Pasadena, CA — Lauren Ash was seemingly groomed as a teenager for her role as a worker at Cloud 9, the fictional big box store in the NBC sitcomSuperstore.
“My first job was at Zellers in Belleville!” exclaims the Ontario native after learning that her interviewer is Canadian. “It’s weird that my first job was in a store like this. And 15 years later I’m playing a character on American television who works there.”
Zellers, of course, was that under-loved Canadian discount chain that is now just a shadow of its former corporate self. And don’t get Ash started talking about Bi-Way or Bargain Harolds.
The interview with Ash (Super Fun Night) takes place as she walks through the aisles of the enormous Los Angeles set of Superstore, which is supposed to be in St. Louis, Mo. She starts in electronics before making her way down to ladies’ wear. This takes a while because of the size of the store.
The detailed set duplicates just about every generic discount outlet you have ever shopped in. And apparently that means right down to the smell.
“When I first walked into this place it smelled just like Zellers. It’s that smell of packing or something. It’s not bad, just really specific,” says Ash. “I was there for two and a half years. I even got promoted to cash from footwear, which was like a huge deal.”
In Superstore, Ash, 33, plays uptight assistant store manager Dina Fox, along with fellow Canadian Mark McKinney (Kids in the Hall) as the store manager, which makes the fictional management all Canadian.
Ash says that her character may have a romantic plot in upcoming storylines. New episodes for Season 2 start Thursday at 8 p.m. on Global TV.
“The bottom line for Dina is that rules have always been important and she’s sacrificed human relationships. But human interaction is more important to her than she thought it was. She’s not dead inside.”
The cast includes America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) as an employee along with Ben Feldman (Mad Men).
“Improvising with Mark McKinney, my childhood guru, is a dream,” says Ash. “They will warn the directors that we will keep going and won’t stop. I’ve broken down a few times, which I’m not proud of though.”
Ash, an alumni of Toronto’s Second City, says the two Canadians have pledged to keep each other in check in case too many Canadian-isms slip out involuntarily.
“Mark will say Lauren, you “ooted” today and you should never oot. We also have to be careful we don’t say chesterfield and Kraft Dinner.”
Because of her past working at a big-box store, Ash said writers grilled her about her experiences when she first got the job.
“We used to have all sorts of codes in the store. Like if you heard someone say Mr. Coffee, that meant there was a suspected shoplifter in the store,” says Ash. “One storyline that I keep pushing and maybe they’ll do it is based on when someone else got employee of the month at Zellers. I was so jealous. It’s all about working so hard to get these meaningless awards.”
Living in Los Angeles, and with a bigger bank account than her Belleville, Ont. days, Ash is still not immune to the charms of discount shopping.
“I love Target. We joke that it’s got the highest cover charge in L.A. because you always spend over $100.”
Ash gets a fair amount of fan mail from workers in actual superstores, so when she walks into a Target or Walmart she’s instant royalty.
“They’re like, ‘Are you that Dina person?’ Maybe I should take over the cash,” laughs Ash.
Still, Cloud 9 is no comparison to the store she started at.
“What I really miss are Club Z brand ketchup chips. That was the Zellers brand. Something about those slightly stale, slightly gross, but kind of delicious chips that remind me of home.”
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