Katey Sagal Interview Snippet

I am still on a high. Yesterday, I had the fantastic opportunity to hear TV-comedy icon Katey Sagal‘s voice live and in person. Okay, maybe it was live and over the telephone, but the thrill was no less despite the great, great distance, especially because the multi-talented actress was so terrific.

Since I received a similarly amazing opportunity to talk with television icon Sharon Gless of Burn Notice a couple of weeks ago and had to turn it down due to prior obligations, this week’s interview with Sagal was all the more an honor.

A snippet of the Q&A follows to whet appetites until I get the rest of the exchange up tomorrow, either before or after I participate in an afternoon interview with beautiful and talented Dilshad Vadsaria of ABC Family’s Greek.

And, just so you know, early next week, I’ve yet another interview on my schedule with the one and only Ron Perlman of Hellboy! Have I died and gone to entertainment heaven?!

Both Perlman and Sagal star in FX’s upcoming new original series Sons of Anarchy, which is the reason for the sudden abundance of chat sessions. Now here’s a tidbit of Katey until tomorrow.

Katey Sagal goodness after the jump…

With this role [Sons of Anarchy matriarch Gemma Teller] being specifically written for you, does that make a difference going into it? How is it different having it with you in mind when it was created?

KATEY SAGAL: When my husband [Sons of Anarchy and The Shield writer and executive producer Kurt Sutter] came to me and said he had written me a part, he didn’t actually tell me what the part was. I knew that he was writing a show in the world of outlaw motorcycle clubs and I knew she was the mother of the lead character, but that was all I really knew. I don’t know that it was necessarily inspired by me, but when he says that he sort of tailor-made it to me, I’m not quite sure what he meant by that.

Once you see her, you’ll kind of think, “Huh?” Gemma is a fiercely loyal mother not only to her son, but also to her sort of family of club members. They’re kind of this counter-culture group, and she is the matriarch of that group. In my personal life, I’m a pretty fiercely loyal mother, but I don’t practice the same ways and means as Gemma does.

More Katey Sagal to come on Friday!