dailyloe.com – Sarah Chalke nearly lost her career-launching role on ‘Roseanne’ due to public backlash before filming began. Chalke discussed the intense pressure of joining the number one comedy in 1993. She was just 16 years old when cast as the new Becky after Lecy Goranson left. The actress shared this story on the podcast ‘Obsessed: The Podcast’.
Chalke said being young and naive helped her handle the immense pressure. ‘The only reason that I could do it is that I was young and naïve,’ Chalke told the podcast. She noted she did feel the pressure of the high-profile recasting. However, she believes her newness was actually in her favor at the time.
The show ‘Roseanne’ was a massive hit when Chalke joined for Season Six. More than twenty percent of all households tuned into every episode. News of her casting spread quickly through her school. Chalke joked it made no sense to her peers at the time.
The backlash to recasting the beloved character Becky was severe. It almost cost Chalke the job before she filmed a single scene. Shortly after her successful audition, producers called her with doubts. They told her they were getting cold feet about replacing Becky.
‘We’re getting cold feet about replacing Becky,’ the producers told her. They said they did not know if they were going to proceed with the recast. The producers told Chalke if they did it, the role would be hers. However, they put her on hold for four months before a final decision.
‘My a– is grass,’ Chalke remembered thinking after that call. This came after a grueling audition process for the part. The audition involved a redacted script and taping full scenes. She performed with Roseanne Barr in the real production studio with a live laugh track.
Despite this intensive tryout, Chalke had not yet officially earned the part. She had to wait four months for the producers’ final verdict. After that period, the show’s producers called to tell her she got the gig. Chalke then stayed on the show for four full seasons.
She also returned for the show’s 2018 reboot years later. Chalke reflected on the joy of working on a long-running comedy series. ‘If you’re going to do something for a long period of time, if it’s a comedy, it feels like winning the lottery,’ she said. She stated there is nothing like being on a comedy set.
Four years after her time on ‘Roseanne’, Chalke began another major role. She played Dr. Elliot Reid for nine seasons on the series ‘Scrubs’. This became one of the longest roles of her entire acting career. Now, Chalke is returning to that former sitcom sixteen years later.
She is joining ‘Scrubs’ for its upcoming tenth season. Chalke has one trick for getting back into her character Elliot. ‘At this point, the line of where Elliot starts and I am, I have no idea,’ Chalke said. She noted her character’s trademark klutziness came from her real personality.
‘That’s just who I am,’ Chalke stated about the klutziness. She revealed she had to call her boss about once every season. Her message was, ‘Sorry, I’m not going to be able to come in today. I fell.’ This real-life trait seamlessly blended into her on-screen character.[]
Source: The Daily Beast
