Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 12, 1993 TAG: 9304100186
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JERRY BUCK ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
ACTRESS GOT HER BREAK IN A BATHROOM
Cynthia Stevenson, who plays Bob Newhart's daughter Trisha on the CBS TV series "Bob," was discovered in the ladies room of a Mexican restaurant.Well, to be precise, she was seen by a casting director in a play called "The Ladies Room," which takes place entirely in a restaurant bathroom.
"Jeff Greenberg saw me and cast me in `Cheers' as Norm's secretary," she says. Her portrayal of Doris, a woman in awe of Norm, earned her a call back for an episode devoted to Norm and Doris.
"The producers said they'd love to work with me again," she says. "I thought it was flattering, but you know how that goes. Several years passed. Then I got another call from Jeff Greenberg. He was casting the pilot of `Bob.' I had to read six or seven times - for the producers, for Bob Newhart, for the network."
"Bob" was created by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner and Phoef Sutton, formerly producers of "Cheers."
Stevenson played Tim Robbins' girlfriend in "The Player" and is in the upcoming movie "Watch It," which she describes as a story about relationships in the 1990s.
Her character Trisha in "Bob" is Newhart's first child. She's a grown woman, but seems to have no desire to leave the comfort and protection of the home she shares with her father and her mother, played by Carlene Watkins.
Newhart plays Bob McKay, an artist who's lured back to revive his comic book superhero "Mad Dog." Trisha takes a job as a colorist in the comic book office bullpen after a stint as a "serving wench" at a medieval-style restaurant.
Trisha, she says is "really a sweet, good person. She's very young, and she's lived an incredibly sheltered life. She's trying to find her own life, but she loves to be protected and sheltered.
"Trisha rebels occasionally, but she quickly crumbles. She's not the most strong-willed person."
"Bob" is taking a long break in filming, and Stevenson and her husband, Tom Davies, are taking a vacation to a Caribbean island.
They return this month to film new episodes to run on Mondays in May, rather than the usual Friday time slot. "Bob" got a one-night tryout on Monday before Christmas and improved its ratings tremendously.
Stevenson says she doesn't know what's ahead for Trisha. "They're pretty closemouthed about the way they want to go," she says. "Which is fun because it's a surprise.
"Trisha had a boyfriend, but they get more mileage out of my blubbering and crying, so we broke up. I've dated a man from a rival comic book, and he may come back. Chad, who works in the office, keeps flirting with me."
Stevenson was born in Oakland, Calif., but grew up mostly in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"I started acting in high school because I couldn't find anything else I liked," she says.
"I studied at the University of Victoria, then came to San Francisco, where I studied and worked in the theater. I stayed in the Bay Area because my father was ill, but when he died in 1985 I came to L.A. I was kind of lost when I got here. I didn't know a lot of people, and it took me a while to get on my feet."
The first job she got was in a syndicated series called "Off the Wall." Later she starred in "My Talk Show," which became a kind of cult favorite. In the manner of "Fernwood 2-Night" and "The Larry Sanders Show," it was a made-up talk show with real guests. She played a housewife who ran a television talk show out of her living room.
"We did six shows a week, which was unbelievably hard," she recalls. "We did 65 episodes, but I left after 51. I was exhausted."
She met her husband, an assistant director, on a movie location.They had a whirlwind courtship for seven months before they were married.
"A mutual friend had been trying to set us up and I kept saying no," she says. "Then a few months later we ended up working on the same picture. We fell in love."
Live from Monticello
NBC's "Today Show" will broadcast from Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, on Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth.
The two-hour show will include the University of Virginia's Glee Club performing "Young T.J.," a commissioned work, and selections by the university's Monticello Trio.
"Today" co-anchor Katie Couric will host. The show airs at 7 a.m. on WSLS (Choannel 10).
"Bob" airs 8:30 tonight on WDBJ (Channel 7).