5 Questions with Suburgatory’s Jeremy Sisto (Yes, We Talked Elton and Clueless!)

****Ok, who didn’t want to be Cher Horowitz when Elton reached up from behind her in class and gave her the most adorable, oh-I-wish-I-was-her bear hug? Please tell me one of you did, because that is the moment I remember completely falling for Jeremy Sisto.

Talk about charismatic. So while it’s definitely surprising that it has taken 16 years for Jeremy to grace the big (or small screen) in a comedic role, we’re so happy he’s back where he belongs (in our opinion!), in the role of concerned, yet lovable dad George Altman on ABC’s* Suburgatory*.

I caught up with Elton (sorry, sorry! Jeremy!) to talk Clueless, “Rolling with the Homies,” and life on the Suburgatory set!

Glamour: All of the girls in the Glamour office LOVE Clueless. So, I have to ask, how often do people approach you wanting to talk about the film?

[The ones that do] are usually between the ages of 27 and 31. They are people that were 10-14 or so when it first game out. It was a generational movie for those kids, and so now that they are adults, it’s a weird thing to be a part of a film that was in somebody’s childhood. For me it was like The Breakfast Club. If I had met Judd Nelson in my late twenties, I would have been pretty enamored!

Glamour: So if I were to ask you to do “Rolling with the Homies,” would you do it?

[laughs] Yeah, I’ll do it now. There was a long time before Six Feet Under when I really wasn’t sure, because most actors who are young like that aren’t able to transfer a career over to then being an adult. If I had. . . it would have felt like people were acknowledging that I failed in my efforts at maintaining a career. [laughs] But as soon as I joined Six Feet Under, I felt like I was finally doing something again that the fans really loved, and I could stop being afraid of Clueless fans! [laughs] So now I’d say of course I’ll do the “Rolling with the Homies” thing! [Note: For all you fans, as soon as he said that, it was like, yep, Elton’s back!’ Sounded exactly the same!]

Glamour: I gotta know—how much do you think your on-screen daughter, Jane Levy, looks like Emma Stone?

I think a lot of that is the red hair thing. Jane is actually blonde, and I think Emma is actually a different hair color too. Jane dyed her hair I think for Shameless, and they liked it for this. Plus, the show has a similar premise to Easy A. There’s a quality of that show that I definitely think inspires this show. They are both really unique, good characters, actresses and people. I think it’s the red hair that ties them together, as well as their intelligence. When you watch them on screen, you feel and see an intelligence that is beyond their years.

Glamour: Your co-star, Cheryl Hines, is absolutely hilarious as the over-the-top, Dallas. How do you not crack up in every scene you guys share together?

It’s because she’s so good at what she does because in this role she’s ridiculous, and sometimes it is impossible. In scenes, George finds her funny, so it’s not like I’m trying to hide my reaction to her. That’s what is brilliant about the way she plays it. You get the sense that she’s in on the joke as a character. As superficial and as ridiculous as Dallas is, you’re able to just fall in love with her, and George is too. They have a really, really unique relationship and I’m really excited to see where it goes over the show’s run.

Glamour: You have a young daughter. Do you think you’ll be much different from George when she’s Tessa’s age?

I really don’t know. I knew I was going to love my daughter, but I had no idea how much I would love her. [Altogether now, awwwww.’] It’s hard for me to predict. When she was in bed last night, I went to give her a snuggle and she told me to go away!’ It was just heart-breaking! [laughs] She’s two and a half. When you have kids, you just love them. It’s similar to when you’re in love with someone. You just think they are so cool and want to be around them all the time, but what if she starts being embarrassed and only giving me charity visits? I want her to actually want to see me, so that’s what I’m going for!

__Suburgatory returns with an all-new episode tonight on ABC (8:30/7:30), called “Sex and the Suburbs.” __

__In the meantime, how much do you love seeing Jeremy back in a comedy role every week? And who else is obsessed with him from Clueless as much as I am?

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More Suburgatory News:

Let’s Talk About Actors Who Are Nothing Like Their Characters (Cheryl Hines, anyone?)

Alicia Silverstone and Jeremy Sisto to Reunite? Yes Please!

Photo: Eric McCandless/ABC

Photo: Ron Tom/ABC

Photo: Paramount/Everett Collection