Jane Lynch Talks NBC’s ‘Weakest Link,’ ‘Talladega Nights’ & More with Rich Eisen | Full Interview

Jane Lynch is here we just saw a clip from the weakest link and I I will just go out on a limb and say this I don't want to put words in your mouth most dramatic lighting of anything you've ever done right oh absolutely the way it goes down exactly the sound and it just sets the stage yeah doesn't it we hear that while we're shooting that is piped through the uh speakers but the voiceovers of just we don't hear the voice over that's in post that's in yes which is a technical term you may not be familiar with so much fun this is so much fun at the end I haven't even met that young woman no is that right no I have not but I love her voice kind of kind but also the disembodied voice of the weakest link exactly well I think she does have a body from what I understand I just haven't met it they added in post they the body and post very good this looks like you're having a blast doing this again H I am I love it yeah yeah first of all it's easy it's um I love trivia and I I love people but at about an 8 ft distance which is always nice but I'm so impressed by these contestants too because you know the lights are on them the clock is ticking and they are able to answer some of these like really weird random questions yes and it's interesting because you have to set the stage of being somewhat um snarky snarky but also cruel to be kind setting setting the stage for them to be uncomfortable which I don't think is probably your default your default is not to make people uncomfortable people to be uncomfortable but they know it's the they get the drill they get the drill they know it's my shtick yeah well cuz I remember when I first met you on the set of uh Hollywood Game Night you were making everybody feel the opposite of making every feel just comfortable Al having good time well you know what there's a photograph I took a selfie with Al Michaels and look who's photo look who's photob bombing in the back right there that's perfectly placed right there I love that Al Michaels remember he he did a playby playay of one of the rounds it was such a such a treat yes that was a blast that was that was extra right free of charge yeah he did not charge us for that which was just like it was one of those things where I'm like how cool is this I have an U um a selfie with Al Michaels and then I looked at it later I'm like wait a minute it's even better I just widened in there yeah that is my way anytime I see a camera I jump in there uh well it's available right here on the Roku portal on peacock the weakest link is also on NBC every single Tuesday night right here on the Rich Eisen show we're going to get to our own version of the weakest l in a matter of moments which of your TV and film work do you get the most when you're walking around people stop you you know what's so funny the last two days Two and a Half Men get out of here it's the weirdest thing yeah cuz I don't get that so much cuz it's off the air even though it's on every five minutes somewhere but yes the the last two days about four people have come up to me and say oh i' loved Two and a Half Men no kidding yeah isn't that funny I would have guessed you know Glee I would guessed I think Glee is probably o the over overwhelming number one but when I saw you before um all of what we're talking about right now in our Green Room I told you about Mrs masel it's just spectacular and you were spectacular in that were you channeling anybody in particular is this little bit yeah when I did the the comic which I only did in the first season um the housewife from Queens it was I was kind of a Phyllis Diller uh kind of a thing Toby Fields I don't know if you remember toon Fields okay and um uh the uh character the the actress Lyon was um do you remember elanar Parker no she was the baroness in The Sound of Music okay and I think that uh Sophie fancied herself that person but deep down inside she was very elegant and you know very elite and um I think deep down inside Sophie was much more insecure but that was kind of how the character that she was playing well that was a nice twist in reveal uh knowing your character as the comic and then when you know uh Mrs masel would visit you at your home and suddenly it was something out of like ABY it was something wild that was pretty cool I I remember I gave her a fur coat when you first saw yeah I said oh it's cold out there here take this take my fur coat I don't need it no and I do I do love that as well uh what about um oh yeah beston show that was did you have to did you have to go and like uh hang around other dog people yeah we did dog training we did um little dog handler MH training we went to a park in Beverly Hills and it was John Michael Higgins Katherine O'Hare and me at at this because we were the handlers of the dogs yes and it was a woman teaching uh people how to handle their dogs for dog show and so we were just in you know three students and and well what happened well we were we did pretty well but there was a a small dog show that was happening right after it and one of the handlers didn't show up and John Michael Higgins handled a dog and come on yes are you serious Place yeah he took to it he had no he had no experience he had no experience that little lesson and he uh his dog won what does that mean about the craft of dog handling well I think John