While Molly Shannon is enjoying a professional resurgence with roles in HBO’s The White Lotus and The Other Two, the comedian opens up about a family tragedy.
The 56-year-old Shaker Heights, Ohio native lost her mother, younger sister and cousin in a car accident when she was just four years old, with her father, who was driving under the influence, surviving but suffering terrible injuries.
Shannon has rarely talked about family tragedy throughout her 30-year career, though she opened up to the Los Angeles Times about how she helped shape her life.
Opening: While Molly Shannon enjoys a professional resurgence with roles in HBO’s The White Lotus and The Other Two, the comedian opens on a family tragedy
Tragedy: A 56-year-old native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, lost her mother, younger sister and cousin in a car accident when she was just four years old, with her father, who was driving under the influence, surviving but suffering injuries. horrible.
“I was very heartbroken and very sad and was just trying to keep everything small,” the actress began.
“There’s no way you can feel that kind of deep pain for your mom and sister to be dead, so you just have it all and it appears later in life,” she added.
After small roles in In Living Color and Twin Peaks, Shannon exploded as a comedy star when she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1995.
Breakout: After small roles in In Living Color and Twin Peaks, Shannon exploded as a comedy star when she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1995.
He created the beloved character Mary Katherine Gallagher that year, who starred in the 1999 film Superstar.
The character was an unpopular Catholic school girl who was ultra-competitive and sniffed her armpits when she got nervous.
Shannon often threw herself literally at objects like metal chairs without any padding, because she didn’t care if she was hurt after the tragedy.
Sniff: The character was an unpopular Catholic school girl who was ultra-competitive and sniffed her armpits when she got nervous.
‘I didn’t care if he cut me or made me bleed. I didn’t give a damn. I looked at it like punk rock. I was reckless and, because of what happened, I didn’t care, “he said.
He will also address family tragedy in his memoirs Hello Molly !, which will be published in April, which he admits has the feeling of being open for the first time about it.
“You feel like you put your heart right there on the table, but I hope my story can help other people,” Shannon added.
I didn’t care: ‘I didn’t care if he cut me or made me bleed. I didn’t give a damn. I looked at it like punk rock. I was reckless and, because of what happened, I didn’t care, “he said
While her father was recovering from the shock, Molly and her sister Mary lived with her aunt, and she knew the life she had before would not be the same.
‘The life we left was not the same life we went back to. It just seemed like everything was different, ”Shannon said.
Shannon added that she wanted her aunt to do everything the same way her mother did, like “No, my mom cuts the bark like that,” adding, “Everything drove me crazy.”
Character: Shannon said she created Mary Katherine Gallagher’s character while she was at New York University, who said she was “really based on me, how I felt after the accident: very nervous, prone to accident, wanting to please up but full of hope ».
Even fun experiences like learning how to tie shoes at school made her sad because she knew her late little sister Katie would have loved it.
“We would learn how to do fun things, like tying our shoes, and I felt like,‘ Katie, my little sister, should be here learning. She would have loved it. Katie would love to make rabbits and tie her shoes. “
Shannon said she created the character of Mary Katherine Gallagher while at New York University, who said she was “really based on me, how I felt after the accident; full of hope.”
“I just exaggerated everything I felt as a kid and turned him into a character,” he added.
Created: Shannon said she created Mary Katherine Gallagher’s character while in New York, who said she was “really based on me, how I felt after the accident: really nervous, accident prone, wanting please, f *** ed up but full of hope ‘
Exaggerated: “I just exaggerated everything I felt as a child and turned him into a character,” he added.