Going up… to heaven?
Drained of spirit and likely soon of blood she muttered, Theyre not going to find me.
Im just going to freakin die here… God!
Credit: FOX
Id give anything to see those… freakin idiots right now.
So…. is Gail still no longer one of the last people on Earth?
Did we just lose another big chunk of the remaining population in this post-apocalyptic world?
If the last fall finale for the show is any indication, things are not looking good.
(R.I.P., Other Phil.)
Then again, is anything a good indication for anything else onLast Man on Earth?
(It is not.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Its good to hear your voice.
You sound…alive?
MARY STEENBURGEN:(Laughs) Mary is alive.
So Im going to be careful about Gails fate.
Nothing surprises me on this show.
You tried very hard.
I tried so hard.
(laughs) This is so hard to talk about.
Let me ask this: What did you think of everything in the elevator leading up to that moment?
We have wonderful scripts and they work really hard on them.
We dont say how he died, but he didnt die in the virus.
And they loved that.
Theres nothing formulaic about it.
Theres just nothing like it.
They say, Were going to stick you in an elevator for a couple of episodes.
What was your first reaction?
(Laughs) That this is bad news for a pretty severely claustrophobic person.
My claustrophobia has a little bit to do with closed spaces.
I have a true problem with it, so I was nervous about it.
But, yeah, that was a hard one for me.
That and being the edge of cliffs.
Anything you might say about how he did die?
Is that something that you worked out in your head?Yeah, thats my secret.
I worked that out a long time ago, and I havent even shared that with the writers.
Or any of the cast.
But it definitely affected everything, but particularly those scenes in the elevator.
Of course, we never saw Gail shoot herself.
It was just heavily implied.
(laughs) Yeah, I dont know what to tell you.
Do you have your stock answer figured out for fans on the street?
They dont have to wait that long, do they?
Itll come back in the spring, so it might be a few months.
I guess Ill have to just be even more reclusive than I already am.
Now it will be a good excuse as opposed to just being pathetic.
(laughs)
What did you think of the way this story line resolves in the spring premiere?
I loved what they did, and I loved the integrity of the show.
I mean, we still celebrate Boris and that character.
I think that theres going to be so many cool surprises in the second half of this season.
I know there are.
Theres really fantastic stuff coming up.
Of course, you could be dead and still come back to film a flashback.
Or maybe you shot another episode in which you are a corpse they discover.
How many more episodes have you filmed for the show?
(Laughs) I cant say.
In this episode, we met a catfish that Carol names Gail.
How are you feeling about a catfish possibly replacing you?Are you cool with that?
But there is something kind of cool about a catfish.
I mean, Im Southern, I relate to them as Southern beings.
So maybe its not so bad.
She all but drove Gail away, as Todd told her.
Should we be worried about her?
Its a show that deals with both redemption and loss constantly.
Certainly Tandy had those things with his brother, too.
I mean, it was his brother who shaved off his hair and beard and eyebrows.
And now and then, you see the effects of their past lives on their present lives.
And I do love just the thought that these people have all seen a tremendous amount of death.
They dont talk about it very often at all.
They love fiercely again as opposed to being robotic or being detached.
If Gail is alive, will this give her a new lease on life?
She says incredulously to herself, Id give anything to see those freakin idiots right now.
(laughs) Yeah.
I could see it giving her an appreciation for things.
Yeah, it could go either way.
I know you have to go, but I have a couple more questions if thats okay.
Youd be amazed at how much I dont have to get going.
Youre good at accordion by the way.
Love in a Elevator by Aerosmith is not something that comes easily to the accordion.
Is that why she appeared to resort to such a drastic measure?
Was it also because what you said about her son too?
Do I have control or do I give up control and have hope?
Theres only one bullet, so once thats gone, then thats it.
You have to have hope for as long as youre alive there.
Its the final ability to make a choice.
Any hints about another story line the mental decline health of Melissa?
Its a really dark story.
I think shes doing such a good job of it.
I dont know if it completely resolves itself right away, but I think it becomes even more fascinating.
I will say that.
Just as hope is whats fueling him.
I love that whole drive of he and Tandy going back to his house.
All of that just was very moving, and hes just a wonderful actor.
Any final thoughts to leave people hanging on?
Anything you say could have meaning as people wait for months.
Well, if you love this show, you will not be let down by it.
I really, really mean that.
So I dont think theyll be disappointed.
And if you do come back, are you willing to pledge that youll play more accordion?
If I come back, Ill play more accordion.
