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Maribeth Monroe talks "Workaholics" and "The Brink"

Maribeth Monroe talks "Workaholics" and "The Brink"

7:57·By Gemma G
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Maribeth Monroe visits the YH studio to chat about working on "Workaholics" and her most recent project, HBO's "The Brink." She discusses being a chef on an Applebee's commercial and how much improv the "Workaholics" cast take part in.

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Young Hollywood

With my name, I'm usually asked if I was a cheerleader.

Young Hollywood

Now you see in England.

Maribeth Monroe

Hey, everybody else live your dreams. You might make it in this business. Or not. I'm literally going to become Princess Marybeth. As of tomorrow I'm moving to friend.

Young Hollywood

I really think you should. I'm Oliver Trevino on the Young Hollywood sofa with the lovely Marybeth Monroe.

Maribeth Monroe

Oh wow, thanks for that. I'm well, thanks. How are you?

Young Hollywood

If you were working out in this acting world, you should be a princess with that name. Have you ever been told that?

Maribeth Monroe

You are the first person to ever call me a princess. I can't be I'm dead serious. With my name, I'm usually asked if I was a cheerleader. Now, you see in England. Oh, I know it's an English thing. Mary Beth Monroe. Marybeth. Yeah, I guess so. Carolyn. Who else do you have? Carolyn? Yeah. Is that it? Yeah, but I don't relate that to a princess. Well, I'll take it.

Young Hollywood

Marybeth is like instantly you should be in a castle.

Maribeth Monroe

Thank you. Thank you. Get me my scepter and my well why are we here? Why are we sitting here. We're going to wrap this up now. These deflating pillows. We're going to wrap this up on a cushion. On a pillow. And I need hair of the dog pronto.

Young Hollywood

You, you know there's no alcohol allowed in the situation. We make it look like orange juice.

Maribeth Monroe

Christ. Do you think LBJ will be numb in this room sober? You lost that one. Remember? To the Brink. To the Brink. Did you like it?

Young Hollywood

I think it was somewhat true to life with politicians. Well, and I'm really curious what our, you know, our foreign markets are going to think especially, you know, you being from. From England. Yeah. What did you? Did you love laughing at us with us?

Maribeth Monroe

I love laughing all around. I laughed with you. I laughed at you. I laughed at the people watching that that probably do that real in real life thinking, well, now they've got us. Great. Good.

Young Hollywood

How was it working with Tim and Jack Black? What a cast.

Maribeth Monroe

Well, this is the thing. This is the one bummer about my show for me is that I didn't because it's three separate storylines, I don't get to work with Jack Black a lot. I think Jack I did work with Jack Black. Great guy. Really good extra. He was amazing. Yeah. I was really just for his name mostly. Um, but I so I don't get to work with them a lot. I think I took like two phone calls, like fake phone calls, where I got to interact with Jack. And he was awesome and came to set like a total pro and actually was off camera to do these phone calls, which made Jack Black really sad. You know, that was he was like, this is my thing.

Young Hollywood

That's why Jack Black never made it because he wasn't willing to do what Jack Black does.

Maribeth Monroe

Exactly. It's really just living in the shadow of Black. That's it. Um, Tim Robbins. He's amazing. He's awesome. I have nothing but awesome things to say. Um, it'd be much more juicy if I could say bad things, but he's just awesome. He's an actor's actor. Obviously, he has an amazing career. I love everything he's done even before I got to work with him. And I also love his politics. I mean, that was a big. I was a big fan of his politics. Probably even more so than his movies before I started working with him. So to get to do a political dark comedy that's geopolitical with Tim Robbins, it's like It's done. As of tomorrow. I'm leaving. I'm quitting. I'm done. Moving into the castle. I'm literally going to become Princess Marybeth. As of tomorrow, moving to.

Young Hollywood

I really think you should. I really think you should. Um, great shape as well, Tim. He has that open.

Maribeth Monroe

Oh, I thought you were just about to say great shape to me.

Young Hollywood

Well, that goes without saying. People, people see that of you, but Tim Robbins, you wouldn't expect when I saw him with his kit off. He looked great. He looks really good. And I got to say that was, there was no body double happening there. That was.

Maribeth Monroe

Well, I paused it to make sure. And I studied that screen. And that was Tim. That was definitely Tim. I just took like a lot of like the brain camera shots. I was like, remember this, remember this, remember this for forever.

Young Hollywood

We move on from The Brink because obviously we want to talk about Workaholics. Everyone knows you were Alice. Everyone knows she was as a total It's very cathartic. You really are, though. Yeah, you are. You really. You really are. You play it like in the show.

Maribeth Monroe

In the show. I really am in.

Young Hollywood

No, you really play it well. Like, you you. I don't know where you draw it from because when you walked in, you're so friendly.

Maribeth Monroe

I am a very friendly person.

Young Hollywood

You are friendly. So far. So far. So far. Go in your castle and stay away from me.

Maribeth Monroe

You're the one that called me a princess. I really am a princess.

Young Hollywood

You are a princess.

Maribeth Monroe

I just channel all the rage that I'm feeling in the show. Towards you right now in this interview. I'm going to take all of that. I'm going to take all of this and I'm going to I like feisty women. Give it to me now.

