Christine Ebersole

Illustration: Rob Kelly

Christine Ebersole sounds like neither a 54-year-old woman nor a grande dame of the theater. She uses words such as like and cool as often as teenagers do. Her Midwestern-accented voice drops phrases like Know what I mean? and That would be a gas from time to time. And when she laughs, which is pretty much constantly, the woman erupts with drawn-out fits of high-pitched giggles.

Ebersole’s got a right to be giddy: As the star of the adored musical Grey Gardens, she’ll likely earn her second Tony on Sunday 10, for her dual role as Edith Bouvier Beale and her eccentric, fashion-forward daughter, Little Edie. Not bad for an actor who, less than ten years ago, was dismissed by a Hollywood agent as being over-the-hill.

TONY checked in with the deliciously blunt and opinionated Ebersole en route from her home in Maplewood, New Jersey, to a matinee at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The night before, the audience there included none other than the First Lady and her twin daughters.

I finally saw the show last night.

Did you see Laura Bush?

Yes! Did you know she was coming?

They didn’t tell me, but I ended up finding out. I like to know if people are going to be there. Some people get nervous about that. But it inspires my performance to know who’s out there.

She’s not your average boldfaced name.

Well, I wanted her to come backstage. My husband and I met her and George Bush at the White House, when I performed at the Kennedy Center Honors. So last night I thought, She’ll come back and say hi. [Laughs] That was very naive of me, I guess.

I’m surprised, given how you recently compared our government to that of Nazi Germany.…

I look at it the same way Martin Luther King did. When he talked about white supremacists, he always called them his brothers. But he’d say, “They’re my sick brothers.”

That’s a pretty evolved approach.

Oh, yeah. It’s a daily struggle to choose King’s way. Because, believe me, I can get pissed off! [Laughs]

Did an agent really tell you that you were “over-the-hill”?

What happened was, he stopped calling me. I said, “Why aren’t you calling me? Why aren’t I getting sent out for auditions?” And he paused and went, “Well, you’re 45.” I got rid of him after that.

What kind of roles were you getting then?

At one point, I was asked to drive 45 minutes to audition for some six-line role on Ally McBeal. The person who dry-cleans my clothes could’ve played the part. But I needed the money, so I auditioned—and got the job.

That doesn’t seem so bad.

Oh, but then I went to the set. Do you remember how thin everyone was on Ally McBeal? I immediately felt like a cow—an old cow. My line was just “bullshit-bullshit-bullshit.” And [later in the scene], Lucy Liu’s character points in my direction and goes, “You let that old woman talk?” I didn’t know who she was talking about, so I looked behind me. Then I turned back and was like, Oh shit! She’s talking about me!

Ouch. That’s harsh.

Afterward, I went into the dressing room, looked in the mirror and gave myself that face-lift—you know, when you pull your skin back to make yourself look younger. That’s when I whispered, “You’ve got to get out of here.”

And now you’ve been playing Big and Little Edie for more than a year. You must be exhausted.

Yeah, it really takes everything out of you. I mean, I couldn’t be like Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!, and do it for five years and never miss a show. It’s just not that kind of a part. I don’t know what the life span of Grey Gardens will be, really.

You’ve guest-hosted on The View twice. Maybe they’ll hire you!

I can’t imagine it. Oh my God—I’d be so good on that show! Do you want to put it out there so I can vie for the position? [Laughs] I’m smart. I’m interested in people. And I love to tell stories. I love to talk!

Grey Gardens is at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The 61st Annual Tony Awards air Sun 10 at 8pm on CBS.