Jenna Elfman’s most embarrassing on-set moment came when she was filming Grosse Pointe Blank in the ‘90s — but luckily Minnie Driver came to the rescue.
“[On] my very first feature film, Grosse Pointe Blank, I was on set all day and then it was finally time for my scene and I couldn’t remember any of my lines,” Elfman, 53, reveals exclusively in her 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me feature in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “We had to get out of there to get John Cusack, who had to go to a film premiere or something. So I knew all my lines the whole day until I had to know my lines. And then I couldn’t remember any of my lines.”
Luckily, the actress recalls, her costar was there to help her through the crisis.
“Minnie Driver helped me so much,” she told Us. “It was my first time doing a movie and she was like, ‘You’re just gonna look at me. Say the line.’ She had my back and was just such a lovely, kind, patient person with me on that day.”
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She continued: “Still to this day when we see each other at events, we [say] we were bonded by that scene.”
Keep scrolling for more fun, behind-the-scenes stories from Elfman, who stars on season 3 of Dark Winds, premiering Sunday, March 9, at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+:
1. My childhood nickname was Mack. My gymnastics coach gave it to me and to this day, I don’t have any idea [why].
2. I keep my Golden Globe award in my office on the bookshelf.
3. What I loved most about Dharma & Greg is that it never felt like work. I felt like I was a kid that was playing in her sandbox of imagination and getting to do all the things that I genuinely enjoyed. It felt like a real connection to my inner child.
4. The craziest thing I saw on tour with ZZ Top [in 1994] was an 8-year-old [kid] on his dad’s shoulders in the front row of a concert while I was in my outfit, which was minimal. I [thought], “I need to be done with this tour now.”
5. The props I took home from Fear the Walking Dead are a bracelet with the infinity symbol and the leather necklace with the metal round loop that I wore in the final season. I just happened to see these in my set bag the other day when I was cleaning out my closet. I have weird things in my set bag because we were always on location in the middle of nowhere. Every project has its own little universe around it, what’s needed as little support points for the character and the narrative. Every show I do is like its own painting. So for an artist, every painting you use different kinds of paints. You want a different environment that you’re working in. You listen to different music for each painting, different light and different rooms. It’s kind of the actor version of that.
6. As a Los Angeles native, I am very, very happy at Dodger Stadium. I love the Dodgers, the stadium and [even] parking there.
7. I want to work with Quentin Tarantino badly.
8. I love interior decorating a lot and I’m kind of good at it.
9. My first car was a gold Chevy Cavalier station wagon that my mom and dad passed down to me.
10. The song that brings back potent teenage memories for me is “Hold Me Now” by the Thompson Twins.
11. My first job was bagging groceries at Hughes Market in Northridge, California.
12. I hold on to clothes and my favorite is a maroon JW Anderson jacket that I love.
13. The famous face I’m most commonly mistaken for is Rosamund Pike.
14. The childhood memory that makes me smile is laying on the driveway with my dad and handing him tools while he worked on a ’67 Chevy Malibu engine.
15. I like to cleanse my mental palette by daydreaming. I’ll sit on the couch and stare out the window at the view. I love to let myself drift in my mind.
16. My most embarrassing moment on set was on my very first feature film, Grosse Pointe Blank. I was on set all day and then it was finally time for my scene and I couldn’t remember any of my lines. We had to get out of there to get John Cusack, who had to go to a film premiere or something. So I knew all my lines the whole day until I had to know my lines. And then I couldn’t remember any of my lines. Minnie Driver helped me so much. It was my first time doing a movie and she was like, ‘You’re just gonna look at me. Say the line.’ She had my back and was just such a lovely, kind, patient person with me on that day. … Still to this day when we see each other at events, we [say] we were bonded by that scene.
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17. The actresses I looked up to growing up were Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett.
18. The proudest moment of my career was Dharma & Greg being so successful. It was in every country and it resonated and brought so much joy. I would get fan mail from so many countries of how it made people happy. I feel very proud that I am infusing joy into people’s homes.
19. If I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life, it would be It Happened One Night.
20. The project I’d like to revisit is Keeping the Faith. I’d love to do more scenes with Edward Norton and Ben Stiller. They’re such competent actors.
21. My most starstruck moment was when I was walking down Sunset Boulevard in the ’90s and saw Jean Reno. I couldn’t withhold myself from walking up to him at his table and gushing. He was kind but [eventually] was like, “OK, I’m going to get back to my lunch now.”
22. My favorite comfort meal is pizza with black olives from a famous pizza place in Austin, Texas, on South Congress.
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23. My craziest fan interaction was when they followed me into the bathroom at an event and asked me through the crack of the stall for a photo. I said, “Might I please just finish using the restroom first, and then we can talk about it outside?”
24. My favorite book is She’s Come Undone. I couldn’t believe it was written by a man — it’s so nuanced to the female psyche. I love every book I read so much because they impinge on a different part of my soul.
25. I want to go to Croatia with my sons and my sister. We’re due for a trip, and have distant relatives there because my dad’s side is Croatian.
