Donna Lynne Champlin’s Next Act

Imagine a picturesque wedding weekend in Nantucket. The temperature is perfectly mid-70s. The air smells of sea salt. But then a body appears face-down in the water. Cue the dramatic music.

So begins The Perfect Couple, a new Netflix whodunit in which the entire brood of privileged in-laws is a suspect, from Nicole Kidman’s mystery novelist matriarch to Dakota Fanning’s pregnant socialite. A blue-collar detective, played by Donna Lynne Champlin, is brought in to investigate. The Benoit Blanc of coastal New England, if you will, she’s wonderfully unimpressed by the monied folks on the other side of her interrogation table.

But acting alongside her new co-stars? That was a dream. “When I saw the rest of the cast, I was like, They’ve made a horrible mistake,” Champlin jokes over Zoom. “But I’m not going to say anything! It’ll be too late by the time they realize.”

After decades of award-winning theater work, Champlin, who’s 53, joined Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2015, Rachel Bloom’s genre-defying musical series, which aired until 2019. Champlin’s casting — as paralegal-and-scheming bestie Paula Proctor — earned her industry acclaim and small-screen fans, ultimately setting the scene for The Perfect Couple.

Unlike her Perfect Couple castmates, her character doesn’t exist in the Elin Hilderbrand book on which the show is based. That gave Champlin some leeway in approaching her character, which was equal parts terrifying and exciting, she says.

Below, she breaks down her latest role, its familiar accent, and the legacy of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

In many ways, you’re the glue on The Perfect Couple. As the detective, you really get to interact with everyone.

I would sit in that interrogation room with Mike Beach, and we’d joke that we lived there now.

What surprised you about the cast?

The incredible senses of humor of all these actors who are more established in the serious vein. Dakota Fanning, Nicole Kidman. They had me laughing my *ss off. Jack [Reynor] had me in stitches.

What was it like filming on Cape Cod?

I’m not from New England, but my whole family is. My mom grew up in blue-collar Fall River, [Massachusetts], similar to this character. I told her we were staying at this fancy hotel for the read-through, and she started to cry. She was like, “I cannot believe you are staying at the Chatham Bars Inn.” So I got a chance to invite her. Honestly, doing the show was fantastic, but doing that for my mom was a bucket list [item] that I didn’t even know was on my bucket list.

Tell me about your character’s accent.

As a joke, I went up to [dialect coach Joel Goldes] and said some of my lines as my mother would. We called her on Zoom, and Joel had her read through some of my lines, and it worked really well. I told [showrunner Jenna Lamia], “I don’t want people to think I’m doing a bad Boston accent because a Fall River accent is very specific.” So she put a line where I [reference] Fall River.

Your character is always jotting down info in her detective notepad. Is there a trick to make that look convincing?

I learned shorthand for Paula [on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend] because I was constantly taking notes. There was a book on Paula’s desk about shorthand, and I just thought, Oh, that’s a good skill. [On The Perfect Couple, director and executive producer Susanne Bier] asked the camera to float down to my notes. The camera guy was like, “For this take, will you please not scribble?” I laughed. I was like, “OK, copy that. I will write real words this time, but I just want you to know, like, I’m not a hack! I am taking notes. That’s just shorthand.”

Speaking of Paula, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend turns 10 next year. How do you feel about the legacy of the show?

I love it just as much as I did when we were doing it, probably even more. I’m so proud to have been on it. We’re all on a text thread from 2015. We’re family. Pete [Gardner] and I were the mommy and daddy of the cast. At that point, we were the only series regulars who had kids. Pete and his wife, Suzie, are the godparents to my son.

I love its message. I love how it makes people feel. I do Cameos to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and a lot of my Cameos are for people who watched Crazy Ex and say, “It encouraged me to go get therapy. It made me feel less alone. It made me feel less crazy.”

Is there a song from the show that sneaks into your head from time to time?

The songs are part of my family, because my son was age 4 to 8 when we were doing [the show]. He’s now 13, so he’s allowed to watch. We say a lot, “Don’t think about it too hard, too too hard,” and “I’m a good person!” “Face Your Fears” is a big one.

As a musician, I would say “Let’s Generalize About Men.” I will never not be mad that song didn’t get nominated for an Emmy. “Settle for Me” is beautiful. And “The Math of Love Triangles.” Those three songs, they’re chef’s kiss. I wouldn’t change a note.

What do you imagine Paula is up to today?

Paula Proctor, 10 years later, having worked in a real law firm as a real lawyer. I feel like she probably got talked into running for office. I think something ticked her off so much that she was like, I’ll never win, but if I run for office, I could say whatever I want. And I think she wins, and I think she stumbles with imposter syndrome, but just keeps going.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.