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Bridget McManus answers your questions on “Maybelle” and more

Longtime readers of AfterEllen don’t need an introduction to Bridget McManus. The out stand-up comic/writer/actress was the host of her own talk show Brunch with Bridget on the site for several years, eventually taking the series to television on Logo and also popping up on several others like 3-Way and We’re Getting Nowhere. Since then, Bridget has worked at the warm-up comic on The Jeff Probst Show and The Queen Latifah Show, appearing on camera as the hilarious and fun sidekick who knew how to get audiences going.

Photo by Rochelle Brodin Photography/Getty Images

After years of making audiences laugh, both on stage and in series like Cowgirl Up and McManusland, Bridget is getting serious for her romantic Tello show Maybelle. As the creator and star, Bridget plays the title character, Maybelle Garris, in a modern love story set in Virginia. In the first episode, which just premiered this past Sunday, Maybelle finds that her ex-lover and best friend, Della, has moved back to town-with her husband. But old flames are ignited when Maybelle pays Della a visit at her new home.

We asked AfterEllen readers to submit questions for Bridget and she promised to answer them all. Read on for the Q&A and check out all new episodes of Maybelle every Sunday on Tello.

Question: What inspired you to make something so sexy and serious after years of comedy?

Bridget McManus: I am sort of addicted to romantic stories and, except for the movie Carol, they usually don’t give me the fulfilling ending I’m looking for. So instead of complaining about it (and re-watching Pride & Prejudice while pretending Mr. Darcy is a butch lesbian named Darcy) I decided to write the kind of story that I would like to be watching on the big screen. The result was Maybelle.

I must admit that while reviewing the rough cuts of the episodes, it was jarring to see myself in the love scenes. Apparently, I’m a really loud kisser!

Q: What inspired the Southern setting of Maybelle?

BM: My wife Karman [Kregloe] is from Virginia so I have become enamored with the people and the scenery in the perfect rural town she grew up in. The southern location acts as an additional character in the series, and Maybelle is such a product of where she grew up.

Q: Are you secretly more of a Della?

BM: Della is a little bit of a mystery to me even though I wrote that character. I’m not sure she knows what she’s going to do next. When I was younger I had secret affairs, so I definitely identify with Della in that aspect of her life. But if anything, I’m really a Miranda Hobbes.

Q: Can you imagine a reboot of Brunch with Bridget, like 2.0?

BM: I would totally do a Brunch with Bridget reboot. But this time around I’d need a sexy dance crew choreographed by Sonya Tayeh (So You Think You Can Dance). There are still so many talented women I’d love to interview in bed and have a pillow fight with. The 2.0 premiere will feature Cate Blanchett and Tatiana Maslany in nighties while playing Truth or Dare. How do we make this happen?

Brunch with Bridget with guest Kate McKinnon

Q: I subscribed to Tello just to watch you. I love Maybelle! The song “Hummingbird” is fantastic and I would like to know if it’s available for purchase and when the next episode is and how long it took you to master that southern voice? Thanks!

BM: Yes, you can purchase my wife’s song “Hummingbird” via her Bandcamp music page.

Episode 2 will be posted this Sunday, December 20 at 11am PST on tellofilms.com and new episodes of Maybelle will be released every Sunday through January 17, 2016.

As far as my accent goes I’m still working on my southern accent to this day. Mastering accents is much harder than you may think, but I definitely have my Bostonian accent down. Go PATS!

Q: What was Queen Latifah like?

BM: Dana is lovely in every way, well, except for the fact that she’s a New York Giants fan. She gave me so many opportunities to grow creatively, not only on her talk show but also by casting me in a movie she produced called November Rule.

She’s a generous performer, absolutely hilarious and one of the warmest people you’ll ever meet. At the wrap party for The Queen Latifah Show, she walked up to my wife, handed her a bottle of tequila and said, “Drink up!” If that’s not a dream boss I don’t know who is.

Q: Which do you like to do more, acting, writing or standup, and why?

BM: I really love them all. Acting is a great way to escape and play, and stand-up is a fantastic way to connect with a live audience, which I absolutely adore. But lately, I’ve been focusing most of my time writing scripts with strong female characters. It’s more empowering to create my own projects rather then complain that my community and I are not represented on screen.

Q: Where do you find your inspiration for comedy?

BM: Everything comes from my family and my oddball brain parts. I have a large east coast Italian family with a lot of strong personalities and they definitely contribute to my view of the world. I’m just a big weirdo that thinks and says some really random things. Sometimes after I say something my wife will turn to me and say, “Do you ever shock yourself with what comes out of your mouth?” Yes. Yes, I do.

Q: When can we expect to see Victoria Cartagena in the Maybelle movie?

BM: I am writing a special part for Victoria in the feature version of Maybelle, which is scheduled to shoot in 2016. I already reached out to Victoria and she’s on board to do the film, but I haven’t told her about the love scenes yet…

Q: How do you come up with all of your amazing ideas? They’re always so original.

BM: When I’m creating projects I just think about what I would like to see, what makes me laugh, what interests me. Usually, it involves women and lesbians and my pets and lesbians.

Q: Which character in OITNB best describes Yoko the cat?

BM: Crazy Eyes, obviously.

Q: What is your favorite farm animal and why?

BM: I am obsessed with pigs and I desperately want one as a pet. My wife says we have to wait until we get a large yard so Bridget Jr. can run around in it. Scientists believe pigs are smarter than three-year-old children and since I’m never having kids, Bridget Jr. will have to take care of me in my old age. I hope her hooves will be able to adjust my adult diapers.

Q: Will Gretchen Wieners get CandyGrams this year?

BM: To quote Lucille Bluth, “I don’t understand the question and I won’t respond to it.”

Follow Bridget McManus on Twitter and watch the first episode of Maybelle on Tello Films now.

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