7 things you didn't know about Janeane Garofalo
Comedian and actress brings her deadpan cynicism to the Emelin Theatre, May 7
Janeane Garofalo, the comedian, actress and political activist whose career has spanned over two decades has starred in some defining films, such as the Gen X hit “Reality Bites” and "Wet Hot American Summer."
Garofalo will be joining her original castmates, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd for the new Netflix's series, "Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later," set to debut in 2017. It reprises the original 2001 film.
Fans of the sharp-witted comedian who can't wait until then can catch Garofalo at the Emelin Theatre on May 7.
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If you're a fan, you're probably familiar with a lot of her work. But there are some things you probably didn’t know. For example, did you know she was married for 20 years and didn’t even know it? To whom, you ask? Keep reading to find out the answer to this and other not so well-known facts about our favorite alternative comic:
1
Garofalo was married for 20 years and didn’t even know it. In 1992, she married Robert Cohen (a writer on “The Ben Stiller Show”) at a Las Vegas drive-in chapel as a joke. They did not think the marriage was legal because papers were not filed in court so they never got divorced. The truth, that the couple was indeed still married, was revealed to them in 2012, when Cohen attempted to marry someone else but could not. The union was dissolved by a notary after the discovery.
2
The romantic comedy, "The Truth About Cats & Dogs", (a variation on Cyrano de Bergerac), in which Garofalo played Abby, the smart, but average looking radio host alongside Uma Thurman (Noelle), the beautiful but not-so-bright model, was originally supposed to be a small-budget independent film but turned into a studio commercial film when Thurman signed on.
According to Garofalo in an interview she gave the A.V. Club, “The original script and the original intent was very different than what it wound up being when it became a studio commercial film. It was originally supposed to be a small-budget independent film where there would be much more complexity to all the characters, and Abby and the guy don’t wind up together at the end.”
3
If you’re a fan of the cult classic comedy "Romy & Michele's High School Reunion" you probably recognize Garofalo as snarky, chain smoking, Heather. She landed the role because the film’s director David Mirkin had previously worked with her on "The Larry Sanders Show" and thought her unique brand of dry wit would be perfect for the role.
4
Someone created the fake twitter account “Janeane Garofal” and posing as Garofalo would tweet messages that were not authorized or authored by the comedian actress. Apparently not everyone knew the account was a phony because some bloggers actually quoted the tweets.
5
When you think of the outspoken comedian and political activist, you automatically think liberal but her childhood upbringing was quite conservative. Her father, a former employee for Exxon, was a Catholic and Republican. She has described him as “authoritarian type of conservative religious guy.”
6
Garofalo received Emmy nominations in 1996 and 1997 for the role of Paula, the acerbic talent booker on "The Larry Sanders Show." She lost out to Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld”) in 1996 and Kristen Johnston who played Sally Solomon on “3rd Rock From The Sun” in 1997.
7
The role of Monica on NBC's huge hit "Friends" was originally written with Garofalo in mind, but we all know the role went to Courteney Cox. Yet we can't help but wonder what the character would have been like if the gig would have gone to the sarcastic comedian ... hmmm.
Twitter: @MaMalmonte
If you go
What: Janeane Garofalo
Where: Emelin Theater, 153 Library Lane, Mamaroneck. 914-698-0098, emelin.org
When: 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. May 7
Tickets: $45