Shelley Long on playing an 'ornery' grandma her new film, 'Different Flowers'
Shelley Long is a true comedic great. From her star-making turn as Diane Chambers in Cheers to leading roles in ’80s favorites The Money Pit and Troop Beverly Hills, to an awkwardly funny appearance in Robert Altman’s Dr. T & the Women, Long has been making people laugh for the better part of four decades. With her new film, Different Flowers, she hopes to continue the trend.
Different Flowers, available now on demand, features Long as the grandmother of a young bride who decides to run from the altar, accompanied by her young sister. The two set off to their grandma’s house in farm country, and butt heads along the way. For Long, something piqued her interest right away.
“I decided to do Different Flowers because — there are a few reasons of course — but I was reading the script, and very early in the script it talks about my character, and her name is Mildred,” Long told Yahoo Entertainment. “Now, I did a character at the Second City whose name was Mildred. I still do the character for friends, so when I saw the name, I thought, ‘Oh, boy. This is a signal.'”
Long also recognized the chance to play a character who spoke to her.
“She’s a more traditional grandmother; she certainly isn’t Dede [from Modern Family],” Long told us. “I just really liked her. I loved being able to do a character like that — endearing, has a lot of traditional things about her, but who’s also, as my grandmother would have said, ornery. A little naughty.”
Long also had nothing but praise for Different Flowers director Morgan Dameron.
“When you work with Morgan, you can’t help notice how young she is,” Long shared. “And it’s astounding — I mean she’s written this screenplay. And she directed it and at the same time she was one of the producers. I think you’re going to see a lot from her. She’s very talented.”
Different Flowers is now available on demand.
Watch: Kim Kardashian tried to book Shelley Long for a Troop Beverly Hills-themed baby shower:
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