But her latest film is a tonal departure, to say the least.
“I don’t get sent roles like this,” Greer said.
And I think it makes me a better actor, too."
The movie has a cult following now, but back then it had a different reception.
How did that affect you at the time, so early in your career?
Judy Greer:It was the first job I got in Los Angeles.
It’s interesting because when it came out, it wasn’t a box office hit.
You just have no idea what’s going to happen with anything that you do.
The one thing that you think is going to be a massive success can sometimes just not really perform.
I’m there to learn to act.
I’m there to make friends.
I’m there to make relationships with people and to tell stories."
What do you attribute that lasting friendship to?
People get busy, we’re busy.
I think it’s hard to maintain friendships, especially as an adult.
You have to really focus on your friendships.
What was it like playing the foil to Katherine Heigl’s punch in-A character, Jane?
You don’t have to be so perfect.
Is there a standout memory from working on that set that you still think about?
I hate when I have to slap people.
I’ve had to do it before and it’s really stressful, but it’s also scary.
And in that one, I don’t think I actually hit her.
“And then you’re like [imitates slapping sound].
There was one movie I did called “What Planet Are You From?”
We have to shoot it.
Just hit him.”
And I was like, “Oh my gosh!”
And I just smacked him so hard and everyone was like, “Oh!”
You could see in the movie, his actual reaction, he’s like, “Huh!?”
That was earlier in my career.
So after that, slapping people has always made me really nervous.
But in that one, she sold it.
I didn’t actually hit her face.
“Arrested Development” is another role of yours that always comes up, I’m sure.
What was the best part about playing such an over-the-top character like Kitty?
It’s fun to just really be able to do and say whatever you want.
I felt like Kitty was just a wild animal.
When we were doing those first three seasons, I felt like we were in a vacuum.
Do fans still flash you and say the classic line?
Is that still happening to you?
And more, just.
I love walking through an airport and having someone be like, “Say goodbye to these!”
I’m here for it.
It’s the best.
Why did you want to do those big-budget movies, and what did you learn from doing them?
Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not.
I was doing great.
I was really happy with my career.
And that was something that I felt like I succeeded in.
3," which is so random.
And I was like, “Yeah!”
I was just about to ask, how did you come to play a re-engineered cyborg pig?
It was a bucket list item for me, definitely.
When thinking about how many cyborg pigs are there to play and how many opportunities…
I think when I was young, it was to keep auditioning.
I think I was super open to anything out there.
I wasn’t ever picky.
And I think that did a lot for me at the time.
I think that we forget sometimes that auditioning is acting.
And if you audition a lot, you get to act a lot.
And if you act a lot, you get better at your craft.
I also think from a business standpoint, saving my money was really smart [laughs].
No splurging on your first big paycheck.
Like, to a fault.
I did not do a lot of splurging in the early days.
If you could reprise any of your roles, who would you choose and why?
Probably Kitty Sanchez because, man, there was a lot of freedom in that.
It was just so fun.
She was so crazy.
Playing Kitty Sanchez felt like being in an anger room.
It was very cathartic.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
“Eric LaRue” is now in theaters.
