Life under pandemic lockdown has been an emotional roller coaster for Mary Steenburgen. Two months ago, the Oscar-winning actor (Melvin and Howard) returned to the Vancouver set of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist—a relief for a woman who, for over 40 years, has been lucky enough to make a living doing what she loves. But filming under strict safety protocols, Steenburgen soon learned, came with its own little heartbreaks.
“One thing that did make me sad about COVID is, on the first day back, there was a speech made about how everyone is to give all of us actors a very wide berth [distance-wise] because if one of us goes down—what they call ‘Zone A’, which is the actors and everybody who comes into direct contact with us—we all go down,”said Steenburgen. “It kind of broke my heart…The crews have been kind of the backbone of my entire profession since I was 24 years old. To imagine not sitting around, laughing with them and talking to them, was hard for me. And it still is hard, but I am so appreciative of how hard everybody’s working to keep themselves and their families and us all safe. It’s just an emotional time—I feel like my heart is constantly open and full at the moment.”
Steenburgen has been getting tested three times a week during production—commuting from home to set and back home again. On Saturdays in Vancouver, the actor said she gets a sliver of social life—seeing friends like Tony Hale and her Last Man on Earth costar Kristen Schaal, who are both in her “bubble” and also getting tested three times a week.
“The nicest thing I’ve found about [filming during COVID] is that it’s deepened my feelings and appreciation for a job I already really have loved my whole life,”said Steenburgen. She is wearing a mask so much these days that seeing a costar’s full face, while filming, is a rare treat. “When I get to do that for a few minutes, it’s like the connection to whoever I’m working with is that much more meaningful and profound because we haven’t even seen each other’s faces very much. I remember the first time [costar Jane Levy] and I did a scene…I hugged her and we just both almost burst into tears because we were touching someone who wasn’t our significant other.” (Steenburgen has been married to fellow actor Ted Danson for 25 years.) “It’s strange how heightened everything is right now.”
Even the idea of premiering her new film, Happiest Season, carries new depth. Steenburgen is a veteran of the holiday film genre—having costarred in One Magic Christmas, Elf, Step Brothers, and Four Christmases. But Happiest Season, which costars Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza, and Victor Garber and premieres on Hulu November 25, stands to gives audiences a vicarious escape—as it shows Davis’s character reuniting with her family, in the flesh, in a world without COVID restrictions. The film is a charming addition to the rom-com canon, with a fresh bent—the film centers on a not-yet-out lesbian (Davis) bringing her girlfriend (Stewart) home for the holidays.
Steenburgen said that she was inspired to join the film after receiving a letter from director-cowriter Clea DuVall saying that “one of her favorite genres of movie is a holiday film, very often…the romantic relationship movie that is also a holiday movie. She said, ‘I love them so much, but I’d never seen my story up there.’ And I hadn’t realized that…There have certainly been films about gay relationships. But not in that genre.’”
Said the actor, “I started thinking about how so many of my gay friends came out to their family either over Thanksgiving or Christmas…. I read this script and just thought, I really want to be a part of this.” She hopes that the film can bring viewers a brief sense of familial togetherness—even if they can’t be with their actual relatives.
“I miss my family terribly,” said Steenburgen, who is feeling that particular COVID angst. “When I was home, I did see them some, but we were really careful and would only do it after we’d all been tested, and that’s not always easy to do. My little granddaughter, who is three, the day before Halloween, had her little fairy dress on and was at school in it. She runs around like a little wild thing, so of course she fell. And my daughter sent me this heartbreaking picture in the ER.”
