21 questions

Lauren Ambrose Tries to Make Everything Personal

Name: Lauren Ambrose
Age: 31
Neighborhood: Brooklyn
Occupation: Actor. She also fronts the band the Leisure Class, “the hardest-relaxing band in show business.” You can catch them this Thursday at Joe’s Pub.

Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Woody Allen.

What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
Soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai.

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
I try to make everything personal.

Would you live here on a $35,000 salary?
Hmmm, not if I had the option to live somewhere else. But where am I going to live? I’m an actor.

What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
I honestly can’t remember — I have been out of town for awhile. It obviously wasn’t particularly memorable.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
On a case-by-case basis.

What’s your drink?
Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

How often do you prepare your own meals?
Every day.

What’s your favorite medication?
Anything by Merck.

What’s hanging above your sofa?
A French poster of an owl and a cat.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
I usually wait to get haircuts for free in makeup and hair trailers, but I don’t know, 50 bucks? I guess I am guilty of having spent too much on a haircut by my own standard.

When’s bedtime?
So late! Two, three! I need someone to come over and put me to bed. I am exhausted.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Really, what do I know from the old Times Square? But I guess I will say old. But really old — like the thirties.

What do you think of Donald Trump?
That he is wicked rich.

What do you hate most about living in New York?
Being surrounded by constant consuming.

Who is your mortal enemy?
I try not to go through the world thinking of people as enemies … but Scott Brown.

When’s the last time you drove a car?
This morning.

How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
The same way it has affected everyone — we are all in it together.

Times, Post, or Daily News?
Times.

Where do you go to be alone?
The woods.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
Knowing a lot of secrets about the city.

Lauren Ambrose Tries to Make Everything Personal