How did you decide which elements of your life would be
fair game and which wouldn't?
The first meeting with the creators, I said,
"Nothing is off-limits." After years of
trying to prove myself and be taken seriously, I just
thought, What am I doing? My life's really funny. Why
not do a show based on that? I got to a point where I
was able to laugh at myself.
Loni Anderson plays your eBay-obsessed mother, Kiki,
while your father only turns up on speakerphone.
What do your real-life parents think of the show?
They've seen the pilot and thought it was
very brave. I said to my mom, "This is not you.
There's a little bit from you." She gets it.
There's a flashback of you as a little girl on the
set of Charlie's Angels. How about
Dynasty? Any memories?
I used to sit in the dressing room and watch
Linda Evans do her Krystle do. And then Joan Collins
would whisk by with her hair and all this makeup. It
was just fabulous.
Your fashion-forward pug, Mimi La Rue, plays herself. Has
the attention gone to her head?
She has become a bit of a diva, I have to say.
She has almost as big a wardrobe as I do. She earns
it, though, because she's really good.
You have a gay Persian best friend in the show, Sasan,
played by Zachary Quinto. Does he have a real counterpart?
He's loosely based on my best friend, Mehran, who
I've known since I was 15. My real Mehran and
my TV Mehran have actually become friends.
Complete this sentence: If there were no gay men in my life...
Oh, my God, I wouldn't exist.
You appeared in the popular movie Trick in 1999.
Do gay guys still mention it?
Yes. When they do, I just beam. Trick is like
the crowning moment in my career. [Trick director] Jim
Fall is directing two of our episodes.
So noTORIouspokes fun of your oeuvre of Lifetime-type
women-in-jeopardy movies. Which is your favorite title?
Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?
I knew you were going to say that. It's a classic title.
It's my favorite of my TV movies too.
If you were recording a DVD commentary for a 90210 boxed
set and we gave you a few drinks first, what would
you talk about?
The horrendous '90s clothing, my million
and one hair colors, and--if you got me really
drunk--I'd probably tell you who slept with
each other off-camera. [Laughs]
If Lifetime were to cast you as a lesbian in prison, who
would you want to play your cell mate?
Angelina Jolie. She's really tough, so
she'd protect me, and she's really hot,
so I could make out with her. Either way, I win.