Jane Lynch Celebrates Getting Killed on ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘Bittersweet’ Final Scene With Steve Martin
Note: This article contains spoilers for “Only Murders in the Building” Season 4
The mystery of who killed Sazz Pataki has been solved following Tuesday’s “Only Murders in the Building” Season 4 finale, with Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) bringing Marshall Pope/Rex Bailey (Jin Ha) to justice for her murder.
Jane Lynch, who portrays Charles’ Brazzos stunt double, reflected in an interview with TheWrap how the role in the Hulu comedy came about, what it’s been like working closely with Steve Martin and taking center stage as Season 4’s murder victim.
She also weighed in on Sazz being the writer of the “Only Murders” movie, her crush on Ron Howard growing up, her favorite scenes and how Martin Short is the only person on the show who made her break character.
TheWrap: How did you first get involved in “Only Murders in the Building”?
Jane Lynch: Kristen Newman, who is a writer on the show and an executive producer. I rented her house in West Hollywood for I think two maybe three years. She was my landlord, and I loved her. I thought she was a great writer. I remember reading her book and I loved her a lot. Then she started working on this and she said to John Hoffman, ‘I have an idea.’ And the writers came up with this and said that they should ask me to do it. I think a stunt double is a brilliant idea. It’s just so out there and so interesting and so fun.
What was your reaction to finding out you’d be Season 4’s murder victim at the end of Season 3?
John Hoffman came to the set and I was sitting with Steve [Martin] and I think Martin [Short] was there too and he told me. It was good news because I knew that the murder victim gets to be in a lot. I only do two or three episodes a year. I was going to be in it a lot and it was going to be about my character. So I was like, “Are you kidding? I love it.”
What has it been like getting to work opposite Steve and further explore Sazz this season?
He’s the nicest guy. He’s a generous actor, he’s a generous person, and he’s just a lovely energy to be around. We live in the same town, so I get to see him more than just on the set of “Only Murders.” So it’s been really great.
The writers created this really deep relationship between us, so that was a real joy to discover and to play, and it ended up being so touching and very sweet. This whole microcosm of stunt doubles calling the person they’re doubling their number one, and that they’re there for them. [Sazz] took this to mean for her whole life that she exists to be there for him, and not just on set where she’s going to protect him and make sure he doesn’t do anything that could hurt him. She’s putting herself at great physical risk. And as we find out, she has many injuries. She’s in pain a lot of the time, but she would never tell him that. And as he finds out more and more throughout the season what Sazz has done for him, it becomes just really lovely.
We have this one scene early on in the season, where he says, “You gave me friends.” He didn’t have any friends on the set and I created this poker game, I think on Thursdays or something like that, where a lot of the crew came in and we all played poker together. And for the first time in Charles’ life, he had friends and he felt embraced and safe and not so alone. That’s the thing with Charles, he always feels so alone and he’s not alone. When he met Sazz, he found his protector and he finds out more and more throughout the season how deep that went for Sazz.
What did you think of the twist that Sazz is the writer of the “Only Murders” movie only for it to be stolen by Rex Bailey?
I didn’t know that I’d end up being the writer. John Hoffman didn’t tell me that ahead of time. So that was great and I got to add this layer. She knew her time was up in terms of being a stunt double, because her body just couldn’t take it anymore. And she started to look around going, “I could do this. I know how to write. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I can do it as well as any of these people.” Or at least she was going to try.
Sazz is pure of heart and guileless. She doesn’t see the negative parts of people right away and she took him under her wing and then he betrayed her so badly. That’s something you don’t do in Sazz’s code of ethics. You don’t betray the people who mentored you and who you’re in relationship with in this business. So I think it was a huge betrayal.
Did you want to know who the killer was ahead of time or do you like to be surprised?
I don’t think I had a choice. I think being surprised is probably best. John didn’t tell me who, but I knew that there would be twists and turns, because that’s what he’s so good at. It was really fun to find out along the way. He’d send me a script and go, “You’re going to love this.”
How did you feel about shooting that confrontation scene with Jin Ha?
It’s one of the juicier scenes when she realized she’s been betrayed. She almost doesn’t know how to react because that is not her code of ethics and there’s an innocence to Sazz. It’s a shock that the world can be full of people like Rex. So that was actually really fun to find that disbelief in the betrayal that’s happened. It was a really juicy one to do.
What about the final scene between Sazz and Charles?
It might have been the last scene that I shot. It was bittersweet. But I made the choice that I would let it be hard for him. But for me, I’m just still there for him. There are other scenes where I feel a tug that I’m no longer in this life and that I care about him and there’s kind of a melancholy for Sazz. But in this scene, I decided that I’m going to let him go and that I’m going to be fine with it and let him have the struggle. And yet he’s come to some peace with it too. He comes to peace with the fact that it’s over.
How was it getting to work with Ron Howard on the fictional Project Ronkonkoma film?
I wrote a memoir about 12 years ago called “Happy Accidents” and I revealed my love as a child and huge crush on Ronnie Howard, and it went from “The Andy Griffith Show” through where it really peaked in “Happy Days.” In fact, when I told my mother I was gay, she said, ‘Well what about Ronnie Howard?’ She knew I was so in love with him.
I had actually met him before and that was a big deal. But we had a really good time. I thought he did a great job playing a crankier version of himself, because he is the nicest person in the world. I don’t know that he actually has moments like those in real life. So kudos to him for such good acting. But it was wonderful. I finally got to work on a Ron Howard project.
What’s been your favorite scenes to work on over the course of the season, as well as the series as a whole?
I loved doing the opening scene with Amy Ryan and Steve where we’re introducing the character. I loved flirting with Amy. All I have to do is look at her in the eye and she’s like, ‘Oh.’ I just loved it and it sets up Charles’ jealousy because Sazz does everything better than him.
I just love Amy Ryan. I think she’s just great. We didn’t really know each other, I think we had met in passing, and it just kind of happens on set and was so fun. That scene I got to do when she’s in jail, because she’s a murderer, was just hilarious. I lover her and it turns me on and I break up with her for Charles and I’ve literally just gotten the script and it’s like sides for a television show and I’m trying to get off book. That was a really fun scene.
My favorite scene that comes to mind now in this season is when we’re sitting on the bed and I’m the ghost and Charles says, “You were my very best friend. What am I going to do without you?” I was just so spectacularly moved by that scene. He played it so beautifully. It just broke my heart.
Who breaks the most on set?
Nobody breaks on set, but I broke anytime Marty opened his mouth. I remember the first encounter we had as our characters and he thinks I’m Charles. And then he stops and thinks Charles had work done. And he comes up to me and very slowly touches my face. That was hard. It’s not professional to break, because not only do you ruin it for the take but it’s just not cool. But it was a real struggle to hold on to my cookies whenever I worked with Marty.
We’ve seen previous murder victims show up as ghosts in the show before. Would you ever consider reprising your role in future seasons?
Yes, I’d come back anytime they want me to, if they think it’ll serve what they’re doing. Absolutely, I would love it.
What do you hope Sazz’s legacy will be on the show?
That she was such a good friend to Charles. She sacrificed herself in life and then in death, came back as a ghost and helped him along the way and showed him that he’s loved. I think he has a view of the world that is not as rosy as Sazz’s is. And Sazz wants him to know that “You will never be alone and I will always be there.”
All four seasons of “Only Murders in the Building” are available to stream now on Hulu.
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