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• "Tracey Ullman takes on L.A."
• Tracey Ullman's State of the Union
• Ms. Ullman's bio

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Comedienne talks about America's fascination with celebrity and impersonates news anchors talking about celebs. (1:54)
 

Full interview. (20:09)
 

Tavis: I'm laughing already (laughter) because look who's here, look who's here. Tracey Ullman is back on this program (laughter). The seven-time Emmy-winning actress and comedienne is back now with an all-new set of episodes of her acclaimed and truly hilarious series, "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union." The show airs Sunday nights at 10 on Showtime. Here now a scene from "Tracey Ullman's State of the Union."

[Clip]

Tracey Ullman: (Laughter) It's so easy. Look. I can do it right now.

Tavis: Yeah, I want to see this (laughter).

Ullman: It's that quick. The compound wife.

Tavis: Did you have fun doing that particular scene?

Ullman: I love that. It's so relaxing. I became so subservient and quiet all day that the crew could barely believe it (laughter). But we had our dresses made in Utah from the lady that actually made the dresses for the Mormon women and they were beautifully made.

Within that, there you see my friends, Vonda Shepard and Julia Fordham, were helping me out there and it was wonderful. I enjoyed it.

Tavis: What did you actually make of that story, the real story? I mean, I see your spoof of it. What did you make of that story, though?

Ullman: Well, it was just such an image of last year in America. I mean, it was just obvious I would want to try and be one of those ladies. And I was trying to write the show last year to anticipate what would be happening this year in America.

It was tough. You had an election going on and I wondered if the compound wives would still be relevant this year, but the hair is classic. I mean, you're never gonna lose the Ronnie Specter hair (laughter). I could do that, you know, with the big switch down the side.

Tavis: When you see stuff - again, you're writing ahead, to your point now, trying to see if this stuff's going to be relevant a few months down the road when the show actually airs. When you see stuff, do you immediately know there's funny there, I'm gonna do this? Or do you have to get talked into certain things or it takes time to figure it out? Again, do you just know when you see it that I am definitely spoofing this?

Ullman: It's just a line I'll hear or a sound or some - I mean, I knew I wanted to be that man from the celebrity dance show.

Tavis: Yeah (laughter).

Ullman: You know that man? "I'll give it a 9. You really captured the fun and the gaiety of the Samba." Remember when he said that and Maria Osmond went down? Then it was his face going, "Oh, what's going on? What's going on?" I just see that moment and I think I want to do that.

You know, I saw Laura Bush and it's the quiet composure. Everybody's a hero. It's kind of I could just see, if I just put one eye this way, that Stepford Wives thing. He changed so dramatically over the presidency, but she was as beautiful and fresh as she'd just been inaugurated.

So I knew as I wrote the show, I said the one thing I knew for sure is that she'd be back in Crawford, Texas a year later at 115 degrees and she'd be throwing out all of those doodads that they collected over the years like, you know, the Dresden dolls from that Angela Merkel.

So there were things I knew would happen. Yeah, I'll just a hear a voice and want to do it. I wanted to be Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, for some bizarre reason. He goes "Brouhaha." I hear that a lot, "brouhaha, brouhaha." It's just little things you pick up on.

You know, my son is embarrassed, but I do it. It was why I did Renee Zellweger. It's like sucking on a lemon. It's just a little look or a sound or something and then that's my day across America, you know. Famous people, not famous people, the celebrity obsession in this country.

Tavis: What do you make of this? It is an obsession.

Ullman: It's ridiculous. Even on NPR, I've heard them reporting the Coachella - my lovely, sacred NPR is reporting the Coachella Festival and they said, "Celebrity sightings were Paris Hilton, Reese Witherspoon and. . ." What about the people that were playing the music?

Please, NPR, don't you even start, you know (laughter). We'll be having a "Hi, I'm Michele Norris. We'll be talking about Lindsey Lohan's loneliness after the break. Now Warren Olney's gonna be talking about Allie Lohan and Lindsey and the dynamic. . ." It's like, "No, guys, don't you do it as well. Keep doing the serious stuff. I'm scared.

You know, "I'm Christiane Amanpour. Tomorrow I'll have Brittany Spears on and hopefully her mommy. Have we managed to get them?" No! We must save - Tavis, you can't do this to us. Oh, man, I know you've had the Chi-Lites in here at times and you've been stuck and you've had The O'Jays in.

Tavis: Don't you start that again. Last year - some of you saw this show, of course. Last year, we celebrated our 1,000th show and we had - now look at me. Don't try and ignore me on this.

