Why Gale From Elemental Sounds So Familiar

Wendi McLendon-Covey had a circuitous road to fame, and her career didn't really gain traction until adulthood. "No one in my family expected me to do much," she joked in an appearance on WTF with Marc Maron [35:14], later adding, "Nothing big started happening for me until I was in my 30s, and then life got really good once I was in my 40s." [1:12:08] The actress got her start as a member of Los Angeles' venerated improv troupe the Groundlings. Even after joining the main company, McLendon-Covey still had reservations. "I had just gotten into the Groundlings, but I was also feeling, like, 'Maybe this is never going to happen for me. I don't know. I don't have an agent, I don't have jack squat.'" [1:07:31]

Nevertheless, she auditioned for the role of Deputy Clementine Johnson on "Reno 911!" "I did my interpretation of what a sexy cop in Reno is, and to me, she's someone who thinks she's sexy," McLendon-Covey recalled. "It doesn't matter if she really is. She's not Hollywood sexy. She's just got some swagger .... She's a cop because they've got a dental plan, you know?" [1:08:35]

"Reno 911!" premiered in 2003 and remains one of McLendon-Covey's best-known roles. She reprised the role as the bawdy cop for Season 7 in 2020 and Season 8 in 2022, as well as the mockumentary series' movie specials.