Michael Higgins is quite ex uh an exemplary person put it everything he does because I think there is I wasn't very good at it at first but Michael just took which dog did he handle do you remember which dog he crushed it with don't I don't know what they were I forget what dogs they were peing well his dog in the show was the shitzu the shitsu that's right who was who was your dog in the I had a rap city in white and she was a white standard Poodle did you actually get to take the dog home or anything like that so you could try the PE well the owners of especially this this particular dog um I I I I'd never met anybody like her she was um so controlling about how I handled the dog take I couldn't even talk to the dog I wasn't allowed to make eye contact with her until we were shooting and then I then I would was allowed to what do you mean you weren't allowed to make eye contact with the dog they treat these dogs like you know they're Stars I guess they are stars to them and she kept showing me the the awards that this dog won you know do you I hope you know who what what dog you're handling there she won this she won that she won that just really a strange very strange woman just in case you thought you were just handling any old dog yeah this was a champion the Michael Jordan of dogs yes well according to her anyway but the you know when we were shooting that show we didn't have to stop shooting for one bark the dogs were so well trained more than the humans on the humans were barking all the time we were like C Fred Willard was barking the whole time I'm sure he probably was wasn't he brilliant in that oh my gosh in all of yeah in all the all of the films that he did with Christopher Guest I mean all of them for all that too yeah for sure Jane Lynch for sure Jane Lynch here and the rich you got a good story maybe from uh the legend of Ricky Bobby when you were first on the set or anything like that or anything oh God you know what I remember most I don't know if it's a good story so much but okay it was there was a you know we had a script but we improvised as well and it was always the best joke wins and it doesn't matter if Will said it or who said it was very Ensemble oriented and and um just very relaxed I mean I mean that's how will frell is and that's how Adam McKay is you know that it was very it it was a lot of fun you didn't feel the pressure that we were making a major motion did did you remember any line that you yeah that I made up um yes I did uh uh when the kids um say they're on the road and I'm having them pick up trash I'm trying to civilize them um and uh he says when are we um uh when are we going to stop doing this I said when are you going to stop throwing me the ra in the [Music] bathtub I think I had read somewhere that someone tried took the radio into the bathtub and electrocuted themselves and that's where that came from think that's where that came from now did they tell you afterwards that's making the movie or you just they didn't know but I was very happy to see it in there so funny we had years ago for the movie tenet uh now the man who just collected all the Academy Awards Christopher Nolan the director on here I asked him what his favorite remote drop movie is where you're just watching it you drop the remote because it's just going to and The Fugitive I told you the last time you were here the fugitive is one of that for me um and he mentioned Talladega kns is his remote drop I kid you not oh wow and then in his English accent he goes if you're not first you're last like that and he totally we were just like what like are you kidding me yeah oh my God that's great so so he knows who I am well I'm just saying you know you got a chance in this town is what I'm saying Jane but it was just so wild how you never know how many people are just like uh are watching talad day and nights if you ain't first you're lost there it is oh my gosh that's wonderful nice Mike that's that's a that's what an audio executive does that is High Praise right there good job M Jan here I gotta step my game up all right Jane Lynch um let's do this um the this being we have come up with some questions for you to play your role of weakest link host with the four of us right here and I believe well we don't have it's not going to be timed like the weakest link and I don't believe we're banking anything we're just going to try and answer questions you're competitive enough we are competitive enough you don't need any incentive okay and so you've got two questions one for each of us and I guess you'll start with me and we'll go around the room twice after which we all have blank pieces of paper which is not a metaphor for this show or us but we and then we're going to write down who we think should be Ved off the program okay let's do do we have audio executive Mike Del now you you are very excited about this cuz you once worked the audio for the original weak original link with with an yeah did you get to meet her yes did you like her I loved an was so funny what I loved is the off camera an yeah like and you probably do a lot of that that doesn't make air is she that Stern yes she got into the character and went up there and I know you do the same thing you become that person and it's you change she was like steel yes did I also over here prior to us taping this segment you telling Jane what you got out of working for the we because I did