Ullman: No, I'm just looking at my hair in the monitor. I'm so vain. I'm an actress. I'm not one of those politician people that go, "Isn't it shiny? I'm in such good condition. Look at it. Look at that. Do you think L'Oreal might give me some money?"

Sorry, I'm just trying to get a hair ad out of it because, look, you know, you can't just do PBS, you know. You might as well make some dough as well. Carry on. And cue Tavis.

Tavis: Thank you. We celebrated last year our 1,000th show and we got tons and tons and tons of clips over these 1,000 shows and the one that just brought the house down - Denzel was hilarious, but the clip of you imitating me, my chops get busted about that all - I travel around the country. "That Tracey Ullman, she nailed you, she nailed you."

Ullman: But it was true. We watch the telly at night and I've seen you say, "I'm sorry, but he's on the campaign trail. He's not available tonight, but we have one of the founding members of The O'Jays." You said it one night (laughter) and then I told someone, "How do we know it's not the Chi-Lites?" That was the story.

Tavis: Yeah, it was funny.

Ullman: You come on earlier now, so we get to see you -

Tavis: - twice a night here in Los Angeles.

Ullman: Yeah. Hey, comes on Huell Howser (laughter). "Wow, we're at the Disney Concert Hall and the sun is shining." It's such a dichotomy between you and - who thought you would be in that same hour, you and Huell? Who does the programming here? It's such a dichotomy. "I can't believe it. I'm with Tavis Smiley." (laughter). You got to admit it. He's so funny, man.

Tavis: (Laughter) I'm just glad she's spoofing at Huell this time and not me. Now if you don't live in Los Angeles, you're not gonna get the Huell Howser. He's a great guy.

Ullman: I know, I know. He's doing the show "California." He was on one of my shows once. I love him. It's been so quick getting here today. This recession's great. There's no one on the roads. I'm loving the recession.

Tavis: You like it?

Ullman: Oh, there was nothing on the freeways coming here. None of those realtors driving along slipping and swapping. It's calmed right down, hasn't it?

Tavis: I must confess, while nobody celebrates a recession, it really is easy getting into restaurants now. I mean, I got to say, I love it.

Ullman: It calms everyone down. I'm not worried about trying to get in on the net jet, you know, the private jet thing. I'm sounding like one of the top wired phones (laughter), but, no, I just got back from London and it's big there. That's what it is.

Tavis: Speaking of getting back from London, I laughed when I saw this. Somebody has been married to you for 25 years?

Ullman: (Laughter) Yes.

Tavis: Who is this man?

Ullman: He's called Allan McKeown and we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.

Tavis: Congratulations.

Ullman: Yeah, in Paris. It was lovely. He makes me laugh. He's the funny one in our house. We have two children.

Tavis: Funnier than you?

Ullman: You know, I'm quite quiet at home. They put this little black bag over my head like a parrot and I just sit there and listen to him being funny. I was wanting to marry a kind of Michael Caine kind of guy and he's that to me. He's really, really funny. We work together and he's from London. Twenty-five years, yes.

Tavis: And the secret? What's the secret?

Ullman: Actually, our marriage is on the rocks, but we're staying together for the syndication (laughter), and that's my admission, I have to say. It's terrible really. I hate it.

Tavis: (Laughter) I like it, I like it, I like it. So aside from the shiny hair, the good conditioning, what makes a marriage last 25 years? You got some advice for me on this one?

Ullman: How long have you been married?

Tavis: Zero. That's why I'm asking.

Ullman: You're not married. Oh, you're such a catch. Oh, my God!

Tavis: Oh, I should not have asked that question.

Ullman: Oy, I have a friend for you. She's gorgeous. How old do you like them or young? Do you like step aerobic instructors? No. Come on. You go for girls your own age? You're looking at young me. Come on, it's Los Angeles. What's going on? Tavis, you can talk to me. I'm a Jew. Come on. Tell me. I'm a Jewish matchmaker. I want to make it work for you.

Seriously, no. What makes it work? I just like him. He makes me laugh. He's my soul mate. I knew it when I met him. I got lucky. You know, I was a pain in the ass to date, as you can see.

Tavis: I think you're funny.

Ullman: Yes, exactly. I was the one they took, they put in the back of the car with my pretty friend. She'd get the guy and they'd go, "Let's take Tracey along and she might say something funny during the evening and, if she doesn't, we'll chuck her out of the car." I was that kind of person.

Tavis: And your kids? Are they with two parents who - because if he is funnier than you, I'm trying to figure out how well adjusted your kids are.

Ullman: My kids are funny. They really make me laugh. They're fantastic. My daughter works for the British government now. She's 23 years old, Mabel.

Tavis: She does what?

