Kerri Kenney Is More Like Her ‘Four Seasons’ Character Than She Would Like to it

To some, Kerri Kenney might seem like she has nothing left to prove. She’s a founding member of the sketch group The State, prolific in comedy projects of all kinds (including the long-running Reno 911!), and still busy midway through her 50s. But getting cast as Anne in The Four Seasons, then receiving multiple scripts, and finally being called to set to film still didn’t make her feel entirely secure about ing the production.

At a Four Seasons on the first day of the ATX TV Festival, Kenney itted that when she first arrived at her trailer, she didn’t unpack. Because she assumed she’d get fired right away, she tried to spare her future self the pain of having to gather up her personal items, like photos of her son, and depart in shame. Instead, Kenney has become the show’s breakout star — perhaps because, as she told the audience, she’s more like Anne than she’d care to it. (One key difference: When she and her castmates shot a frisbee match in one of the “Fall” episodes, she was the only one who caught the frisbee every time. “I can do sports, and I can do drama.”)

I spoke to Kenney after the about her love of the film the show is based on, the changes to her character in its translation to the present day and whether we can hope for more Reno 911! any time soon.

You said today that you’ve watched the Four Seasons movie a few dozen times, starting when you were a kid. What drew you to it as an 11-year-old?

I’ve been questioning that lately, honestly, but I was an only child. I later had half siblings, but I was practically an adult when that happened, so I was raised as an only child, and watched a lot of adult entertainment. That doesn't sound right. Not what we now mean when we say “adult entertainment” — I watched movies that were comedies that were generally for adults, and so nothing ever made me think, “Oh, this isn’t for me.” But also, I loved The Carol Burnett Show. I loved Alan Alda, loved M*A*S*H, and my parents had just gotten divorced, and that was back in the day when HBO would just run movies over and over, so it was on a lot and I was drawn to it.

Over your career, you’ve worked with a lot of your fellow of The State in various combinations. It sounded like you had a lot of anxiety about taking on this role, but is there anything that you tend to look forward to when you a production with people that you don’t know as well?

I just love meeting new people, working with people that I respect. That level of fear and anxiety is just a small part of it. I love to work with people that are inspiring. Who wouldn’t want to get the chance to work with their heroes? So even though it’s scary, I wouldn’t change it for anything.

You’re definitely being a good team player saying it was better for the show to meet everyone in character and get to know them later as actors, but if you had the chance, would you love to have that luxurious three weeks of rehearsal that we just heard the cast got for the movie?

You know what? I really am being honest when I say I wouldn’t change a thing. Yes, before this had happened, I would definitely tell you, “Oh God, I would give anything to have rehearsal before this.” But now that we did it and haven’t had it, and I’m so proud of the outcome, I can say there was an electricity on those days because it was fresh and brand-new.

The original Anne disappears from the movie pretty early on and then briefly pops up later. When you read the script for the show and saw that wasn’t the case this time, what did you most look forward to doing to flesh out this iteration of a character?

Well, first of all, I couldn’t believe that she was still there. Every time I would get a new script, I thought, “Here’s where she disappears.” When she disappeared in Episode Three, I thought, “Oh, I’m done. That’s it. Of course, and that makes perfect sense.” (Anne appears briefly at the end of Episode Three and then has a major role in the five subsequent episodes.)

You just read the script as a human on the planet, and you say, “Wait, we’re going to get to go skiing. We’re going to Puerto Rico. We’re jumping off of boats.” I felt like a four-year-old waiting for a trip to Disneyland, and I get to go with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. I just looked forward to it all, the whole experience in it, and it exceeded my expectations. The humans, the work itself and the reaction to it have all exceeded my expectations.

We now know there’s going to be a second season. Do you have a wish list for Anne?

You know what? I really don’t, and I mean that when I say that what these guys — (co-creators) Tracy Wigfield, Tina Fey, and what the writers’ room have come up with was beyond anything I could have thought, and I just eagerly await that first script. I can’t wait to clear my husband and son out of the room, get a mug of tea, sit under my Four Seasons blanket and just drink in the episodes as they roll in. I wouldn’t even dare to dream what’s going to happen because I know it will be better than anything I could come up with.

I hope there are more love interests for Anne, but I was sad we only got one episode with Toby Huss.

I know, but wasn’t it just so delectable.

Your co-star, Colman Domingo directed an episode this season. Is that something you would ever want to do, perhaps in Season Two?

No, I don’t think so. I’d love to direct at some point, but at this stage, no. I’m still finding my footing as an actor at this level in this genre. I can walk into this as a 37-year veteran of acting and feel like, “Okay, I think I deserve to be here.” I could never do that as a new director, not a chance. I wouldn’t do that to people to even ask. And then you get to work with someone like Colman Domingo and you go, “Ah, this is why people want Colman Domingo.” Not only is he a stellar actor, but he is a stellar director, and being directed by him in dramatic scenes — that scene of Tina and I on the library steps was some of my favorite acting that I’ve ever gotten to do, and that was because of Colman’s direction.

In your experience, because you’ve been directed by other actors before, is there anything that they do better as directors than non-actors do?

Oh, for sure. Especially a great actor, an Academy Award-nominated actor two times over. He specifically is so patient, lets the scene show itself before he gives any single note, and then in this case, very strategically, very quietly moved closer and closer to us as we shot our closeups and eventually said, “Would you mind if I sat right by the camera box?” And that is something that if another director had just done that on the first take, it would be very off-putting. He just was whispering direction to us and it changed the game for me.

I would be remiss if I didn’t ask whether there is any Reno 911! news that you would care to break.

No Reno news right now. But the headline that I always say with Reno is never say never. And same with The State. Who would’ve thought that a year ago we’d be running around in unitards right down the street here, playing to sold-out audiences around the country and then going to the Tribeca Film Festival for the premiere of the documentary. These shows, this group of people, are my family, are my springboard, and will always be part of my personal life and my performing life, so I’m always the first one if somebody says, “Hey, should we…?” I say, “Yes. Wait, what are we doing? I’m in.”

It must be hard to wrangle that many people, too.

Well, that was the only way that live tour could happen, because we were on strike with the Writers Guild, and so none of us could work. The only work we were allowed to do was live theater, and so we said, “Guys, this is never going to happen again. Hopefully. So we need to take advantage of this moment.”