Night Court's Lacretta On What It Takes To Bring Gurgs To Life
By Ava Barnes
On the original series, there were several bailiffs throughout its run, including Richard Moll as Bull, Selma Diamond as Selma, and Marsha Warfield as Roz. How much did you look to the past show to bring your bailiff character Gurgs to life? And how do you balance being respectful to the original while making her your own?
I watched "Night Court" growing up as a kid. It was in syndication at the time. I was always watching TV shows that were a little bit older than I was. I was a gifted child — I was in advanced reading in elementary school, so I always had a thirst for things that were a little bit older for me. I was in the second grade watching "Night Court," but it made sense to me. I didn't catch all the jokes because there were some naughty ones, but for the most part, I was like, "Oh, gosh, this is so nice." I remember Selma Diamond, and there was another bailiff [Florence Halop as Flo]. Unfortunately, we lost Selma, and we lost that other one. Then, Marsha Warfield stepped onto the scene. So for me, Gurgs is a beautiful blend of Richard Moll's quirkiness and Marsha Warfield's grounded reality.
I fit into the whole canon by being the bailiff, but as far as making her my own — because I was a precocious child — her timing is slightly off-kilter from the rest of them in a beautiful way that brings balance. She does a great job at standing on her own.
How do you think your character breaks stereotypes, and what does that mean to you?
She breaks stereotypes in so many different ways. Typically, the trope for the big black woman is she's "sassy," which is a problematic word that's for a completely different interview — the sassy sidekick. But for this, because it's an ensemble show, we always have our own features. We have our own times to shine, and we have our times to support each other. Plus, it's not that typical "Knock, knock, who's there?" kind of comedy; it's a little more cerebral. The majority of our writers went to Ivy League colleges, so it's really nice to have clever, smart comedy. That's how she's breaking stereotypes. She runs the gamut between physical humor and highbrow humor, and I love that about her.
She's quirky in a very endearing way. How much of your own personality comes out in her?
A lot of it. I'm definitely an imaginative person; I'm a playful person. I'm a Pisces, I'm a dreamer — my head is in the clouds — and I feel the same way about Gurgs. She just gets to respond more freely than I do as an adult. Sometimes, I have to filter what I say in an effort to make sure that everybody's comfortable. For Gurgs, she wants to make sure that everyone's comfortable, but she wants to speak her mind as well.
