Watching Betty White Work On Community Was A Learning Experience For Alison Brie
Listen, we're all on the same page here. Betty White was, is, and always will be a national treasure. Whether you were weaned on "The Golden Girls" like me or found her through her later career work, mostly as the sweet yet foul-mouthed old lady in a raucous comedy of some sort, Betty White holds a special place in your heart.
One of her last handful of projects was a guest stint on "Community," Dan Harmon's under-appreciated pre-"Rick and Morty" show that has been thriving in streaming syndication lately where she played Anthropology Professor June Bauer, a character that played to all of Betty's strengths as a comic performer. She'd go from expertly lecturing to using a blow dart on a student (to be fair, Sideburns deserved it) or attacking Joel McHale's Jeff Winger with a complicated weapon to earn his respect and prove a larger point that we're stronger together than apart.
"Community" co-star Alison Brie was interviewed by EW back when White made her appearance on the show and the star had nothing but nice things to say about the living legend and, in fact, even learned a thing or two from watching her work.
An absolute legend in front of and behind the camera
They say never meet your idols, but Brie said Betty White lived up to her idea of who she would be as a performer and a person. Watching her relationship with the material and the crew between takes was something of an eye-opener for Brie. She said:
"She's such a pro and so specific. And when I say she plays to her strengths, she knew how to take this character — who is this crazy badass — and make her this very sweet woman, and then these things come out. She's not pushing anything too hard. She lets it happen as it's written."
You can clearly see this in how game she is to join in with Danny Pudi and Donald Glover's post-credits bit where she raps about anthropology and sings Toto's "Africa." When pressed for more examples of Betty White being an inspiration for Brie, the actress pointed at her off-camera influence on the cast and crew. She recalled:
"It reinforced some things I already know about preparation and professionalism. Just the way she handled herself on set. I think it's never too late to learn — or it's a lesson that's good to continue learning — that you need to treat everyone on a set with respect. She's just the sweetest person on set you'll ever meet. It's great to see someone who's been working as long as she has and still takes time to be nice to everyone she speaks to. That never goes out of style."
If you need to catch up on "Community" or are just in need of a revisit, the show be streamed on Netflix.