‘Rooster’ Stars Charly Clive And Steve Carell Unpack Working With Connie Britton In Episode 5: “I Can’t Imagine Anyone Else Playing That Part”

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for Episode 5 of HBO Max‘s Rooster.

The fifth episode of Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses’ HBO Max comedy Rooster adds a new character to the mix of college campus chaos, completing the Russo family dynamic.

In “Mr. Razzles,” Connie Britton’s Elizabeth Stoddard visits Ludlow College to give a speech to open the new student center named after her and to discuss her Green Initiative, which aims to save energy by turning lights off at an automatic time every day in campus buildings.

“Connie’s fabulous. When she’s on set, everybody, I think, feels a bit more, whatever the word for [jazz hands-like gesture] is,” Clive says. “She’s, very, very funny. She’s funny in real life. And everything she says that’s scripted is brilliant, but it comes from this real, reality, place. She plays the character with such authority. She’s so grounded, and she’s so dropped in.”

Stoddard, who Greg (Carell) somewhat affectionately calls Beth, is his ex-wife and Katie’s (Clive) mother. She also graduated from Ludlow College in 1989.

“She’s quite a stern, but very hilarious character, and she adds this real authoritarian energy,” Clive adds. “All the characters that respond to Elizabeth — her character — everybody wants to be her, wants to be with her, is scared of her. It was so exciting working with her.”

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Even John C. McGinley’s character Walt, current President of Ludlow, is worried that Elizabeth’s out for his job. She bonds with Professor Dylan Shepherd (Danielle Deadwyler) over Dylan’s temporary position as Dean of Faculty and all but declares her intentions when she asks Walt if it would be nice to have a woman in his office one day.

“It’s such a great dynamic for us when she’s a part of this, because she’s a character that is self-aware enough to recognize her flaws, which is, I think, a very difficult thing to play, and I don’t know how she does it,” Carell adds. “I can’t imagine anyone else playing that part, because she’s charming, but she’s also super tough and incredibly appealing, but off-putting at the same time.”

Barbs come out from Greg in a “family fun time scene” when Katie and her parents are together with Dylan. The scene is equally as illuminating for Greg as it is for Elizabeth and the history of their relationship.

“I don’t know how she threads the needle that way, but it’s a very complex character, and very likable, ultimately,” Carell adds. “She’s great, and to Bill and Matt’s credit, a really well-written character as well.”

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Britton has previously worked with Rooster co-creator Bill Lawrence on Spin City.