Marissa Jaret Winokur is an actress who is noted for her Tony award winning role in Hairspray and she has appeared in both film and television, including American Beauty, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Muffin Top: A Love Story. She also had a stint on Dancing With The Stars.
Her role in Muffin Top as a teachers assistant to a professor who talks about feminism and the role society plays in perpetuating the stereotypical images of what the ideal body should be. The movie is a fun, quirky comedy, but it also encompasses a message about being happy about yourself the way you are now.
In addition to these roles she has been a part of, Winokur has a new project that was just announced, which will be on a late-night talk show for TLC where the topic is, as the title puts it, All About Sex. It will premiere in Jan. 2015.
TheCelebrityCafe.coms Elizabeth Learned spoke to Winokur about her career in Broadway, her newest film, and what she has coming up next.
ELIZABETH LEARNED: You have had a history with the Broadway circuit, including your Tony award winning role for Hairspray. What do you love most about being on Broadway? MARISSA JARET WINOKUR: Broadway is just a live theater for the audience, its the element of the live theater and character I love. With TV and film, it goes into an edit, you dont know what youre gonna get, where in live theater its, like, here you go, this is what you get.
EL: Your career has been full of both movies, television, and some Broadway, including being a wife and mother. How do you balance the roles you have in your life? MJW: I dont! I always wish I could be 100% an actress or %100 a mother, or %100 a wife, but I call it 25% Im doing everything 25%. I wish I could do one of the things really well. I feel like before I had a son and before I got married, I was like a really good actress, but now Im like kind of a good actress, then I was a really good wife, then I had a son and Im likeso I think being a mom definitely comesI dont balance it at all. Im barely balancing my schedule today. There is no balancing.
EL: Your most recent role was on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Do you have a preference for the type of acting roles you take, such as television or movies? MJW: No, I like to work. I genuinely like doing movies, I like doing TV, I like hosting, I like playing Broadway. Im about to start hosting a show for TLC late night and people are like Wait, I thought you were on Broadway, Tony-award winning actress and now youre like hosting and Im like Yeah I like to work. You know, I just kind of go by whatever jobs are being offered by to me, CSI is great, I would love to do more drama. I love doing comedy. I just like to work. Unless youre Reese Witherspoon, you dont get to be that picky.
EL: Your film Muffin Top has a deep message attached, even though its a fun comedy movie. What do you feel is the most important message for girls to take away from this film? MJW: Oh, I think the tagline even says Love yourself now, not five pounds from now. I think thats really the most important thing, that people genuinely start figuring out what they love about themselves rather than point out what they hate about themselves.
EL: What was your favorite aspect of being part of this film? MJW: You know what, I loved being part of the film, but I really enjoy after the film, which I normally dont get to be a part of, after the film. You normally premiere the film and go see it. Weve been doing these screenings all around and theres like 12 screenings in every city, and weve been going to them doing talk backs with the audience and hearing what they really think about the movie. Its been really exciting and the movies out so I can tell my mom to go, you can see now on Demand.
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Marissa Jaret Winokur discusses her career, newest film 'Muffin Top: A Love Story'