Kristin Chenoweth Says She Was Inspired By Lisa Vanderpump And Hannibal Lecter For Her New Role
Kristin Chenoweth says she tries to visualize people, real or fictional, as inspiration for characters that she is going to play, and she reached in two different directions for her new role on the NBC series, Trial and Error.
Page Six says that Chenoweth is playing an heiress accused of murdering her husband.
“There are all kinds of people I used [in her character]. A little Carol Burnett, Madeline Kahn, Hannibal Lecter, Lisa Vanderpump. They’re all represented in this one woman.”
There are a lot of people keeping interesting company in Chenoweth’s character’s head. The blonde actress says she is a diehard fan of Vanderpump Rules and draws inspiration from Lisa Vanderpump’s personal style.
“I looked at the style of Lisa, and I love her. I admire her. So, the good, beautiful heart hopefully will pay homage to her.”
Chenoweth, perhaps best known for her work on Broadway in a variety of musicals, has other projects in the works, including a musical version of the movie, Death Becomes Her. She says she’s developing another project based on the heavily made-up television evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, the wife of Jim Bakker, who often cried on their show, with mascara dripping.
In the new season of Trial and Error, Chenoweth plays Lavinia Peck-Foster, says Entertainment Weekly. And Lavinia is used to getting away with everything, but does that include murder? Ms. Peck-Foster is the doyenne of East Peck, and her bail is paid by the judge, which has Lavinia giving each juror a take-home gift, a designer scarf.
“I have to give everyone a take-home,” she explains. “I’m not on trial for murdering etiquette!”
Her lawyer, Josh, is trying desperately to help her, but she’s having a bit of trouble with an alibi. She tells Josh she has photos from the party she was attending at the time of the murder.
“I brought some photos. But I’m afraid you won’t find me in any of them.”
Josh Segal, the town’s only defense attorney, had an equally hard time last year when he had to defend Professor Larry Henderson (John Lithgow), who was accused of murdering his wife. Henderson is hapless and hopeless as instead of participating in his defense, he actually incriminates himself regularly, says the New Yorker.
The ensemble cast of Trial and Error is filled with stand-out stars like Jayma Mays and Sherri Shepherd, who suffers from a long list of strange ailments including the inability to recognize faces.
