As she prepares to star in the new ‘American Downton’, the 69-year-old actor talks about her blue-collar roots, her friendship with Stephen Sondheim — and the pleasures of late-career fame
Christine Baranski is an “Oh, her …” kind of actor. Casual observers might not recognise her name, but they always, instantly, know her face. “Oh, her,” they say, when they see her starring in The Good Fight, the successful spin-off to the TV drama The Good Wife, in which she also co-starred. “It’s the woman who played Leonard’s mother on The Big Bang Theory and Meryl Streep’s high-kicking friend in Mamma Mia!” “Oh, her,” they say, when they spot her in comedy classic Bowfinger. “It’s the woman who brings sass and class to whatever she’s in.” Exactly. That’s her.
With her high-toned enunciation and elegant bearing that verges on regal, Baranski seems like the human embodiment of Manhattan’s Upper East Side circa 1955, and when we connect via video call she initially fulfils all preconceptions. “Now, tell me about London, how are things going there? Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says.
