Vanessa Lachey Calls 'Dads' Role 'Ultimate, Ultimate Job'
Vanessa Lachey (nee Minnillo) had Ben Lyons shaking in his boots. Why? Because "The Sidebar" host was worried that the beautiful and charming actress could steal his job right there on the spot! It's not unthinkable; she was an "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent and hosted MTV's "Total Request Live." But, for now, he's in the clear, because she has a big project on her plate: Fox's controversial new comedy "Dads."
[Related: 'Dads' Turns Down Asian-American Group's Request to Reshoot Pilot]
How does Lachey — who is, of course, married to Nick Lachey — feel about landing the role of Camilla on the Seth MacFarlane-backed sitcom? "I don't know," she said. " They must have been desperate. I think they went through everybody else in Hollywood." Talk about humble.
But, in seriousness, Lachey couldn't say enough about the all-star cast and honing her craft on the multicamera series. "I really have to check myself every day I'm on set, because I look around and I see Seth Green; you could go on and on about his projects. I've got Martin Mull giving me comedic timing tips. I've got Giovanni Ribisi helping me with our chemistry and our scenes. And I'm like, this is the ultimate, ultimate job."
The cast of "Dads" dishes on the comedy:
What about the move from TV personality to actress? "It's hard to transition. I was lucky," she said before knocking on wood.
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But she finds comfort in the fact that her character isn't that different from her real life: "She's the spicy wife, and she's the mother, and she speaks her mind. There's a lot of parallels in my life." (The Lacheys just celebrated their son Camden's first birthday on Sept. 12.)
So how's motherhood treating the 32-year-old? So good, she nearly shed some happy tears talking about her little boy. "He grabbed my face with both of his hands, and just leaned in to kiss me, and he said, 'Mama,'" she shared, adding that hubby Nick even had to comfort her in the emotional moment.
It's clear that her life is pretty good, but is it perfect? According to Lachey, it really is: "I'm happy. Like, 10 years ago, if someone asked me, 'What would be your perfect life 10 years from now? And let's put it in a capsule and open it up in 2013,' it would be this."
[Related: Vanessa Lachey Clarifies: I Had 'Baby Blues,' Not Postpartum Depression]
Fun fact: Her greatest moment from her "ET" and "TRL" days (by the way, she worked both jobs at the same time) was interviewing music industry guru Clive Davis and musician Barry Manilow for "ET." She got to witness Davis and Manilow discuss Manilow's iconic hit "Mandy." Apparently it was supposed to be fast-paced. Who knew?
"Dads" premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
