Today’s TV Addict Top 5: Questions with SCRUBS Star Sarah Chalke

Tonight on ABC, actress Sarah Chalke will trade in her scrubs and stethoscope for Santa when she lends her voice to PREP & LANDING, a computer-animated Christmas special (spearheaded by Pixar genius John Lasseter) that has her voicing Magee, the ultra-efficient North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator (NPCECCC for short!). And here to preview what we’re sure ABC hopes will become an annual cash cow holiday tradition is Chalke herself, who was kind enough to take some time to talk about what it was like voicing an animated elf, in addition to of course answering some very pressing SCRUBS-related questions.

On last week’s SCRUBS season premiere, your belly spoke volumes, but your character, well, not so much. When will Elliott be returning to Sacred Heart and when she does, will her focus be more-so on J.D. or medicine?
Although my belly was in [last week’s] episode more than me, I’m signed on for four episodes and when I do return Elliott will get to be involved with both J.D. and the hospital. Which is great, because the new cast is fantastic. SCRUBS was the best job I’ve ever had by far and after-season-after-season of “Oh God it’s Over!” it’s really kind of cool that the show gets to live on.

Are J.D. and Elliott having a boy or a girl and do you have any names picked out?
For Elliott and J.D. it’s a girl, for me it’s a boy [Chalke’s real-life pregnancy was written into the show.] In terms of names, nothing has been picked out for both Elliott or myself, which is a problem because the [real-life] baby is coming in a few weeks and is due on Christmas. Although I feel like it would be very-J.D-like to choose “JD Jr.” even though personally I’m very anti-junior!

Tonight will mark what I believe is your first foray into voice-over acting. What, aside from the ability to show up to work in sweatpants was the attraction?
Voice acting was really just so fun and different. I got to come in about three different days and simply record the dialogue line-by-line. You get to try a ton of different ways in which to read the lines while the animators and directors — who have been working on this project for two years — show you all these incredible storyboards. Plus, getting to see your nieces and nephews come down from Canada to watch the premiere and then quote lines was so much fun.

The special is produced by Pixar’s John Lasseter. What was it like getting to meet the genius behind so many of my favorite animated films?
John Lasseter is so ridiculously talented and some of his movies are my favorite movies of all time. I still can’t even believe the first ten minutes of UP. I laughed, I cried, it was unbelievable.

Any chance this special is a stepping stone to a role in a big screen Pixar adventure?
From your mouth to YaYa’s ears! I would love nothing more.

PREP & LANDING airs on Tuesday December 8th at 8:30PM on ABC (December 10th at 8PM on CTV in Canada)