Ullman: I always used to talk about her when she was like two years old on my Tracey Ullman Show and people always remember her name, Mabel. Well, she's 23 now, she works for the government. When she was three, this was what Mabel was like. Somebody said to her, "Do you want to be an actress like your mommy?" She said, "No. I want to be something useful like a nurse." She was a menopausal two-year-old.

My son, Johnny, different kettle of fish altogether. He was like, from two to seven, a drunk midget. You're working with a drunk midget. You know, the drunk midget years with little boys? Different kids, but both very funny.

Tavis: What's your daughter do for the government or is that top secret?

Ullman: (Laughter) No. She works as a general secretary of the Labor Party and she also works for a female MP. She's very determined to do things female, women's issues. We're so proud of her. She's in total control of the country, hopefully, at this point. Can we check on that? Can we check on that? It was wonderful to see the Obamas come to England.

Tavis: I was about to ask you about this. You're mind-reading now.

Ullman: It's nice to see everyone go, "Oh, America's back. Oh, we like America again. Oh, great." Even the queen. Did you see her? Couldn't keep her hands off Michele.

Tavis: What did you make of that moment of Michele -

Ullman: - or did she fall over? She is a senior. What do you think it was? She was like, "Oh, let me hang onto your sweater that you got from J. Crew. Why didn't you wear an Oscar de la Renta jacket? What is this? You come to meet me."

Tavis: (Laughter) What about that controversy about, the other way around, Michele touching her? Remember this?

Ullman: No one touches the queen. She looked like she liked it. Remember when the queen came here years ago and there was that lovely Black woman in Washington, D.C. that went, "Ah, I love you. Come here" and gave her a big hug and the queen was like a total rigid body. But, no, I think she liked it. When she goes to the museum, then the Mowerys go "Aargh" and she just tilts her head back and says, "Oh, my goodness."

Tavis: (Laughter) When Tracey shows up, I just lose control. I'm just sitting here.

Ullman: I know. And I haven't even got - my flipping espresso never arrived, you know.

Tavis: I'm glad it didn't.

Ullman: I know. Can you imagine? I'd be unbearable.

Tavis: Do you ever just -

Ullman: I do. I knit and watch PBS.

Tavis: You do not.

Ullman: I do.

Tavis: You do not.

Ullman: I do. I'm really boring.

Tavis: PBS, yes. The knitting part, I'm not buying the knitting part.

Ullman: I do knit. I could knit you some lovely socks and a tie.

Tavis: Matching?

Ullman: (Laughter) You bet.

Tavis: I might wear that, I might wear that.

Ullman: Cashmere as well because you're that kind of guy. Feel the suit. It's just quality. You're a quality guy.

Tavis: You're silly (laughter). How do you - I'm trying to juxtapose the Tracey Ullman that we see who is really, really funny with what you said earlier, which I take very seriously because I know you're being honest about this. You really are like a news junkie.

Ullman: I am a news junkie.

Tavis: I mean, you're really -

Ullman: - and that's what's in my show. I mean, first and foremost, I do love being funny. I love laughing. You know, as a little girl, I had these wonderful uncles, my mother's brothers. It was just relentless teasing made me laugh and, you know, I love them. So I love to make laughs. But there is within the shows I'm doing now - I became an American, as you know, eighteen months ago and I think there's real political comments -

Tavis: - how's that working out for you?

Ullman: Love it. I think it's just great. I love it. I buy myself a truck. No, I've been here a long time, going on 25 years. I like it. I get to vote and, psychologically, I'm freer to say what I really want to say about this country. I feel I'm part of it now.

Tavis: Well, let me explore that. You didn't - as long as you've been living here, you didn't feel a certain freedom to express yourself because you didn't have that piece of paper?

Ullman: Yeah. There was just that - yes, there was a psychological barrier. At the turn of the century here, there was a certain air of McCarthyism in this country somewhat and I began to think, "Oh, say I didn't get my green card back when I came through one day" and I thought, "I don't know. I wanted to become a major commitment here in my life." So it did help.

These shows, they're on Showtime, ten o'clock Sunday night, but they give me enormous freedom, you know. Cable is fantastic in this country. There's no ads. You get that 30 minutes to write what you want to write and their criteria is to make the best shows and to be provocative and honest. I write with a wonderful author called Bruce Wagner. He writes novels primarily about California and we get total freedom.

Tavis: How do you think - to the point - I've never asked you this before, but -

Ullman: - the celebrity impressions that I've done, in a way, people latch onto that. "Oh, you do that." I never did that before. It was a conscious decision to almost attract more attention because people love celebrities. I've never done that. Never impersonated anybody, but I thought that has to be part of the show because it helps.

