ST. LOUIS — Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people lined up to see Ellie Kemper when her book tour brought her to St. Louis.
Her road to success always finds a detour home and it’s in St. Louis, where she’s riding out the pandemic.
“Every day is the same!" she laughed.
Kemper has been staying at a house owned by an out-of-town friend with her husband and two young children.
“Every day is pretty much the same. Naps, diaper changes, meals. Laundry, cleaning and then go to bed exhausted," she said.
The movie she was shooting, like the rest of Hollywood, was shut down in early March. But Kemper’s work is being seen in living rooms all over the country.
Her big break came on NBC's "The Office". Seven years after filming the last episode, it is still one of the top-rated shows on Netflix.
“I think that this resurgence is very cool," said Kemper with a smile. "I’m glad that it’s still reaching so many people. I watched 'The Office' before being cast on it, my whole family did. It always seems comforting in a way.”
Also on Netflix, Kemper stars in the Tina Fey comedy "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", which ended its four-year run last year. But she recently filmed a brand new stand-alone episode where she had to kiss Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter.
“I was pregnant at the time. I felt like poor Daniel Radcliffe," Kemper laughed. “First off all, he is so lovely. I can’t imagine what life is like for him. Every single person on the planet recognizes him. And he is the most gracious, classy man. He was a joy to work with and to make out with!"
Back to that book tour, where Kemper was promoting “My Squirrel Days”, her hilarious collection of essays and anecdotes, including the moment where she accidentally tripped famous historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and then had to see her again a few years later.
“She acted like she remembered me. She probably blacked the whole thing out," Kemper mused.
Like the rest of us, Ellie Kemper has no idea when life will return to normal. She said she's extremely thankful for all our health care workers and first responders. She's also thankful that no matter where she goes, St. Louis will always be home.
“There is a kindness factor in the Midwest," she said. "I don’t know if you see other places. I feel that experience and I feel so grateful to have grown up around kind people.”
You can watch the full interview here:
