Archer is an animated, half-hour comedy that revolves around the spy agency known as the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees.

Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillances is daunting and enigmatic, every covert operation and global crisis are actually unmitigated occasions for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gains, pleasures and prosperity.

Jessica Walter is the voice of Archer's domineering mother and the rapacious CEO of ISIS, 'Malory Archer'.

PCM had a chance to speak with Jessia about Archer, Arrested Development, and her long, amazing career!

Interview

Q: We were interested in hearing about how you initially got involved with Archer.

JW: You know it was funny my agent told me, my voice over agent, I was in New York and she was in L.A., and she said, "I just got some copy here for people to audition for this new animated show that's coming on FX. In the copy it says, the character's name, Malory and it has in parenthesis, think Jessica Walter, Arrested Development." So she said, "Are you interested?" She sent me the whole overview of it and it looked great. The picture actually, of the character it looked so much like me, it was a little scary. I said, "Yes, I'm very interested." So she called, she said, "I represent Jessica Walter," she called the FX people, "and she'd love to do it," and that's how it came about.

Q: Obviously there are similarities between Lucille Bluth and Malory Archer. What attracts you to that kind of character?

JW: I don't know that I'm-well attracted to them because they're juicy characters to play, but I don't know why I always get those roles. I think it's interesting. However, I think it's great because if plain is vanilla ice cream, your basic nice gal, is really boring.

Q: Really since Arrested Development, you've had this resurgent, but like Betty White always says, she never really went away. Do you think Arrested Development really opened some new doors, another side of you?

JW: I definitely do. I had always been working before then, but something about that show I think was a renaissance, as they say, for me and for some other people too. For Jason Bateman, for instance, I think it was totally renaissance for his career. He'd been doing so well, but that part, sort of I think led him into the parts in films that he's doing now.

Q: When reading the script for Archer and the things that you have to say, do you ever think, "Are they really going to let me say this and get it on the air?"

JW: Interesting you should bring that up because just today, I had the recording session for number 12, Episode 12, and I did say that. Adam, he reads the other parts with me by satellite. I said, "Adam, where do you think up these things? Oh, my God." There was only one time I had ever questioned it because we're there to serve the writer.

It's not us, it's the character speaking, but there was one thing I questioned once it was a thing with Jackie Kennedy and little John John saluting at JFK's funeral. They were using that image or something and I did question it and they assured me it was satirical, etc. and I agreed when I finally understood it because I would never do anything against the Kennedy's, ever. But that was the only thing in all these episodes that I've ever questioned.

Q: What makes Malory different from other characters you've played in the past? Specifically, what makes her different from Lucille, I mean besides the whole running as spy agency thing?

JW: Well, first of all, this may sound trite but Lucille would never let her hair go gray. Malory has gray hair. I don't know how comfortable she is about herself, but she let her hair grow gray and that says a lot about a person. They are very similar. They really are very similar. They even sort of dress in a similar fashion, with the suits, but I had nothing to do with that, the little flowers and the broaches on the lapel and the suits.

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