Tracey Of Many Faces

If you've ever seen the HBO series Tracey Takes OnÂ… then you know that Tracey Ullman has the ability to portray just about any character, with the help of latex and wigs.

"It's a lot of wardrobe, a lot of creating all of the rubber makeup and environment," says Ullman. "Teeth are very important. When I'm in character, I stay that way, and I just talk to my crew. I improvise all day long. You have to improviseÂ… It sustains the energy."

For the new HBO season, Ullman and company have completed a dozen episodes focusing on such subjects as dating and drugs. The program about dating features a parody of the movie Titanic with Ullman as Linda Granger, a grade-B Hollywood actress, and guest Corbin Bernsen as the driver of her limousine, which capsizes in the midst of a massive El Nino storm.

"It was very complicated to sink a limousine," says Ullman. "I was in the middle of a water tank, soaking wet, thinking, 'Why do I do this?' It was hard but worth it."

Every season, all 13 episodes of Tracey Takes OnÂ… are produced in ten weeks. "Our scheduling is tough," Ullman observes. And some of her characters are tougher to create than others.

"Some characters just need body padding, while others need the works," she says. "So I try to mix up every day to have some tough make-up and easy characters mixed together. I get my breaks: One day I'm covered in latex; the next, in padding."

CBS This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen asked Ullman to "take on" a couple of familiar figures in the news.

Monica Lewinsky: "I'm sick of herÂ… She's ruined the Donna Karan beret for people. Donna Karan must be furious."

Linda Tripp: "I've got to say: Linda Tripp looks like an anteater." Ullman's advice for Tripp: "Don't do big hair. Big hair on women over 40. Sad."

How does Ullman create her characters? "It's just my own observations," she says. "It's not a problem to come up with new ones."

Her characters include Ruby Romaine, professional makeup artist; Mrs. Noh Nang Ning, donut shop owner; Sydney Cross, attorney at law; Rayleen Gibson, professional stuntwoman, and even two men: Chick, the New York cabbie, and Trevor Ayliss, airline steward.

"Trevor is such a nice man," says Ullman. But Chick's makeup is "too itchy, plus the women on the set are worried that he'll molest them."

"I love being other people," Ullman says, adding, "I'm quite sure of who I am at homeÂ… A very quiet English girl."

Ullman, now 39, and her husband Allan McKeown, who is also her co-producer, have two children, Mabel and Johnny.