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All she wants is those damn teenagers in her basement to give her a hit of nicotine.
(Leia is, of course, the child of Topher Graces Eric and Laura Prepons Donna.)
Rupp is still reckoning with this new decade of Kittys life, especially when thinking of her evolution.
Shes questioning her purpose now.
Its a secret and people dont know Im doing that.
Well, now they will.
Theyve made Kitty not a perfect person so can you identify with her more.
Hey, dont sell yourself short with your acting.I love her.
I love that she smokes, drinks, and curses at Red once in a while.
Shes ever-cheerful and loves everybody.
Where should she rank in the pantheon of TV moms?
Is it likeCarol Brady, Kitty Forman, Lucille Bluth, end of list?Whos Lucille Bluth?
Ah, shes the mom fromArrested Development.I never watched it but my friends loved it.
At that point in my life I wasnt watching television much.
Carol Brady wasnt my favorite mom, although I love Florence Henderson.
Maybe because Im older, but I wasnt aBrady Bunchperson.
I didnt grow up with a TV mom I loved.
I generally wasnt a fan of family shows; I grew up withThe Mary Tyler Moore Showand workplace comedies.
AlsoHappy Days.Were just going to have to call it with Kitty as number one.
I cant imagineThat 90s Showwouldve been made unless you and Kurtwood agreed to be the leads.
Theyre young and active, and they should be.
I remember initially being completely shocked when I heard the pitch and then going …No?
Maybe?There was a lot to consider.
I dont live in California anymore.
But it was less episodes and I love Kitty.
I love playing that part.
There are no rules.
I was shocked and then a little honored.
And then I got very excited.
The show needed a grounding force to bring it back.
Why were you shocked?I have a very hard time saying good-bye.
If I could sneak out the door, I would.
WhenThat 70s Showended I took pretty much everything from the set.
I had the cheese-grater lights in my basement.
I had Kittys sweaters and nursing shoes.
I never thought it would come back.
I remember when they were talking to Kurtwood and I about it, and I said, The 90s?
I dont even remember the 90s.
What happened in the 90s?It was a very transformational decade for me.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1990 from New York City.
I was 40 years old.
I had to learn to drive again.
I was trying to be a television actress.
I started doing series work and bought my first house.
Oh, and my first computer and cell phone.
When I think about it, no wonder why it was a blur.
It went so fast and it was a total blur.
At the time, Laura was doingOrange Is the New Black,and Topher is always working.
Do you remember the first time you and Kurtwood met?I sure do.
We did an audition together for the pilot.
I had been cast as Kitty and they were looking for the Reds.
I had to read with everyone they had chosen for the final group.
I went,Oh, its going to be this guy.I swear, just from looking at Kurtwood.
I dont know if it was his big head.
When we went in and read together, I instantly felt like Kitty with him.
I felt fluttery and giggling and happy.
He was veryRoboCop-ish in his audition, which made it really easy to be Kitty against that.
His energy is so grounded and shes all over the place.
It wouldnt have been the same if Red wasnt as grounded.
It wouldve been harder.
Almost always, its a nervous laugh.
It got a really big laugh and it was unplanned.
Has your perception of Kitty changed over the years?Both of the shows are period pieces.
They were working more.
That was all Kitty shes a nurse, she went to college, and she makes her own living.
She has a family.
Thats what you did.
But she was also a small-town person.
Its now 20 years later inThat 90s Show,and shes lived alone with Red for quite some time.
Technology is coming in and Kitty is older.
Kitty was the sole breadwinner in her household for more than a season.
That doesnt get talked about enough.Oh, yeah.
There was an episode in the first season where it was really rough to shoot.
I cried when we were filming.
It was the one where Eric goes to work with Kitty for Career Day.
First of all, I couldnt learn that stupid song, Bad Blood by Neil Sedaka.
But I took on some of Kitty while we were filming that episode:Im exhausted.
I cant do this.That was a difficult time.
I personally loved the menopause thing.
I had something to do!
I pitched the idea of Kittys family forgetting her birthday.
I said,That will get people talking.
Ill say this:That 70s Showlistened to us.
You dont often get that.
You have the distinction of having memorable recurring roles on bothSeinfeldandFriends.
Settle a longstanding bet: Which show is better?Oh, jeez, thats a hard one.
I have to sayFriends, because it was in front of a studio audience.
Every time I shotSeinfeldit wasnt.Seinfelddid do an audience, but for the times I was on, they didnt.
Just my luck, right?
I love an audience.
Did either of those experiences prepare you for the data pipe grind ofThat 70s Show?Not at all.
Im a theater actress so I like the audience.
I get a lot from them.
With Candice Bergen in a guest role.Right!
You know what, I actually dida pilotwith her a few years back that didnt go anywhere.
She made me laugh.
Jackie and Kelso are married.
Eric and Donna are married.
Fez owns a salon.
Where is Hyde in 1995?I think Hyde is traveling overseas somewhere and involved in some conspiracy theory.
Thats better than my theory, which is … jail.Hes involved in some political thing.
