If she’s not getting a little out there at 87, Cloris Leachman is doing a pretty good creating that public persona.
She made a splash at press tour Monday, hijacking the panel for her new sitcom “Raising Hope,” in which she plays a smallish part as a dotty great-grandmother, by acting a little dotty herself.
Those who caught her wildwoman act on “Dancing with the Stars” a couple of seasons back know the drill: Outlandish, unpredictable and often surprisingly physical action.
She started the day making people move her chair mid-press conference and dissing Betty White and ended the day at the Fox party strapped into one of those bungee-jumping-on-a-trampoline attractions.
From the start, she was interrupting the first question to creator Greg Garcia, “I can answer that question! I’m teasing.” And when too many questions went to Garcia, who had previously created “My Name is Earl,” she complained: “You’re asking him all the questions! That’s not nice.”
When someone did address her directly with a question for Cloris Leachman, she piped: She left. She had lunch first. Then she left.”
Then she made the guy stand up and say his name first. Then she moved her chair.
“This is why I told the studio we need 14 hours a day to shoot,” Garcia said.
When someone asked if she was in competition with Betty White for AARP It Girl, she sniped: “I am so sick of Betty White! Never liked her.”
When Martha Plimpton spoke of being attracted to the project because of Garcia, she asked: “Did you flash him?”
“Oh God, Cloris, must you ask that now?” Plimpton said.
“Did you?”
“That’s Makeup trailer talk.”
“I’m sorry. I thought I was in makeup.”
“Raising Hope” starts on Sept. 21 on Fox.