Tavis: Plus you're in America.

Ullman: Yes, and I wanted to be Arianna Huffington, who you know. You have her on the show a lot and she wants to be the - I love her voice so much and now she - look at her, Tavis. You go to her house all the time, all right? Tavis is a real late moustache. She loves you. Aren't you glad for me?

So she started blogging and she would just be rolling down windows and "Will you blog for me? Tavis? Hello, darling. Will you blog? You want to do a blog?" Everybody was like, "Tracey, Lawrence O'Donnell. Oh, my God. I'll get him for my blog because I love him." She pulls everyone together and she's serious and strong and interesting and things just talk about show business. Isn't it great?

Tavis: (Laughter) I'm just laughing because that's exactly what she says when she sees me. "Tavis, will you blog for me?", yes.

Ullman: That's how she does. That's right, that's right, that's right. Great gal. She's Greek, you know.

Tavis: Yes. I was trying to ask, because we were talking about America and our celebrity obsession here. How would your comedy - being here all these years and not being an American citizen - how would your comedy be different if you were doing this in England?

Ullman: Um.

Tavis: I don't mean the Showtime series.

Ullman: You know, it's interesting because I'm about to be given, which is very nice, a BAFTA lifetime achievement award in Los Angeles next week, the Charlie Chaplin Award.

Tavis: High five. Congratulations.

Ullman: The American look.

Tavis: There you go.

Ullman: I could never have done that.

Tavis: You can't do that in England.

Ullman: You couldn't do that to the queen, man.

Tavis: No, you can't do that.

Ullman: She'd fall over. In England, it was so self-depreciating. I think British comedy is still to a certain extent based on the loser. I mean, the classic example is Ricky Gervais in "The Office." It's a poignant, brilliant show, but he's a loser, famous comedian in England. It's always about, you know, someone who's pompous, doesn't realize he's an idiot.

Tavis: Benny Hill.

Ullman: Yeah (laughter). That's always everyone's reference.

Tavis: (Laughter) We love Benny Hill.

Ullman: Well, you remember the wonderful parts Benny used to give women.

Tavis: I love Benny.

Ullman: Oh, running around in bikinis, you know. What a wonderful role for women.

Tavis: Yeah (laughter).

Ullman: So it's more self-depreciating and cynical. So if I'd stayed there - and I still go back and forth. I mean, I have a European sensibility, American sensibility. I don't know if I would be writing about the girl who lived in a (unintelligible). I don't know.

I just know that I'm so eclectic. I like to try and talk and do so many different things and travel and get out and do stuff. But being American and English, it suits me perfectly because I have all these different sensibilities. I can't stick with one thing. I couldn't create one character and just play one character. I would always be curious. So I don't know.

There's a brilliant comedy in England. You know, Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, French and Saunders. But I feel just at home when I go there with the humor and I'm constantly being asked what is the difference between the two and I don't know. I just think funny is funny. They've always interchanged shows and formats and comedy.

Tavis: We take so much stuff.

Ullman: "Seinfeld" works there, "Office" works here.

Tavis: Exactly.

Ullman: "Sanford and Son" came from a British sitcom in the sixties, "Til Death Us Do Part." We've always exchanged shows.

Tavis: My time's about up. What can you tell me about the Showtime series? We saw one clip, obviously. I don't want you to give the whole thing away, but you got other characters you can tell us about?

Ullman: There's seven shows.

Tavis: Seven shows.

Ullman: I think I anticipated the financial crisis pretty well and there's a nice piece about somebody being worth $148 million and now they're only being worth $30 million. How in wealth management people can do with that sort of amount (laughter). It was great when I expanded the show, had more production value. Actually, I let a couple of other actors into it. Isn't that amazing?

Tavis: How kind of you in this bad economy.

Ullman: Oh, I know. So I can't think of who else I did. Jodie Foster, I had a go at. You know, celebrity-wise, it might be Seth Rogen, as I say, and Jonah Hill. I had a fantastic time. I got political comment in there. I got, you know, humor in there. I'm doing what I want to do as an English girl at 49 years old. I have a relevance and I can still do it. It's just great fun and I appreciate it.

Tavis: I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you have another season.

Ullman: Yeah, I'm writing now another season, so Ruth Madoff, watch out.

Tavis: (Laughter) Tracey Ullman on Showtime, "State of the Union."

Ullman: Tavis Smiley, always watch out.

Tavis: I love her. Tracey, thanks for coming by to see us.

Ullman: It's lovely to see you. Oh, you're charming. Thank you.

Tavis: Love you.