Carol Burnett: ‘We Laughed a Lot. And That’s the Way I Like It’

When you were on the set, what did your fellow actors want to ask you?

They want to know why I’m still doing it!

And what do you tell them?

Well, as long as I feel good and if the script is good, why not? I just want to have fun. I remember when they called me about doing this. They told me who was going to be in it — Kristen [Wiig] and Allison [Janney] and Laura [Dern]. I said, “I don’t even have to read it. I just want to be with those ladies.” It was a very good decision I made, because it’s a great series. It’s eye candy. The costumes and the scenery — a couple of big ballroom scenes. … Everybody’s dressed in the 1970s look. One [scene] had trapeze artists, women dressed as mermaids. It was unbelievable.

Speaking of costumes, how was that process? Was it fun or a pain?

The pain is in getting ready. And that’s because the makeup and the hair and all of that. But once we’re on the set, then it’s fun, working with those women and with Ricky [Martin]. ... He and I have several scenes together, and he was just a dear. In fact, everybody was. We all got along great. We laughed a lot. And that’s the way I like it. That’s what happened when I [guest-starred on] Better Call Saul. That was a well-oiled machine because those people have been working together — for some of them 15 years ... and they couldn’t have been sweeter. I’ve made some new buddies over the past four years with Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn. We’re very close. And now with Kristen and Allison and Laura. I just got some brand new friends. It’s really wonderful.

Any desire to return to your one-woman touring show [Laughter and Reflection With Carol Burnett]?

No, no. I did that for about 40 years. I would go out and do my Q&As. I don’t really like to travel that much anymore. But gosh, I don’t know how many thousands of shows [I did] in those 40 years. It was wonderful because it did keep the old gray matter ticking, because there were no planned questions. I would just randomly call on people [in the audience] who raised their hand, so I had to be [mentally] in the now. I couldn’t be thinking about yesterday or tomorrow. I had to be right there at the time, and so that kept me going. The brain you need to exercise just as much as the body.

What brain exercises are you doing these days?

I do [The New York Times] Wordle. I do Connections and Spelling Bee. And the [New York Times] crossword every morning. I play Wordle with Allison [Janney] and with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I’m name dropping now! And Charlize Theron. As I say, I’m name dropping!

What are you doing to keep fit physically?

I have a little treadmill now in the house. So if I don’t want to [walk] outside I get on that [and] I walk and watch TV ... I TiVo a lot of the old movies. Some that I never saw as a kid, and some that I did see, and that I remembered. And I go back and it’s a little trip down nostalgia lane. The other day I watched A Star Is Born with Judy Garland. She was robbed of an Academy Award. She should have gotten it that year. I remember they gave it to Grace Kelly. But nobody could touch Judy in that role. I still cry when I see it. I watched [Who’s Afraid of] Virginia Woolf[?] with Elizabeth [Taylor]. And that was pretty heavy. They were all so good, the four [lead actors] in that. And that was Mike Nichols’ first movie directing job. He did a beautiful job. He was this comedian originally [performing as a duo comedy act] with Elaine May, and [he] turned out to be this fantastic director.

What advice would you give to an actor just starting out in the business?

What I remember was that I was up for a small part in a Broadway show. I was in my 20s, I was young. They narrowed it down to another girl and me, and I thought I had it. [When I didn’t get it] I thought, You know what? It’s her turn. It’s not my turn. My turn will come, but right now it’s her turn. And that saved me from being depressed. So that’s what I tell [young actors]: OK, maybe it wasn’t your turn. Maybe you weren’t the right type [for the part]. But if you have the fire in your belly, and the will and the talent, your turn will come. Just be patient and keep at it.