Mary Elizabeth Ellis stars in NBC’s new comedy “Perfect Couples” as Amy. Her character is married to the very funny David Walton on the show and they are break-up and make-up couple….who are getting married. Movie Mikes had a chance to chat with Mary Elizabeth about working on this show and with her amazing cast.
Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with the show “Perfect Couples”?
Mary Elizabeth Ellis: It actually was just one of many auditions that I had during pilot season last year. I wasn’t educated that Jon Pollack, Scott Silveri and even Andy Ackerman were the guys doing it, which was probably a good thing. I probably would have been a lot more nervous knowing the success of these guys. I went in and the scene I auditioned with was the one from the pilot episode, where we are doing game night. I get to freak out at Vance for telling me that my voice makes me want to kill himself. So the opportunity to get to scream, be nervous and almost cry at someone was kind of [laughs] right up my alley. After I did that scene, I knew I totally loved the show and was all in.
MG: Tell us about your character Amy and how you enjoying playing her?
MEE: Amy is someone who is definitely jumps off the bridge and thinks about the broken arm 
later. She never questions what she wants to say or the emotions that she feels like normal people do. She just goes for it at like 110%. For an actor it is super awesome to get to play someone that is so emotionally available and just free. I also love playing her because I get to work with David Walton who is really so amazing and hilarious. The character he created with Vance is like nothing I have ever seen. It is a joy to get to go and play his other half.
MG: Tell us about how you and David Walton create such great chemistry on the set?
MEE: I was really lucky to have known David before the show started. His fiancé Majandra Delfino is an amazing actress and was on a pilot with me the year before. So through her I got to know David. Oh and also a few years, I had a guest spot on a show he was on years ago called “Cracking Up” with Molly Shannon. When we were doing the chemistry read, it was nice to know that, 1st: we know each other already and 2nd: we were in relationships with cool people. So it wasn’t going to be super weird making out with each other all the time…because we do. Vance and Amy make out a lot on the show.
MG: I love the “Man-Cave” episode, do you have a favorite?
MEE: Doing “Man-Cave” was a lot of fun because I got to some gymnastics. I got to prove to that myself that even at 31…I can still do a back-hand spring. That was pretty exciting. Plus it was really cool to get to do the chewing tobacco scene. My family is from Mississippi and my dad told me one of his friends came up to him and was like “I can’t believe she was doing chewing tobacco on TV”. I told him that it obviously wasn’t real chewing tobacco [laughing]. I also liked an episode that hasn’t aired yet, when Vance buys these super tight red pants and just because I don’t like them…he doesn’t take them off for days and days. I do everything I can to foil him. That one was a lot of fun as well.
MG: What can you tell us about the upcoming episodes, is there a wedding planned?
MEE: Yeah we started off the season with us going to Paris to get engaged. So the wedding planning has been happening throughout the season. Yeah, I am not sure which order it is going to play in but there is definitely going to be a bachelor/bachelorette party episode. That is going to be amazing what the guys decide to do and then what they end up actually doing. It is pretty classic what happens. Also Amy’s best pretty Dottie comes up from Louisiana and kind of steals Julia thunder as the maid of honor.
MG: If you weren’t acting, what would you be doing?
MEE: I would have trained in something else like dance or music, so I could be good in it. That or I would be doing street art. I would love to do street art that would be amazing but I do not have the balls [laughs].
