New York Post interview 1999
By
MICHAEL GILTZ
They're young. They're cute. They're clueless. And they represent something new
on TV: Headstrong, girlish characters who insist on being taken seriously. What
could be more hilarious? Usually the quirky part is the kooky neighbor or the
kooky girlfriend . . . it's usually so typical.
Shawnee Smith stars in "Becker" the quietest hit sitcom on the air.
Because she has also starred in can't-miss series like "Arsenio" and "The Tom
Show" - Tom Arnold's second go at a series - you can understand why she thinks
quieter is better.
"With 'Becker,' CBS put us on the air months before they planned because 'The
Brian Benben Show' did so poorly," says the 29-year-old.
"They said, 'You're going on next week.' And on TV you either sink or you swim -
and more times than not, you sink.
"But we did so well from the beginning and we got no press at all. The way
'Becker' came around was the ultimate. It wasn't written for Ted [Danson]. And
it was really developed from the inside out."
Best of all for Smith, she plays the secretary Linda - a genuine break-out
character.
"Usually the quirky part is the kooky neighbor or the kooky girlfriend," says
Smith. "And all you talk about is what date you had the night before. it's
usually so . . . typical.
"I knew Linda wasn't when I read the pilot.
"There was a scene when she's in the hallway with Ted and she's slamming her
head saying, 'You don't know what it's like in here. All these thoughts keep
spinning around.' She can't stop herself sometimes.
"That character and that writing is a serious luxury. Ted's always joking, 'I've
got to say a three-quarters of a page-long speech and you come in with one line
right after it and get the big laugh."
Showbiz was inevitable for Smith, who's now married and has a nearly
one-year-old daughter.
As a child, Smith staged productions with the neighborhood kids. She even took
her first tap-dancing lessons at three.
"I remember my first pair of taps shoes, too," she laughs. "My mom's boyfriend
screwed the taps in on Christmas and, oh my God, what an exciting moment."
By eight, Smith was writing her first song.
It was called 'I Love Cookies.' I remember the melody and everything," she says
and starts singing. "I love cookies/They're really great/If you haven't tried
them/You just wait."
If Smith has her way, "I Want Cookies" might be the hidden bonus track on her
first album.
She's recorded demo songs with musicians from Suicidal Tendencies and other
groups and they're about to shop it around to the record companies. With the
ultra-catchy "Girl Smells" as the drawing card, Smith can see her future
clearly.
"The summer hiatus for a TV show is perfect touring time," she says.
During the TV season. "you can record on evenings and weekends and on the week
out - 'cause you do three weeks on and one week off. Then on the summer hiatus
you could tour." She'd love to use one career to propel the other forward and
Smith knows the memorable Linda is a rare chance to make it happen.
"I don't know why I get cast for these quirky parts because I'm really not like
that at all. It's crazy," she says.
"In real life . . . believe me, I know how to have fun, but God, I'm not like
that at all. The fact that I lucked into being Linda is just a million to one."