Maribeth Monroe

I think you're just going to have to watch my show.

Young Hollywood

Oh, okay. Okay. Um, but yes, Workaholics. I've had the pleasure of visiting their set once and they're nuts.

Maribeth Monroe

Oh, I love that you came to set. Was I not there that day?

Young Hollywood

You were not there that day. Were you trying to avoid me?

Maribeth Monroe

A little bit. Uh, there it's great. I love the show. It's super fun. We have this wild demographic of like 13-year-old boys. I mean, all the way up to like mostly 25-year-old boys, but then you get the random like, I've had like a 58-year-old woman come up to me and be like, your show. It's just it's every night for me. I binge watch it. Right, right. Get a couple glasses of wine. Go for it. Love your character. It's just it's it hits so many different. Yeah, it appeals to everybody, which makes it so fun. Adam Divine has said that we improvise probably like 36% of the time. It's a very specific number. But uh, we try to stick to the script as much as possible, but they're very open to us just kind of going off. And so many awesome bits have come out of just us playing and messing with each other and the boys, you know, really love to stand off camera and just make faces while you're acting, which is awesome. When you're trying to be. It's very inspiring.

Young Hollywood

Talking about obviously improv stuff, Second City, Detroit, Chicago. You've been all over there. How was how was that doing that transition into Hollywood as well?

Maribeth Monroe

Oh, it was great. I was going to school in Detroit just for street theater. You know, I did a lot of musical theater and everything. And then I actually was a start cocktail waitressing at the Second City and just fell in love with the improv scene and and all those guys. And so once I was hired for the Second City Detroit, it just took it just kind of laid, you know, laid way to all the fabulous things I'm doing right now. Just all comedy all the time. It's wonderful. Yeah, it's great. It's really fun.

Young Hollywood

So you can sing as well then, musical theater.

Maribeth Monroe

Uh, yeah.

Young Hollywood

So you are a princess.

Maribeth Monroe

I am a princess. Uh, this was pre many years of smoking. Okay. So, Okay. The voice. I got a nice fray now.

Young Hollywood

If you could guest star on any show right now that's on the air, what would you pick?

Maribeth Monroe

Oh, any show this is this is going to be a surprise pick. I would really love to be on House of Cards or Orange Is the New Black. Oh, wow. HBO is going to hate me for saying that. You're welcome, HBO. But I do love those shows. I do. I binge watch those shows. I actually got to do I did I was in the commercial land for a while doing.

Young Hollywood

Yeah, you were. Yeah, you were. Are you going to drop some? You see him?

Maribeth Monroe

Thank you. Thank you. Uh, but I got to do Yes. I was a chef. I just had to get it out. In Applebee's commercials. It's really my claim to fame. I think that's really what got the ball rolling. I think HBO saw those commercials and was like, there's our girl. By the way, you never know for everyone doing their commercials out there. You're one step away. One step or like Nine. Like nine steps away. But stick with it. It'll happen eventually. Or not. Or not. Sometimes you just got to be a princess. LA is a tough place without a princess. Really though, give up. Really. Now. What horrible advice. No, keep going. Live your dreams. It'll happen. Maybe.

Young Hollywood

You're not selling me on it.

Maribeth Monroe

No, I'm not selling myself on it. But yes, you're the one. I could lose my job tomorrow. We don't know what's going to happen. You'll be but then you're still a princess. You're one of those shows. You only do you, Oliver. You'll always be my princess.

Young Hollywood

Can my husband come? Or are we? Oh, well, that princess card just got taken away real quick. Well, Marybeth, you can watch her on The Brink. And her husband can watch, too. So bitter this ended terribly.

Maribeth Monroe

Hey, everybody else, live your dreams. You might make it in this business. Or not.

Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

  • Maribeth Monroe

    Guest discussing her roles in 'Workaholics' and 'The Brink'

  • Oliver Trevino

    Interviewer on the Young Hollywood sofa

  • Jack Black

    Actor in 'The Brink' mentioned by Maribeth

  • Tim Robbins

    Actor in 'The Brink' and praised by Maribeth

  • Adam Devine

    Mentioned for his quote about improv on 'Workaholics'

  • LBJ

    Historical figure mentioned humorously by the interviewer

FAQ

What shows has Maribeth Monroe worked on?+
Maribeth Monroe has worked on "Workaholics," where she plays Alice, and HBO's "The Brink."
Does Maribeth Monroe improvise on "Workaholics"?+
Yes, Maribeth Monroe mentions that the cast of "Workaholics" improvise a significant portion of the time, with Adam Devine stating it's about 36%.
What is Maribeth Monroe's background in comedy?+
Maribeth Monroe started in street theater and then joined Second City Detroit, falling in love with the improv scene there.
Did Maribeth Monroe work with Jack Black and Tim Robbins on "The Brink"?+
Maribeth Monroe worked with Tim Robbins closely on "The Brink" and had some interactions with Jack Black, though their storylines were largely separate.
What was Maribeth Monroe's 'claim to fame' before her acting career?+
Maribeth Monroe considers her role as a chef in Applebee's commercials to be her claim to fame, joking that it got the ball rolling for her career.
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