Anne-Marie Johnson on ‘Imposters’ and ‘For the People’ [Exclusive Interview]

With an impressive and extensive background in a variety of comedies and dramas on the television landscape, Anne-Marie Johnson is a very familiar face.

This season, you can find her on Imposters and For the People.

I recently spoke with Anne-Marie Johnson about her role on Imposters, her experience in Shondaland on For the People, and her comedic background.

Up first was a discussion about her latest recurring role on the Bravo series, Imposters.

Johnson said that it was actually through a series of auditions that she landed the role of Gail on Imposters. She highlighted how valuable a supportive network through the auditioning process could be for an actor, saying how much she appreciated feeling that support from the casting director on the Bravo series.

When describing her role as Gail, the therapist that Maddie will be meeting she said “[s]he is professional” and  “empathetic.”

Gail will be helping Maddie figure out her life plans throughout the season.

Though there’s not much she was able to share, as Johnson jokingly said she was sworn to secrecy about her work on not only Imposters but on For the People. She spoke of her time on both series fondly.

Johnson has enjoyed her time in Shondaland as Senator Melora Knox on For the People as well. She noted how timely a story like the one being told on the freshman drama is, considering the state of the legal system, politics, and the setting of the show itself.

“It takes place in the Southern District of New York where quite a bit is happening right now.”

When discussing Senator Knox, Johnson is excited to get to play her, lauding the diversity in character and storytelling in the series. “It’s wonderful,” she said, that she gets to play a strong character that just so happens to be a woman.

“I fashioned Senator Knox’s political savvy on California State Representative Maxine Waters. But portraying Knox’s personal intrigue comes from my imagination and years of watching Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, and Claire Trevor movies,” said Johnson about creating certain aspects of Senator Knox’s persona.

When asked about plans on having Senator Knox returning, Johnson has said that she’s filmed some more but would love a chance to return and take on the role again.

Anne-Marie Johnson’s career spans genres and traces back to her time on In Living Color. She elaborated that she preferred to be called a comedienne but enjoyed doing impersonations on the 90s sketch comedy show. Among them was Mary Tyler Mo and Gloria from All in the Family.

“It was an honor to get to come up with Mary Tyler Mo,” she said.

Johnson noted how groundbreaking Mary Tyler Moore was and how powerful it was to see the story play out as a young woman, which attributes to her impersonation.

When asked if she could work on any TV show, her response brought up a classic primetime name.

“If this were the 1960s, I’d love to have a big guest starring role on Perry Mason,” she laughed.

Among her current “must watch” TV shows are: Insecure, Good Girls, Better Things, Perry Mason, and Baskets. “[Baskets’] Louie Anderson does a powerful job of depicting this woman’s life,” Johnson said.

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Be sure to catch Anne-Marie Johnson on Imposters, airing Thursdays at 10/9c on Bravo and on For the People, airing Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.

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