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'Schitt's Creek' Star Annie Murphy Kept Her "A Little Bit Alexis" Dress

Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Pop TV
Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Pop TV

From Harper's BAZAAR

It’s hard to believe that after six seasons, Schitt’s Creek, TV’s most blissful binge watch in this dumpster fire world, is coming to an end. The little show with a big heart gave us the riches-to-rags story of the Rose family—hilariously embodied by Annie Murphy, Catherine O’Hara, and co-showrunners Dan and Eugene Levy—and in its twilight years, finally garnered the awards attention it’s long deserved.

Like the rest of us, it’s been a bittersweet farewell for Murphy, whose immortalized portrayal of sister Alexis Rose has birthed countless memes. It’s also given audiences one of the most interesting female trajectories on the small screen in recent history: the supposed airhead who proves to everyone, including herself, that she’s worth more than just celebrity hookups, cash, and designer outfits.

Alexis has brought as much joy to us as she has to Murphy, who describes her pre-Schitt’s life as “bleakish”; she was a struggling Canadian actress eager for a big break yet kept getting doors slammed in her face. And on top of that, her house had just burned down. But now with a wonderful series under her belt, Murphy, though once again looking at a future of uncertainty, is doing so with the benefit of becoming a household name.

Below, BAZAAR.com catches up with the actress—stuck in busy traffic in her “temporary/indefinite” home city of Los Angeles—who discusses letting go of Alexis, the educational value of YouTube, and hope.


I’m such a superfan of the series. I don’t even call it that anymore; I just call it my happy place, because that’s the mood it puts me in.

That is so awesome. I’m so glad that we’ve been able to be that for you.

Of course, part of that is your portrayal of Alexis Rose, who I think is one of the most identifiable TV characters and in recent TV history. You’ve been embedded with this character for six whole seasons now. What about her will be the hardest to shake as an actor?

I think what I will miss the most about her is her unflinching confidence. She is so unabashedly filled with belief in herself and her abilities, whether or not she has them. It’s a really liberating thing to [portray that]. Physically, I think I have a bit of a hard time shaking the whole wrist situation. I’ve really been making a conscious effort to rid myself of that. But it’s hard because it’s just so damn comfortable. It’s just a lazier, relaxed way to hold your hands, if you’re ever worried about what to do with your hands. I’m trying to fix that.

Has any of Alexis’s unrelenting confidence rubbed off on you in ways you didn’t expect?

It has a little bit [laughs]. It’s always so crazy to me when actors talk about how they’re “inspired” by their characters. But there has been a little of that confidence that’s rubbed off on me. Because it really does go a long way. Maybe having that much confidence is not ideal for the real world, but believing in yourself and not being [hurtful] or overly full of ego is. [It’s about] believing in yourself and what you’re capable of doing.

Where did the idea for Alexis to carry her wrists like that come from?

When I got the part, I was very, very green. I was like, “I’m an actor and actors do research. So, I’m going to do some research about this character and figure out how to develop her.” My version of research at that time was YouTube. So, I just took to YouTube late at night and watched a whole bunch of Kardashian stuff and Paris Hilton stuff until my eyes bled. I noticed late one night, when I was probably on marijuana that a lot of these socialites carry their handbags in a very particular way. Like, it was casually tossed off their arm and their palm was facing up in the sky. And they would just travel around like that. Then I was like, what if there was no handbag and I flipped my wrist over and tossed another wrist into the mix? And then, I kind of ended up with whatever the hell that is. We’ve come to describe [Alexis’s] wrists thing as a T. rex playing a piano in an old-timey saloon.

Were you able to keep any of Alexis’s clothes or accessories as mementos?

There are so many amazing clothes, but I didn’t want to wear them, because they’re really friggin’ nice. I feel like so many of these clothes are so very Alexis, and I didn’t want to be that girl who wasn’t in the show anymore yet cosplaying herself down the street. So, I had to be quite selective.

I chose a really lovely baggy sweater and pants. I don’t know if Dan knows this, but I also took the dress that Alexis wears for her Cabaret audition—the “A Little Bit Alexis” dress that’s a purple baby doll thing, which I will never ever wear, but it was a special scene.

A scene now immortalized in pop culture.

[Laughs.] That’s now in my closet somewhere.

Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Pop TV
Photo credit: Brooke Palmer/Pop TV

I often reference Season 4, Episode 10, titled “Baby Sprinkle,” as such an interesting turning point for Alexis, because her friends visit her and offer her a way out of this so-called dump that is Schitt’s Creek, and yet she chooses to stay. Reflecting back on that moment, why do you think she does that?

