These days, our knowledge of celebrities too often originates with paparazzi images and snarky quotes by anonymous "insiders." After a while, it's easy to forget that stars are real people. That's why HuffPost Celebrity decided to launch its all-new #nofilter quick-fire question-and-answer series. Because how well do you know someone until they've shared their guiltiest pleasures?
Debra Messing stole our hearts as Grace Adler on "Will & Grace," but more recently she's been gracing the small screen in the musical series "Smash." But with the show's poor ratings, it is unclear whether or not it will be renewed for a third season, which is why Messing signed on for a new CBS comedy pilot. Still, would she ever consider heading back to the big screen in a "Will & Grace" movie spinoff? The 44-year-old actress filled us in on all the details while promoting her partnership with allergy medication Zyrtec, March 27 in NYC.
If people started crowdfunding for a "Will & Grace" movie, like "Veronica Mars," would you be on board?
[Laughs] I never say never! That’s what I’ve learned.
Where do you think Will & Grace would be today?
Oh gosh, I couldn’t even guess. I would hope that all the characters had found some love at some point, but you know, it’s a comedy. So happiness does not equal laughter most of the time on TV.
Speaking of comedies, we loved “The Wedding Date.” Would you ever do another romantic comedy?
Oh absolutely! I had such a ball doing “The Wedding Date.” And it’s funny because I’ve been talking a lot today about my partnership with Zyrtec about my extreme allergies that I have struggled with my entire life and one of the anecdotes that I’ve shared is when we were shooting “The Wedding Date” in the English countryside. I had an allergy reaction and my whole face blew up and my eyelids puffed out and my eyes were red and my throat closed and I sounded like Brenda Vaccaro and everybody just looked at me in horror. And the director came in to see me in the makeup trailer and looked at me and said, "OK, we can’t shoot!" And so everybody had to just literally sit around -- I think it took like two or three hours -- and just wait for my allergies to resolve themselves and for my face to return to its normal proportions. [laughs]
So that was a very embarrassing thing that happened because I like to think that I have a good work ethic and I'm considerate of people’s time and when you have allergies, there’s very little you can do to control it. And the reason why I partnered up with Zyrtec is because it honestly is something that works for me. I can take it in the morning during allergy season and I know that I can shoot a film out in the countryside or do some press or take my son to Central Park and play or be in Africa as an ambassador for Youth AIDS with PSI and know that I am able to do the work that’s important to me. It gives me a huge sense of freedom and security knowing I have that in my arsenal.
Allergies do take a toll on your day-to-day life, depending on how bad they can get.
Yes, yes, they can. It’s great to be working with a company that really has taken the beauty aspect of allergy season.They are really the first company to have a beauty bar that gives tips to help you look your best through allergy season. The way I process it is that they’re empowering women. We all want to feel confident and we all want to feel like we look our best and allergy season is a significant portion of the year, so to be able to have something that can maintain your level of confidence and make you feel like you still look your best [is great]. You can still go out and be the mom you want to be or the employee you want to be or the philanthropist or activist you want to be, you don’t have those shackles or insecurities anymore.
What's the dumbest thing you've read about yourself?
Oh my God, there are so many things, I can’t even begin! One of them I just read like last week. Just recently it was printed that I had such a bad reaction to flu season that I was requiring people on “Smash” to wear their masks when they were around me, which is so absurd! Just when you think that something more ludicrous could not be written about yourself, lo and behold, you wake up and you see it somewhere online.
What New Year's resolution can you never keep?
Keeping a diary. It’s embarrassing. I have so many journals and they're like 10 pages and then the rest of it is completely blank and I have like 10 of them lined up on my shelf and it’s horrible! I’m like, "This year I’m going to do it!" I think my brain just moves much faster than my hand and so I get frustrated that I can’t write as quickly as my thoughts are running through my head. And so I just say, "Oh forget it. I’ll remember." And then of course, I don’t.
If you could give advice to a younger version of yourself, what would it be?
Be kind to yourself. Know that everything changes,the good and the bad and you can’t prevent change. And just try your best to embrace it and to look at it as an adventure.
What/whom have you been jealous of lately?
Last night I was jealous of this 22-year-old girl from Tennessee who sang on “The Voice.” She was the last competitor [her name is Sarah Simmons]. She opened her mouth and her gift was just astonishing. I don’t know what it is but I don’t think there’s anything more thrilling than witnessing someone who has that particular talent.
What are some other shows that you DVR, aside from “The Voice”?
Well I would have been a litigator had I not been an actor. It’s no longer called Court TV, but I used to watch and DVR Court TV religiously. Now it’s on HLN and there’s “In Session” where they have live footage from current trials going on. Like, I’ve been an avid watcher of the Jodi Arias trial. So for good or ill, I’m into it. [laughs]
So, you might be one of the only people who enjoys getting called for jury duty, huh?
Absolutely. I’m like, bring it on!
What’s your secret/hidden talent?
I took circus class! Yes at the NYU graduate acting program, they make you take circus all three years and I learned the trapeze. It was all about body awareness and physical strength. For me, I was just thrilled to be hanging upside down by a trapeze.
What's your guiltiest pleasure?
Reese’s peanut butter cups.
What's the silliest thing you've ever lied about?
I’m not a good liar, I was just talking to someone about that today. I can’t think of anything!
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