Schitt’s Creek star Annie Murphy has spilled the beans on the inspiration for her spoiled socialite character, Alexis Rose, revealing she drew inspiration from some rather famous reality TV stars.
“I did sit myself down and watch a little bit more Kardashian stuff than I should have,” Murphy said in an interview that aired Friday on BuzzFeed News’ Twitter show AM to DM. “I watched some Lindsay Lohan stuff, I watched some Olsen twins, just to get the vocal fry.”
Murphy also revealed the cast has come up with some hilarious descriptions for her character’s iconic hand gestures.
“It’s the Tyrannosaurus rex playing the piano at an old-timey saloon,” she joked.
“I’ve got some little tap stuff going on — all with a limp wrist.”
Murphy was joined in the interview by Noah Reid, who plays Patrick on the popular show to discuss what to expect in Season 5, which started airing this month on Pop.
“One of the things that I love about this season is that I get my own apartment,” Reid revealed.
Murphy then joked that show co-creator and star Dan Levy would be furious with Reid for revealing a plot point.
“Dan’s going to murder you while you sleep!” she joked.
“I’m going to be killed for this,” Reid laughed.
Reid also said the onscreen relationship between Patrick and David (Levy) would continue to evolve this season.
“There’s all those little, fun, intimate details of actually learning how you’re going to navigate how a real relationship works,” he said.
Murphy said her character has her own personal growth arc this season.
“Alexis in Season 5 is slowly coming to the realization that after calling off not one but two engagements, you need to put in a little bit more effort, like put your best foot forward and push yourself,” she said. “She pushes herself out of her comfort zone a little bit to kind of prove to Ted that she’s in it.”
Her character was “bettering herself in little baby increments,” Murphy said.
The pair also revealed fans can expect more performances this season, similar to when Reid wowed audiences with his romantic cover of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” on the show.
“There are a couple of performances this season that I’m really excited [about],” Murphy said. “We both got to do something this season that we had to rehearse for. I feel like a real Renaissance Man now!”
“A lot of work being put in this year on the performances,” Reid added.
For Murphy, Schitt’s Creek has been a life-affirming experience, as she scored her role on the show amid a truly dark personal period several years ago.
“My house had burned down, had no money in the bank, hadn’t booked a job, had just destroyed — and not in a good way — my very first screen test, and was like OK, the universe is really being like, ‘Hey, maybe don’t do this anymore,’” she said. “So I was having a really hard time wrestling with that idea, and then two days later I got the audition for Schitt’s.”
The pair say they’re grateful the Canadian show has found a bigger fan base since it began streaming on Netflix.
And the secret to the show’s success, the actors said, is its perfect balance of comedy and heartwarming emotion.
“The writers are so wonderful at allowing so much room for comedy, but also so much room for the heart and the more dramatic parts of the episodes,” Murphy said. “But people have wept at table reads.”