled,
and she landed the role of Mary Lou, the eager-to-please talent booker. Several
TV and film appearances followed, including parts in Man on the Moon, Road
Trip, and Dude, Where's My Car?
Worst thing someone in the industry has ever said: "I did this
one-woman show called The Littlest Angel in '94 at the Comedy Arts
Festival in Aspen. This TV executive told me that the first time he saw my show
he thought I was retarded. What can you say to that? 'Oh really? OK!'"
Best auditions: "I was on this show that didn't get picked up called
The Downer Channel. It was pretty crazy to have to do your comedy for
Steve Martin in an office with eight other people. The Larry Sanders
audition was also pretty amazing because there was no material. I just kind of
sat there and made faces at them and was like, What? What do you want me to do?
It was kind of refreshing because usually when you go into general meetings and
there's no material, it can be kind of stiff and formal, and we were kind of
goofing around."
Acting risks: Rajskub recently finished production on a film she thought
was a comedy called Claustrophobia, which taught her about how little
control actors have over the film. It turns out: "It's a horror film. I
think [the director] didn't get enough footage to do a feature, so he's doing
something weird with it, like adding a completely other thing on it to make it
long enough to be a feature," she said. "It was all done in this house
and they just sit around and talk about how they can't get out of the house
because there's a killer on the roof with a crossbow."
Bad choices: "One of the worst choices I made was to be on this
pilot [on UPN] called Shasta McNasty. I actually got written out after
being in the pilot episode because I stuck out. It was like, Thank God I'm not
on this terrible show. It was very chauvinistic and the humor was really
base."
Idols in the industry: Paul Thomas Anderson. "He's fantastic,"
said Rajskub. "I just admire his ability to have his vision and get things
done his way." After cutting Rajskub's scene with Tom Cruise in Magnolia,
Anderson made it up to her by giving her a juicier role in Punch-Drunk Love.
When describing why she also admires Reese Witherspoon, Rajskub broke into the
sing-song, stream-of-consciousness style reminiscent of her band. "She's
smart and she's pretty and she's young and she has the good, strong image she
presents of a woman. Bad-ass!"
Audition advice: "This is what I started doing and it seemed to
work," she said. "When you go to auditions, pretend you already have
the job and you're just presenting--almost like you're at the table read. Don't
go in with an air of, Please like me, or, Please hire me. You're like, Here's my
take on it. Take it or leave it. I've got a lot of other things to do
today."
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