Megan Mullally & Nick Offerman's romantic comedy
Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman won lots of laughs as a divorced couple with sharp tongues on the TV comedy, "Parks and Recreation" -- not at all like the romantic comedy that is their long-standing, real-life marriage. This morning they tell all to our Conor Knighton:
"At first, people were like, 'I've discovered something -- you guys are MARRIED!'" said Megan Mullally. "I was like, 'Yeah, that's not a secret. We've been married now already for many years.'"
If you didn't know actors Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman were husband and wife, you'd be forgiven. You're not likely to read about them in the gossip columns.
"We've been together for 15 years -- that's almost 200 years in Hollywood marriage years," said Offerman.
But while their lives off-screen may lack drama, on screen they get plenty of attention for their comedy.
For eight seasons, Mullally portrayed sassy, brassy Karen Walker on "Will & Grace." For seven seasons, Offerman played stoic, anti-government Ron Swanson on "Parks and Recreation," which ended its run earlier this year.
The story of their romance, and how they became Hollywood's most unlikely power couple, is the basis of their new comedic stage show, "Summer of 69 (No Apostrophe)":
Megan: "He had to pass through seven levels of Dante's inferno before he could achieve coitus with me."
Nick: "It's been a great six months!"
"It is really dirty," Mullally said.
"Is it awkward to talk about your sex life onstage?" asked Knighton.
"Apparently, not!" she laughed.
The show recently premiered in Oklahoma City. It was a bit of a homecoming for Mullally, who is from Oklahoma.
She showed Knighton her childhood home: "My room is right up there. And I used to climb out that side window right over here and sit on that roof and smoke cigarettes."
"Were you a good kid overall?"
"Yeah, I was. I was pretty -- I smoked cigarettes, but I never really did a lot of drugs. And I was very virginal and yeah, I was pretty good. That's all changed!"
In 1998, Mullally's life was forever changed when she was cast in "Will & Grace." Two years later, and already a star, her romantic life took a turn when she took a role in a small play in Los Angeles.
"On the first day of a new play, if you're a single actor, the very first thing that you do is scan the room to see which person in the cast you're going to have sex with," Mullally said.
"I've been doin' plays all wrong!" Knighton laughed.
"See? Nobody ever told you that. That is the problem."
One person she didn't initially notice was Offerman, who was also cast in the play.
But he noticed her. "There was a 'Beauty and the Beast' element going on," he laughed. "There was also a sort of Eliza Doolittle situation."
And he was Eliza? "Yes! There was a real class disparity. I realized, 'Oh, I really am attracted to her, but I think she's officially socially out of my league.' Like, I live in a basement. She's about to win her first Emmy. And I was really scared!"
But a shared sense of humor eventually brought them together. As they recall in their stage show:
Nick: "We started doing a lot of bits together during rehearsal."
Megan: "And I thought he was really funny. And then one day I was like, wait a minute... is he sexy? What's happening?"
Nick: "My plan was working!"
At the time, Offerman had been taking woodworking jobs to make ends meet. Despite acting with prestigious Chicago theater companies like Steppenwolf, Hollywood had been less than welcoming.
"When you arrive here, the town starts telling you, you are cheap," he said. "This is very superficial. 'You can play a plumber -- let me get a look at you. Yeah, plumber, or rapist.' So you know, you might as well just get a resume that says, 'Nick Offerman: Rapist, plumber.'"
Not long after he started dating Mullally, Offerman managed to nab a small role (as a plumber!) in an episode of "Will & Grace."
Look closely at red carpet photos from those years, and while all eyes are on Mullally, you can see Offerman lurking in the background.
"People from the get-go said things to me like, 'Isn't it upsetting to you that Megan is by far the breadwinner in your household?'" said Offerman. "And I was like, 'No -- what's the matter with you?' I've always been a very hard worker. But if your wife happens to be incredibly successful, and you don't like that, I believe that means you're dumb."
But it wasn't long before Offerman was cast on "Parks and Recreation" in 2009, and he shot to fame much in the same way his wife had a decade earlier.
"It was pretty uncanny," he said.
Knighton asked, "Was that helpful for you to have seen Megan go through almost the exact same arc?"
"Oh, sure. I mean, we have about an 11-year age difference. I was a slower-developing chucklesmith. But, in every way, watching Megan go through all of the rollercoaster of 'Will & Grace' and the things that came with it, [was] a fantastic education."
Today, the couple works together as much as possible. Mullally even guest-starred as Ron's crazy ex-wife, Tammy, on "Parks and Recreation."
"We feel bad when people say, 'Why would you ever choose to work with your spouse?'" said Offerman. "'Like, it's all I can do to stand my spouse every night for three hours.' And we just think, 'That's so sad. I like my spouse!'"
On tour, the couple has found a way to keep their relationship healthy, by talking (and singing) about it in front of thousands of people:
Nick: "Let me tell you a little secret. When Megan and I are in our 90s, I'm guessing we won't be crushing each others' bones on the regular any more."
Megan: "Because of how that would crush all of our bones."
Nick: "But we'll still be together. Because I love the ever-living crap out of this woman. And she loves the crap out of me. The end."
For more info:
- Nick Offerman & Megan Mullally - At Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, N.H. (Oct. 16), and the Wilbur Theatre in Boston (Oct. 17) | Tickets via Ticketmaster and LiveNation
- meganmullally.net
- Nancy and Beth (Megan Mullally & Stephanie Hunt)
- Follow @Nick_Offerman on Twitter
- "Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living" by Nick Offerman (NAL); Also available in Trade Paperback, eBook and Digital Audio Download formats
- Offerman Woodshop, East Los Angeles, Calif.