Lloyd Bishop/NBCAllison Tolman is having a Moment with a capital M. The Fargo star is up for her first Emmy against powerhouses such as Ellen Burstyn, Frances Conroy and Julia Roberts for her work on the FX series. Fargo is one of few credited acting roles (outside of theater) on her resume. The current "It Girl"—she's it, gang—stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers to discuss bowling outings with Billy Bob Thornton and her early commercial work. You see, before you're starring opposite Oscar winners, you have to get your start somewhere.
Tolman told host Seth Meyers that her first gig was a Denny's commercial where she had to look at an omelet. Other work followed, such as the commercials below, including the one about dairy. Yep, she reads an ode to yogurt and it's great.
The topic of conversation quickly turned to her other roles, such as an appearance on Barney and Friends. Tolman's other roles include a gig on Prison Break and in Sordid Lives: The Series, but it's her behind-the-scenes anecdote about Barney falling over that is the most endearing.
"I was like a parent in a Halloween episode, but it was the most surreal experience of my life because you spend three days basically on this set. It's all self-contained and they just have cameras that sort of move around and film the ‘dinosaurs,'" she said. "But my episode had like 50 extras...so it was lots and lots of kids, but in between takes, obviously the actors will take their dinosaur head—they take their teeth out and then take their heads off. To breathe, talk and smoke cigarettes and stuff, but they weren't allowed to do that when the extras were on set...they don't want to ruin their lives."
At one point during her time on the Dallas set of Barney, all the extras were quickly ushered out and Tolman said she turned to see Barney had fallen over on his back and couldn't get up. Crew members had to take out his teeth and remove his head to get him back on his feet.
"Not a lot of people know this, but that's how the dinosaurs went extinct," Meyers quipped.
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)