I think she was given the opportunity to take a step back from the world that she was so deeply immersed in for such a long time, which was full of fickle people and money and travel. But none of it was really real. None of the relationships were true, multilevel, wonderful relationships. And that’s what defined her. She was so built on all these things with not a lot of depth. And then putting her in Schitt’s Creek enabled her to grow up a bit as a human being. There were parts of her personality even she didn’t know she had that came out. All these experiences were really formative, like meeting Mutt [Tim Rozon] and Ted [Dustin Milligan], and feeling actual love for the first time. I think then when her friends come back into the mix, she was really able to see them for who they really are and that they’re no longer the people who she wants to surround herself with.

She was really able to see them and see who she used to be, and realized that she changed and wants different things now. You’re right, it was a really great turning point.

Photo credit: Steve Wilkie/Pop TV
Photo credit: Steve Wilkie/Pop TV

We also see Alexis deal with real world issues like managing the press around her mom as her publicist, and balancing her career and her relationship with Ted. What has been the most rewarding part about bringing her trajectory to life?

Alexis came in at the first episode and was so dependent on men and money. That’s really what defined her, or what she thought defined her. Then, as the seasons progressed, I think seeing her realize that she was so much more [has been gratifying]. People leapt to conclusions about her that weren’t necessarily true. She challenged herself to go back to high school at 30 and take charge of herself and her life and gain that independence. At this point, she's self-reliant. I really, really love that arc.

Same here. I read that before you auditioned for Schitt’s Creek, you were feeling a little discouraged about your career. Now as the show is ending, how do you feel about it?

I’m certainly in a different place than I was before the show. I hadn’t worked in almost two years. And it was always coming down to me and another girl, and I was never the girl that got the phone call. My place had just burned down too. Things were bleakish, I would say. I still can’t really believe I got the part in the first place. I feel so lucky that every day I went into work and was schooled by Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, and Chris Elliott. I still hope that I absorb most of some of their incredible talent.

It’s nice to be in a position now—whereas five years ago, I’d go into a room and people would be like, “I’m sorry, who the hell are you?” or “I liked you on that episode of Blue Mountain State. Okay, I think the meeting’s done now”—to go into a room and have people be fans of [Schitt’s Creek] and actually interested in talking to you for more than 30 seconds about Toronto island in the summertime. It’s still kind of wide open right now, but I think because the show has been so wonderfully successful, I’m in a different position than I was five years ago, and I feel really lucky about that.

Playing someone who’s become such an iconic character, are you thinking about or have you been worried about the possibility of being typecast?

Yes. Before Schitt’s, I was only going out for dramas, even though I was really begging to do comedies. I would love to do something very different next, because I have a theater background, and I think—I hope [laughs]—that I can still do [other things]. I think I would have to brush off some cobwebs, but I would love something totally different, like a period piece or some dark indie.

I’ve had the best time playing Alexis, but I’d like to do other things.

You’re an only child, as am I—

Oooh, welcome.

[Laughs.] Yes, happy to be part of the only child club. I always tell people that when you’re an only child, you rely on your imagination more so than people with siblings, because you spend so much time alone. Was that how it was for you? And if so, how did that influence you as a budding actress?

I didn’t so much have an imaginary friend as I would just like … I was going to say play with myself, but that’s not what I meant.

No judgment, had that been the case though.

Oh, that came later.

[Laughs.]

But I was creating worlds for myself and educating myself, and I was lucky because both my parents taught, and my dad is a literary buff and would read to me all the time. So, I became a big bookworm like him. Between reading all the time and inventing new ways of entertaining myself, I do think that that really lent itself to going in a more creative path for sure.

Photo credit: Pop TV
Photo credit: Pop TV

Your social media profiles are such a joy to read, especially in the midst of everything else happening on social media. You have fabulous live tweet sessions with fans. But you’re also passionate about causes and things that are happening in the world. Why is it important for you to occupy that space as a public figure?

Oh, gosh. I feel that there’s so much to be talked about and fought for in the world. I think no matter what size soapbox you have, you should be advocating for things that you believe in. I have been lucky in the last few years to have a bit of a voice, and I genuinely think it’s wasteful if you don’t use it. There’s a lot going on out there that needs to be challenged and discussed. And if there’s an opportunity to shed some light and love and kindness on the situation, I think it’s very important to do so.

Schitt's Creek airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Pop TV.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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