Allison Janney is having a big week. The Emmy-winning actress was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, and on Tuesday the New York Times announced Janney’s return to Broadway in a revival of “Six Degrees of Separation.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Janney was awarded the Walk of Fame’s 2,590th star. At the ceremony, she was accompanied by Richard Schiff, her “West Wing” co-star, and Chuck Lorre, creator of “Mom.” Schiff described Janney as “unbreakable, selfless, loyal, loving,” the LA Times writes. Lorre said working with her is “a joy.” “What you should come away from this afternoon knowing, is this is a great lady,” Lorre announced.
“Six Degrees of Separation” will see Janney playing Ouisa Kittredge, a role made famous by Stockard Channing, another of Janney’s “West Wing” co-stars. Channing played Kittredge in the 1990 stage production and the 1993 movie.
The play tells the story of “a young impostor who lies his way into the home, and the lives, of a wealthy Upper East Side family,” the NY Times reports. Janney will act alongside her “Tallulah” co-star John Benjamin Hickey (Broadway’s “The Normal Heart,” “The Big C”).
“I saw Stockard do it onstage, and was amazed that there hadn’t been a revival since then,” Janney told the NY Times. “I jumped right on board.” She described “Six Degrees” as a “lovely multilayered play.”
“Six Degrees of Separation” will be Janney’s fourth turn on Broadway. She has previously acted in “Present Laughter,” “A View From the Bridge,” and “9 to 5.” She received Tony nods for “A View From the Bridge” and “9 to 5.”
Janney is a seven-time Emmy winner. She earned four Emmys from her work as Press Secretary C.J. Cregg on “The West Wing.” She has also been recognized for her work in “Mom” and “Masters of Sex.”
In addition to her work in television and on the stage, Janney has an impressive resumé in film, as well. Her movie credits include “American Beauty,” “Juno,” “Spy,” and “The Girl on the Train.”
The fourth season of “Mom” kicks off October 27 on CBS.
