What has Sarah Chalke been doing since “Scrubs”?
—Paul Keenan, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Chalke is back on TV in a new ABC series, “How To Live With Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life),” in a role she says is the closest to her of any part she has played.
“I relate to this more than anything before because I am a mom with a 3-year-old,” says the Ottawa, Canada-born actress, 36, who is now a U.S. citizen and has not moved back home to live with her parents. “I think [motherhood] informs so much of what you do in your life. [My character] Polly wants to be the best mom in the world, but at some point you have to let go of it.”
Chalke cites an example from her own life, where she had no choice but to give up control. A self-proclaimed germaphobe, the actress jokes that she once used “Purell out of a holster” to keep things as clean as possible. But her son Charlie had other ideas.
“You go to all this trouble,” she says, “and then you are in an airport and he is dragging his tongue across a railing.”
In addition to the new series, Chalke also had recurring roles on “How I Met Your Mother” and “Cougar Town” and starred in the short-lived series “Mad Love.”
Known for her fearlessness when it comes to comedy, she says that “Growing up, I was never the most popular kid in the class so there was no pressure to be a certain way. I was always the wacky kid. I had a sister who was always taking care of being safe and in control. I always had that so I could be not.”
