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Retta has made herself comfortable.
Ive never been in that position still not.
But Im working, so Im not that pressed anymore.
When she first auditioned for the part, it was presented as a glorified background role.
Slowly but surely, she became a regular cast member in season three, and eventually a beloved favorite.
Shes an onion, and the more layers you peel back, the cooler the onion gets.
The role was a turning point for Retta, who had been working the college comedy circuit for years.
School was my shit, Retta says.
I still have my MCAT study books and all my science notebooks in the closet of my guest room.
Living alone meant that she had free rein over the remote, and that she could freely binge television.
I feel like Sherri got every job that I didnt get before I started working.
Like, legit got every job that I went in for, she says.
She provides the shows emotional backbone for when they do crazier things, like rob a grocery store twice.
Her mother worked as an insurance adjuster while attending college, and her father worked at the Revlon warehouse.
That last detail in particular provides an emotional wallop.
She told it to a group of high-school students recently and started crying.
I was like, I dont know whats happening.
I know this story.
Why am I crying?
Donna knew exactly what she wanted and she asked for it, Retta says.
There was nothing that was going to make her be fake.
The cast would regularly do a roulette of celebrity impressions and improv on set.
I was like, Were going to get in trouble, you guys!
I was really new and like, You cant do dirty jokes like that!
I would never say anything.
You could see the heat fill up in my face and Id just stand there.
I was like,Okay.
Im gonna make it in this town.
Shes still close with herParks and Recreationcastmates, including Aziz Ansari, whom she often shared scenes with.
I read it, and I was like, Its not the same as whats been going down.
I was really pissed about it, she says.
And hes like, Im okay.
But I know he feels really bad about it.
Brunch parties!).
If Robert Redford accidentally steps on your foot, hell be very apologetic about it.
Meeting Sidney Poitier is a religious experience.
The best encounter is a micro-drama that encapsulates the surrealist joy of a celebrity interaction.
I was looking off to the left, and I see Taylor walk past.
She turns around and was like, Oh, were you next?
I was like, Was I?
We was standing in this together for like 15 minutes.
Bitch, you know I was next, and I walk past her and went to the bathroom.
It was pretty fucking funny to me, Retta says.
Still, shes not sweating it: I was thinking Ill be in her songs next.
Ill say Ive made it when I win an Oscar.
Thats my new goal, she says.
