Megan Mullally is an American actress who portrayed Karen Walker on the sitcom Will & Grace.
Karen Walker[]
Casting[]
Mullally initially auditioned for the role of Grace Adler and admittedly did not even notice another female character to audition for.[1] Upon reading the script again, she was reluctant to audition for Karen because the part seemed too similar to Christine Baranski's character Maryann Thorpe on the 90s sitcom Cybill and Baranski already played the character well.[2][1]
Portrayal[]
Mullally's portrayal of the otherwise unlikable character gained critical acclaim and she was nominated consecutively at the Primetime Emmy Awards and SAG Awards from 2000 to 2006. Her popularity among audiences became evident that Mullally played the character several times outside of the show, and at one point was even considered for a spin-off (with Jack) and a musical of her own (with several songs actually completed), but the producers who owned the rights to the character prevented it from coming to production.[3][4]
Karen's voice[]
One of Karen's most distinct characteristics was her squeaky high-pitched voice Mullally made up for the show. Mullally used her real speaking voice with Karen during the pilot only, fearing she might get fired immediately if she added that quirk on her portrayal right away[1]. She has stated in interviews that as the series progressed, her portrayal of Karen's voice naturally became more high-pitched.
Awards and Nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, and Debra Messing) | Won | |
| 2001 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | |
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with Hayes, McCormack, and Messing) | Nominated | ||
| 2002 | Teen Choice Award | Choice TV Comedy Actress | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | |
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with Hayes, McCormack, and Messing) | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | |
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with Hayes, McCormack, and Messing) | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (with Hayes, McCormack, and Messing) | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | People’s Choice Award | Favorite Female TV Performer | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Won |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Prime time Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
Notes[]
- Mullally won the most Emmys out of the main cast, being the only one with two wins during its entire run. She won for the first and last season. Mullally was also nominated for the most Emmys out of the main cast and she was the only one nominated for an Emmy during the revival.
- Mullally is also currently the actress with the third most Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, having 8.
- Mullally appeared as Karen and as herself in promoting The Megan Mullally show. She also appeared as Karen during the 2005 Emmy awards, singing The Green Acres theme song with Donald Trump, becoming the only character to be portrayed outside of the show. She later on referenced that event as her “suicide note”.
Media[]
External links[]
- Official website
- Megan Mullally on Facebook
- Megan Mullally at the Internet Broadway Database
- Megan Mullally at the Internet Movie Database
- Megan Mullally at AllMovie
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Will And Grace Premiere (NBC) Megan Mullally #1
- ↑ Will & Grace: Season One – Interviews with the Cast (DVD). Lions Gate Entertainment. 2003.
- ↑ Movies News Desk (September16, 2009) The Return of Karen Walker in KAREN: THE MUSICAL, MetroSource's Q&A with Megan Mullally.
- ↑ [1]Behind 'Will & Grace' star Megan Mullally's (dashed) hopes for ‘Karen: The Musical’