She may be best known for her role as Amy Santiago in the hit series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but when Melissa Fumero read the script for NBC’s Grosse Pointe Garden Society, she knew this was the role. The suburban melodrama—think Desperate Housewives meets Dead to Me—is scandalous, suspenseful and shrouded in secrecy, and Fumero is a clear standout, receiving glowing reviews for her portrayal of Birdie.
As the show prepares to release its remaining first-season episodes this May, it’s also faced with a bit of uncertainty regarding a sophomore season, and no one is supporting its continuation more than Fumero, who calls it a “dream job.” In between going to bat for the cult-favorite series, the 42-year-old chatted with us about cross-country parenting with her husband, David Fumero, after-shooting skin-care musts and the magic of good storytelling.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society is very special to you and to the fans. There’s really nothing else like it out there right now. How did you feel when you got the call that you got the job?
Oh my gosh, I was so excited. The pilot was pretty much the hot pilot in town. It felt like everyone knew about it, and everyone was talking about it. I flew through the script, and I knew I wanted to be part of the show, because I really wanted to know what would happen next and what would happen to this character. I was also a big fan of Bill Krebs and Jenna Bans. I knew I was in very good hands. I knew it was going to be something very different than anything else I’ve done, so that was exciting. I also knew it would be hard and challenging. There were so many things. Getting the call was just incredibly satisfying, validating, exciting and all the things.
What is your day-to-day like when you are filming it?
I don’t know what I did in a past life to get so lucky when it comes to crews and casts. This one has been so special. This cast—Aja Naomi King and AnnaSophia Robb and Ben Rappaport, in particular—have just been more than just scene partners, they’ve been teammates and confidants.
Anytime one of us has a problem or is struggling with something, it’s the four of us coming together to try to figure it out. It’s always us together. I think the four of us have set a nice tone on set that this is a place where people are going to come to work, be kind to each other and have a good time together. When we are at work, we are fully focused on doing good work. It’s just been the loveliest ride.
I’ve never worked in Atlanta before, and we ended up with the most wonderful crew. They all dressed up in costumes on the last day of shooting. On the day that we shot the murder, they all had fake blood on their faces and little graphic horror T-shirts. It was a really fun place to work. They were even placing bets on who the dead body was! It really was such a team effort—and that doesn’t always happen. But it did on this one, and it was lovely.
I know there’s some uncertainty regarding a second season, but what do you hope for next with the show?
I hope we get to do at least another season of this show. I think there’s so much good storytelling to explore and relationships to explore. There’s just so much incredible potential with this one. I really hope we get another season to tell some more. I’m hoping the ride continues. I would be very sad if this was it because it’s such a special group of people. I want to spend more time with them.
How does it work with your family—your husband and kids—when you have to go away to shoot something like this across the country?
It’s challenging. We were very spoiled for almost a decade because Brooklyn Nine-Nine shot in Los Angeles, and we lived really close to the studio. My kids were small. We had a great schedule. I was home for dinner almost every night.
We feel like we’re starting a new chapter where a lot of things are shooting out of town…and Los Angeles is still trying to figure out what it’s going to be. Hopefully, the city comes back with more jobs. I hope we can shoot at home more.
My husband is amazing, and he really held down the fort while I was filming. And he only auditioned for local things—things that were shooting in Los Angeles—which weren’t many. He solo-parented for the majority of five months.
But the family did come to Atlanta for a month, which was great. It was a nice break for everyone just to be together. We figured school stuff out with the kids, which was nice, and that was also validating to know that could be an option in the future. And the kids had a good time! They were more flexible than we thought they would be. Kids are resilient. But it’s going to be a job-by-job thing that we will figure out as we go along.
It sounds like a solid team effort. When you look back on your life and career, that girl who grew up outside of New York and was set on going to NYU when she was a teenager, what would you tell her?
I would probably tell her to protect her confidence, first and foremost. She goes into college pretty confident…but then there are some things along the way that try to knock that confidence out of her. Eventually, that young girl lets that happen, too. I would tell her, at all costs, protect your confidence.
I think everyone can take that one away with them. Since we’re beauty, I have to ask: What are some things that you use when you are on-set or at the end of the day?
I have always been a fan of all things skin care. I grew up in a family of women that forced SPF on me at a very young age. And I thank them very much for that! They were always pushing the, “Wear a hat and put nothing less than 30 on your face!”
For Birdie, it was different because she’s so glam and it was a lot of hair and makeup, which was different and new for me. I had to really up my game to make sure my skin didn’t get too stressed! That was mainly making sure to do a good cleanse at night, sometimes double cleansing. I really love the Drunk Elephant Melting Butter ($39). Farmacy has a similar one also that is really good for taking off everything. I really loved using those two, and then I would cleanse with a gel cleanser or something else after.
I even bought a red-light mask for the first time! I felt like that also helped my skin when it would get a little stressed out. Then, I mainly kept my night routine pretty simple. Sometimes, I’d apply the thicker moisturizers or use a face oil or even do a little bit of slugging to make sure that I was rehydrating everything. I just tried to keep my skin care super clean, super hydrating so I could wake up the next day and it wouldn’t be freaking out when I had 14 more hours of heavy makeup to look forward to.
The same with the hair. I got into scalp treatments and started taking supplements. Actually, Brian, my hairstylist, hooked me up with Nutrafol.
The good stuff.
My hair was shedding a lot with all the styling, and that stopped the shedding. To be honest, this was the most hair and skin stuff I’ve had to do for a role.
And Birdie is a very specific glam look, like you said. Are there any other characters that you’ve played that you really enjoyed doing the glam for, or any that you didn’t enjoy?
I haven’t played that many glammy characters. Actually, interestingly enough, I think before Birdie, my last one was probably Gossip Girl, which was fun. The clothes were very fun. Sometimes, I had to squeeze into some of those outfits because it was sort of like, whatever they had for me, it had to fit!
But everyone else hasn’t had a ton of frill, so getting glam has been fun after all this time. Amy was in and out of the hair and makeup chair in 45 minutes, as opposed to like an hour and a half for Birdie. So, it’s very different, but it’s fun.
Are you into lasers or facials or any derm treatments?
I’m a regular facial person. I have a great facialist here in LA. Her name is Marla Bell Marquez. She actually just started her own business, Bell Skincare, and she’s a wonderful facialist. I try to go once a month. I haven’t dipped into lasers yet, just good skin care, a good derm and a good facialist. I do think the regular facials have made a difference. It’s also a nice little treat for yourself.
What are you excited for this summer, either professionally or personally? Will you get to take some time off?
I’m trying to take some time off. I love summer. I love the break in the routine, and the little bit of chaos of summer is weirdly comforting to me. I’m looking forward to the extra family time. We usually travel back east for part of the summer and spend some time on a boat or fishing or at the beach. I’m hoping to maybe squeeze in a couple of little trips before things get busy again. But I want to get busy again! Here’s to hoping for a second season, and a little bit of vacation!
