NEED TO KNOW
-
On Thursday, June 12, the cast of Best In Show gathered in New York City to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary
-
Speaking with PEOPLE at the event, Jane Lynch recalled how nervous she was to take on the role of Christy Cummings
-
Best In Show stars John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock and Michael McKean also appeared at the event
Jane Lynch had a lot of nerves going into filming one of her funniest films.
Speaking with PEOPLE at the Best in Show 25th anniversary screening in New York City on Thursday, June 12, the actress recalls being “nervous” to take on the role of Christy Cummings in the zany parody on dog shows by filmmaker Christopher Guest.
“It was my first Christopher Guest movie, and I had seen Waiting for Guffman, and I loved it. So I knew this would be great, but I was nervous,” she explains.
“I didn’t know if I would be that good of an improviser. I was just scared, so I prepared a lot for the character.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Jane Lynch attends the “Best In Show” 25th Anniversary Screening during the 2025 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Theater on June 12, 2025 in New York City
Luckily, Jennifer Coolidge, who played Sheri Ann Cabot, was “really scared too.”
“We were scared together, so I was really happy to have her with me. We hung out a lot. We were in Vancouver. We walked through Stanley Park together and got to know each other very well. We laughed a lot, and that really helped.”
During the Q&A that accompanied the screening, Lynch discussed the film with Guest, Michael Higgins and Michael Hitchcock in a panel moderated by Stephen Colbert.
“I think Michael Higgins said once it was a preposterous fantasy that we got to do this. And I had been quoting you for years,” Lynch shared.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
Stephen Colbert, Christopher Guest, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock and Michael McKean speak on stage during the “Best In Show” 25th Anniversary Screening
Of her and Coolidge’s preparation, she continued, “We did a lot of talking about our characters and our relationship, and we walked through Stanley Park together. But none of that prepares you for when Chris says, ‘Action,’ and then the camera goes on and it doesn’t stop.”
“There’s no rehearsal,” Guest says, conceding that it’s “Confusing to some people.”
“Typically, in a conventional film, obviously you [rehearse] lines and you do a bunch of takes. This is trusting everything with these artists and saying ‘Action,’ and then we start to shoot.”
Read the original article on People