so many episodes of The Weakest Link we'd be there like four or five nights at NBC like four or five days I should say that I bought a house with weakest link wow link has not bought me a house Micha see I'm looking at you all right so I have music that's similar I have the exact stuff not the exact but you know the feeling let's set the stage does that work does that work is that okay ready little lot little loud not going to lie but you got that okay here we go little little lower here we go all right Jane Lynch going to do weakest link we have no idea what these questions are you have the floor I do thank you so much Rich yes Jan what popular candy bar shares its name with the Galaxy that includes our solar system Milky Way that is correct Milky Way ding ding ding CHR right off the bat on what on what date did the Rich Eisen show debut are we talking radio or television oh give give one if television television I've been told October 6th 2014 correct Chris Brock I thought this was one that we were going there's no way Del tufa would have gotten that okay mikee listen up if you find a Cheeto three pennies and two quars in your couch cushions how much money do you have are you listening 28 C no two quarters oh 53 cents you go but at least the couch is in his new house Jane full stomach where's TJ TJ TJ's over your right sh I can't see you TJ but here's your question okay if I throw confetti and Shout phis Kos what am I wishing you you got to turn your microphone uh you wishing a happy birthday that is correct all right I would notten that and now we're going to Rich again including today how many times has Jane Lynch appeared in studio as a guest on the Rich Eisen show I will say three times this your correct this my third time I'm three times got easy Once Rich excuse me EXC me had to add Mike it's the 10th year of this show we've probably done it like 2,000 times come on all right Chris hi Jan okahoma or Illinois which is not a musical by Rogers and Hammerstein Illinois you got in my home state though all right Mike can't wa for what football coach guest hosted the Rich Eisen show on November 2nd 2018 you guys got me with this one yeah can I give him a hint no no no he's just going to kick himself when he's when he when he gets this wrong yep oh my God time's up Ison Sanderson Sanders your boy your best friend your favorite guy our last question goes to TJ hi Miss J Rich Eisen hosted one season of what reality competition series on TNT oh man it was what is the name of it uh it was like took place in the prison and it's also the name of a movie a jailbreak close the greatest game the greatest all right so you answered all of yours correctly uh you got all of yours Chris and then Mike failed once and so did TJ Mike failed oh M fail twice all right so who are we eliminating I mean just put my name down please write down your answers on the blank sheet of paper and starting with you Rich Eisen who is the weakest link in your opinion this is no question about it certainly Mike deltufo is uh is out our audio executive ative is out deltufo oh Del tuo Chris you okay you're not allowed to vote for yourself but we're gonna allow me me it says and deltufo okay hold on a second Jane floor is yours Mike deltufo you are the weakest link goodbye do I get parting gifts no there's humiliation interviews humiliation interviews Dion was not a coach when he was here excuse me he a football Co he wasn't when he was here so that a see so standards in practices may say this might not work they might have to go in the back and and say that that a little trick question you know what was a trick when when Jane asked you how much money was in a couch cushion and included a Cheeto which has no actual called divers it's not a specie right you know what I mean yeah it's a diversion it's a the cheetah a throw you off a little bit and it obviously got I thought food immediately there you go that's what happens when you're the weakest link yep see all right Jane Lynch what a pleasure to have you back here on the program again thanks for coming in anytime you want to stop by for anything um it's kind of hard to get here to be frank it's it's a lot of 405 in the morning I know I know you have no idea when it's raining outside and comes here do you live close uh I do not oh we were wondering why the hell you're out here well there's a whole story behind it but we love we just love when you come here regardless of all that stuff and I will come back and the best part about it is at this time of day it's a reverse commute home that's true oh yeah that's true it should be pretty nice although the last thing I should guarantee is the traffic pattern5 you're just it's just like telling you oh you know the Van Wick you'll just sail straight through it in New York City don't worry about it uh The Weakest Link new episodes kick off with the days of our live special yeah oh they're fantastic you're gonna love them very dramatic I imagine oh very yeah but they've got a great sense of humor about their silly selves that's Tuesday April the 2nd next week at 9 Eastern on NBC in episodes air the next day on peacock which you can see right here on Roku great to see you janech great to see you too every you bet at uh Jane Lynch official on Instagram and at Jane Marie Lynch onx right here on the Rich Eisen show catch the Rich Eisen show every single day on the Roku Channel 12 to3 Eastern for free