The Big Ask with Beth Behrs Beth Behrs stars in Two Broke Girls which shoots in front of a live audience. Picture: Channel 9 Source: National Features BETH Behrs is the perfect fit for her role as Brooklyn waitress Caroline in sitcom 2 Broke Girls. Before winning the part, the classically-trained singer and top soccer player made ends meet by doing bit parts in TV shows, working as a nanny, pouring beers in a bar and waiting tables. What do you think about people who work in that trade (waitressing)? I was working as a nanny Monday through Friday, and then Saturday and Sunday I was at a theatre in LA, working bar. And then I worked at Chili's, which is an American chain. The restaurant industry is really hard. I don't think I was cut out for it. Being a waiter, you have so many things to do in the restaurant and so much to cover and you have to make sure everyone's happy. Obviously, when I'm acting, I have someone handing me plates. I dropped all the plates in the pilot, so now they never give me plates on my arms any more because I couldn't do it. I guess our diner (in the show) doesn't have the budget for those nice trays. This sitcom didn't just fall in your lap. Your life suddenly changed so much. I would go from job to job. I did some guest stars and I did some films, but I would always have to come back to my day job because I wasn't making enough money to support myself. And I did commercials, all those things to try to make money on the side. And I was lucky I had a nanny boss who was so supportive of my career. If I called her and said 'I have an audition', she'd be like, 'It's okay, I'll pick up the kids and you can go'. So when you have a day off now, how's your life compared to then? The days off are much less. But to be honest, Kat (Dennings) and I just like to rest on our days off. We don't get to spend a lot of time outdoors because we're in a studio most of the week. So I like to hike or go for a run outside. Do you drag Kat on these hikes? It's funny. Kat and I and our boyfriends travelled overseas last year, and I didn't have to drag her out then. We (Behrs and Dennings) did a photo shoot in Milan, then went to Paris. We had the best trip. And our boyfriends are really good friends too. It all worked out. Kat and I didn't know each other before but have become so close. The show pushes boundaries. Do you ever get shocked when you read the scripts? Oh, of course. We shoot in front of a live audience, but we also are changing our jokes every take. Well, not us, but the writers are. So there might be a really shocking joke that I've never heard before and I have to just say it out loud in front of the audience. And those are usually the takes they use because it's so real. I'm definitely similar to Caroline. I mean, I'm definitely a glass half full type of person, and Caroline's the eternal optimist. And I can definitely relate to her drive and business smarts. I've been wanting to be an actress since I was like three or four years old, so I relate to her kind of motivation to have her dream come true. 2 Broke Girls, Channel 9, Tuesday, 9pm