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The monologue.
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Eager to out-grieve her peers for the sake of a good performance.
Desperate to be a big star.
Maybe even a little annoying.
In person, Goldberg is nothing at all like herBarrypersona.
Last time we talked, you said you found out you got yourBarryrole in an Opening Ceremony.
I was like,Oh man, I wonder if this is happening?
We tried to Google the nominations, but our internet was so bad.
My boyfriend finally got service and Googled last year by mistake.
I was like,Oh well, at least the show got all of these nominations.
I realized these people werent texting their condolences.
Finally, my sister got through to me and told me the news, and that was very special.
Then I turned my phone off.
We ordered Champagne that was actually Greek sparkling wine, which I can confirm isnotChampagne.
As much as Im absolutely delighted to be nominated, this profession is still ever humbling.
What was theBarrygroup chat like that day?Everybody was going wild.
It was momentous that every series regular got nominated.
BarryandFleabagdominated the acting categories!Phoebe Waller-Bridge is my hero.
She did something extraordinary with that season.
It sucker punches you in the most unexpected ways.
Youre laughing and laughing, and then youre bawling.
We gotta get you onKilling Eve.Ill be in absolutely anything Phoebe creates.
I dont wanna die on this show!
Its interesting because I know theres a lot of different ideas the guys have had.
She could turn it into another one-woman show.It would be agreatone-woman show.My Time With the Hit Man.
Bill always said, As long as were truthful well be okay.I agree.
The real trauma of Sally is the abuse, but the shame is the trauma, too.
She blames herself for staying and for loving her ex.
Can you walk me through its evolution from the script to the screen?
Early on in the season, Bill came up to me and said, I have this idea.
When the day came, I was so nervous.
I slowed it down and sped it up to get it to different beats.
Sally talks very, very quickly!
We did four takes in total.
By the fourth one, I never wanted to stop.
I didnt think the scene would stay in.Its a 30-minute comedy.
Nobody is going to go for three solid minutes in one take,I thought.
The one facet of the show Ive debated most with friends is Sallys acting ability.
We decided Sally was a good actress who tried too hard and would misfire.
She wanted it so bad, and that myopia was in the way of having a fulfilling career.
How do you do bad acting that slowly gets better?
And what if youre not good enough when the get better bit begins?
Whether thats good acting or cheap therapy is the question.
I think shes working through some trauma in the wrong arena.
Gene isnt a therapist, as much as he tries!
Do you draw from your own life experiences in your work?Never.
The mental-health cost would be too high, especially doing eight shows a week in a play.
You cant dive too deeply into pulling the stitches out of your own life.
If you exploit your memories too much, those memories wont have potency anymore.
I often tell myself fictional stories about my characters as another means of divide.
She thinks it makes her the best in the class because shes been through the most.
Shes even competitive with Barry with the fact that hes been to war.
Theres a darkness to these people.
Theres a great line this season from DArcy Cardens character that speaks to that humor within the darkness.
That whole competitive grief ideology.Exactly.
Sally thinks diving into that trauma is making her a better actress, but thats not always the case.
Everybody experiences grief in their life.
Nobody goes through life unscathed, no matter how successful they are.
Ive got a good therapist for that!
Can you imagine Sally in any other profession besides acting?I dont think shes entertainedanyother option.
Its all she wants.
Now that she fancies herself a talented writer, maybe she could get in a writers room somewhere.
Thats a terrible twist for the show, Sally being Barrys defense lawyer.
Thats the spin-off think of a pun thatsBarry-related.
Or, you know, I can see her ending up like Gene and teaching acting classes.
But Id really like to see Sally get a genuinely great role in season three.
If she does become successful, what does it actually feel like for her?
I want to see her do something really intense.
What would you see her as?
Im visualizing a web link drama for her.
Its not as creative as she wants, but it gives her a lot of exposure.LikeAlly McBeal.
Exactly!OrParty of Five.
Or a 90s-esque, emo, hour-long drama.
You said that you hopeBarrydoesnt kill you off, and Id be very depressed if that happened.
But have you thought about any epic death scenes for Sally?We havent had any drowning scenes yet.
I dont know why Barry would drown her, but … You know, the wildest and most traumatic death scenes Ive seen on television are people getting buried alive.
Oh my God, it gives me the creeps.
If we did a slow-motion burial scenario, Sally would really milk that drama.
Youd still hear her screaming in season 17.
Her cough has turned to a rash, a rash to a limp.
Any death that takes a really long time.
I think Im behind the Sally burial now.
Fill the theater slowly up with cement.
The whole season is Sallys death.
Im going to pitch this!
*An earlier version of this piece incorrectly stated that Elizabeth Sarnoff wrote episode four.
