“Wreck-It Ralph” Interview: Jane Lynch Talks About Character Likeness, The Kardashians, and “Glee”

In Wreck-It Ralph, Jane Lynch plays as Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun, the tough and able-bodied leader of a bug blasting platoon in Hero’s Duty. No not that kind of doody. The film centers on a gargantuan-esque man named Ralph (John C. Reilly), who grows to be tired of playing the villain for over 30 years, and set off on a game jumping journey to become the hero for once. However his actions set off a unforeseen events that could be a disaster for the entire arcade.

At the film’s press day, Lynch talked to MovieViral, about the recording sessions with Jack McBrayer, Glee, favorite reality TV shows, favorite Disney movies, and what she is working on now. Hit the jump for the full interview.

MovieViral: Did you have any input on your character?

Jane Lynch: Oh my gosh, I kept telling my wife, ‘I look so good,’ even though I am animated. Yeah I had no input at all, but they video taped us, and obviously they replicated my figure. So she’s much more younger and much more fit, and much more militaristic than I am, but I think they did use us. I was watching Sarah (Silverman) as Vanelleope, and John (C. Reilly) all over Ralph, and Jack (McBrayer) all over Felix.

There is a scene in the movie where you and Jack had a lengthy exchange, did you bring something different to that scene that wasn’t on the page?

We did get to do that one together. We recorded with each other, so that was a lot of fun. When you get the two actors in the room, you are going to get more spontaneous, more chemistry, I think for technical reasons they don’t keep us in the room together, but for the most part I know they did with John and Sarah, and boy you can hear it, it’s like they are in the same room bouncing off each other.

Was being in a Disney film or voicing a Disney character on your bucket list?

It wasn’t even on my bucket list, that’s how preposterous  it was. I was thrilled to. I jumped at it. It’s a huge honor to be on the shelf with The Astriocats, Cinderella, and pretty cool stuff with John Lassetter heading up animation now I believe. He’s such a great guy in the world, and when he asks you to do something you say yes.

Were ever a fan of video games?

No I was never an arcade kid.

How much younger does your fanbase go now that you are in this movie?

I don’t know. With Glee I guess the cutoff age is around ten, even that is kind of young for some of the things that go on on our show. Yeah, it will be really cool. I’ve done a couple of Disney things, Another Cinderella story with Selena Gomez and there are three and four year olds all over the country going ‘whoa,’ and they figure it out quicker than their parents do.

Do you have any guilty pleasures with reality TV?

Um, I don’t feel guilty about this at all, I love ‘What not to wear.’ Yeah I am not a reality TV person. I get nothing out of it. Although I must say, we were on vacation and we watched on episode of the Kardashians that lead to a marathon, and we stayed in the hotel, and we were transfixed by the Kardashians for one Saturday afternoon, because you may never know when a new episode starts. It just keeps going, hours and hours, and we just felt so dirty after.

What happens after you binge on a show like that and you run into her at a party?

It’s weird, it’s weird that she is in the same league as me.

But do you feel weird that you know stuff about her life, even though it was put on television to be watched?

No I don’t. I think they are just stupid enough to actually allow us to watch their life, and they are conniving enough to manipulate it. But I think there are some real moments there. I saw someone from the New Jersey Housewives being interviewed, on a talk show and she was talking about it like it was her life. And that angered me so much, but I forgive them. I go to church and I pray and I think it’s a bad thing what she did, but I forgive them. And she was serious, that’s stupidity.

Are you surprised that Sue Sylvester has been able to stay consistent for so long?

Yeah, they’ve allowed her to evolve. I was just beating people up, putting them into their lockers every week, it could get old. And they know to use me so it can go a long way. Although in one episode it will get pretty heavy for Sue Slyvester, but then I will be liked for the next three or four episodes. So they know how to use my character and they also allow me to grow. I mean there are times where my character sounds so empathetic and reasonable, and then the next thing you know, she is throwing somebody into the lockers.

Right, she hasn’t lost her Sueness.

Right, right, she hasn’t changed her stripes.

That must have been difficult for the writers.

When they gave me the down syndrome sister in the first episode, I thought that was brilliant. It was almost like the back story for Sergeant Calhoun, they gave me a reason to.

Did you get to adlib any of your one-liners in the movie?

No, they wrote em all done. The script became more and more the one we ended up being the one we used and it began to sound more and more like me. And I think that happened with all the characters, the writers not only started to capture our voices.

Given the diversity in the characters you have played in the past, is there a role you would like to take on that you haven’t done already?

Not so much, I’ve been writing a lot. And I really enjoy that, so I hope I can bring that into television. And I work fast. So that’s what I am kind of all about right now. It’s great that I can do Glee and be cooking away at something.

Wreck-It Ralph opens in theater on November 2nd.