An Interview with India de Beaufort from ‘Night Court’

NIGHT COURT -- "Just the Fax, Dan" Episode 203 -- Pictured: India de Beaufort as Olivia -- (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC/Warner Bros.)

India de Beaufort is an accomplished actor that has consistently shown up on our television screens over the past few years. Currently, she stars as Olivia on the hit NBC series, Night Court, and we had the distinct honor of sitting down with India, to discuss her journey on the show thus far.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know what it means to you, as an actor as a person to be part of a franchise. That is just so iconic.
 
India de Beaufort: Honestly, I grew up in England. So, I do not have the same context or reference to it that people who grew up here do, my husband is American. So, he informed me of how honored I am to be here. But I have since watched the show in its entirety and love it. But it's so fascinating. I'll never be able to know what it was and what it is prior to me getting to discover it for myself.
 
John Betancourt: Then to follow up to that, since you’re stepping into this world with fresh eyes, but an understanding of the gravity of it, does that put any pressure upon you?
 
India de Beaufort: Sure, the thing I think about the most is being mindful and being respectful of cast members who've gone before. So, when Marcia (Warfield) visits or the Wheelers visit, I definitely feel like I'm in their world as opposed to being the other way around. I actually, I went to say welcome to Brent (Spiner) and Annie (O’Donnell) when they were here. And then immediate was like, “Actually, that doesn't make sense… you… should… I -- I'm in your space”. And I'm always curious, I say to them, “How does it feel? Is it a time machine? What's going on in your brain right now? This has to be a trip,” which normally the answer is it very much is. And it's so it's fun to observe... without fully understanding. I can appreciate what's going on around me. And then just make sure that I respect my place in the vast universe that is this beloved legacy of a show.
 
John Betancourt: See now that really is a fascinating perspective to say the least. Now, something I’ve noticed in talking to your cohorts and some of the guest stars is that there’s a real joy that comes with working on this set. What is it you enjoy the most about playing Olivia?
 
India de Beaufort: I love the mischief, I love… I think there's something… it's almost like an emotional release to get to do and say things that I would not say as a person. And it's just kind of fun to be up to mischief and not always be the most likable person in the room. And not always be the most polite or self-aware and get to blurt out random, offensive things. But then somebody yells “cut,” and we'll have a giggle and shake hands. And it’s fun flipping back and forth between the two.
 
John Betancourt: Something that’s been coming up lately in some of my discussions with actors who work on sitcoms, is how the energy of a live audience is helpful. What does that do for you as an actor?
 
India de Beaufort: For me, I think it really just helps us know… is this working? It gives you a gauge, you get an immediate response. So, we shoot the show -- we pre block half the show, pre shoot half the show on a Thursday. And then we shoot the other half of the show live and for the audience on a Friday and I do believe that there's a little bit of extra magic in the scenes that get shot in front of an audience, just by way of them being the sixth series regular, essentially.
 
John Betancourt: Obviously and sadly, only a couple of episodes remain in season two, and I was wondering if you could share what you’re most looking forward to audiences experiencing in the next few weeks?
 
India de Beaufort: The Wheelers. People have been asking for them for so long. I, again I don't have context, I don't have a real sense of what it means but I do know from social media that this is something that a lot of fans of the original have been waiting for. And have you ever met Brent?
 
John Betancourt: I've not met him in person, but I’ve definitely seen him speak live at multiple conventions I’ve been to. But Brent is an actor I definitely grew up with.
 
India de Beaufort: Yeah. Data, Riker, Jean-Luc Picard. Now that is a show we did get, and Deanna Troi for me is probably your Data. But he's awesome. He's really awesome, and he's kind, and he's funny and, and Annie and I actually text now, we stayed in touch. She's so sweet. And it was just… having them on set I think was really just the… probably spiritual week of production for me. And I hope that that comes across on the screen for the old die-hard Night Court fans.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you today. Now that you have an understanding of the show’s legacy, as you’re helping to build and reinforce it, why do you think this saga continues to endure as it does?
 
India de Beaufort: I think mostly from a lot of people trying to respectfully continue it forward. It's not actually a reboot, even though we get called a reboot. It's a continuation of the original. And sometimes I think that works really well. Sometimes it doesn't work as well. I think the greatest part, the greatest ingredient to it being successful is that everybody on board, ego doesn't get in the way, you know, the first thing that you do is to respect what is existing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Of course, there's some things you're going to need to update for 2024, inevitably, but the general gist of what we're trying to do is give you a place to escape make you laugh, make television you can watch with your family, you know, this is not a soapbox TV show. This is a forget about it all for a little while, kind of TV show. And so come giggle with us. We know what we're hoping that you take away from it. And, well along the way, hopefully you fall in love with these new characters, while still having the familiarity of John Larroquette and Marsha Warfield and that you'll stick around week to week and we can start to form new bonds with you as we make our way along.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
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