Jane Lynch on Her ‘OMITB’ Future After Fate Season 4 Finale

(This story contains major spoilers from the Only murders in the building season four finale.)

Only murders in the building has said goodbye to his beloved, favorite character, Sazz Pataki, played by Jane Lynch, with the season four finale revealing how she died (sadly, she didn’t fake her death as some fans might have hoped).

When Charles’ (Steve Martin) longtime stunt double and best friend, Sazz, was shot in his kitchen at the end of season three, there were countless questions about who did it, why they did it and, were they actually targeting Charles?

Now, at the end of season four, all of these questions have been answered: Marshall P. Pope/Rex Bailey (Jin Ha), aka Sazz’s prized stuntman mentee, killed her because he wanted to pawn her off. Only murders in the building film as his, and she wouldn’t let him do that.

For someone like Sazz, who lived her life devoted to her friends, “the betrayal of what Marshall does is so against (character) that it shocks her because she doesn’t see the world that way. You don’t betray the people who help you,” says Lynch The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s such an earthquake for her psyche.”

Despite her character’s death, the cheerfulness And Wonderful Mrs. Maisel The star was grateful to be able to further explore Sazz’s life in flashbacks throughout the season, including seeing her in action on set as a stunt person and pursuing her dream of opening a trampoline park in New Jersey to express her and father’s love for stunts to share with the world. Above all, she loved to play out her complete devotion to Charles.

Lynch had several conversations with showrunner John Hoffman about Sazz and Charles’ friendship, and “he gave me the idea that the relationship would be revealed as a very deep relationship, and one that would surprise Charles with how much Sazz sacrificed himself for him – not only in death, but in life – and how she took him very seriously as her number 1.”

Below in a spoiler chat with THRLynch reveals how she felt when she first found out she would be the season four victim, talks to Martin about their emotional scenes and shares whether she would be open to returning in some capacity in season five to return to the show.

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I spoke to John Hoffman last year when it was revealed that Sazz would be the victim of season four, and he said he approached you about it and you loved the whole storyline. What was going through your mind at that moment?

I felt honored and I also knew that I would be working more, because I usually only do two or three episodes of the season, if that much. I knew that even if I wasn’t in an episode, they would be talking about me. And sometimes it’s just as important as actually being there. So I found it very exciting to be the victim of the murder.

That’s a sentence you don’t hear often.

(Laughs) I know.

Were you disappointed at all by the idea that your time on the show would come to an end after season four?

I guess that was there, but it wasn’t the most important thing. I kind of live in the moment, and I have whatever job I have. Very rarely do I think, “Oh, I hope this turns into something bigger.” But that was pretty big on this particular show, to become the murder victim.

Have you had any conversations with John about Sazz’s storyline and how this would all play out?

Just a little bit. He told me I was the murder victim. He didn’t tell me how that would happen, or the twists in the season. But he said little things like, “Oh, you’re going to love this. It’s a very beautiful scene between you and Charles. He gave me the idea that the relationship would be revealed as a very deep one, and one that would surprise Charles at how much Sazz sacrificed herself for him – not just in death, but in life – and how she took him very seriously. be her number 1. In her code of ethics, and also in the stunt world, as we discover, there is this little subculture: your number 1 is everything. You protect them. And for her, it also extended to life, not just on set.

I’m happy with you brought that because it was so sweet to see Sazz and Charles’ relationship in a new light, with him hallucinating her and in flashbacks to the time they worked together. What was it like playing those scenes with Steve Martin?

It was just wonderful, everything about this season. And of course the other seasons too. We both enjoyed the depth we were able to reach in this relationship. I love the scene where I’m sitting on the end of the bed with him, and I’m a ghost right now, and he says, ‘You’re my very best friend. What will I do without you?” I loved that, and before that we detailed what Sazz did for him: she gave him friends. He was completely alone. And I think Charles felt that, that he is alone in this world, especially then, and that they filled his life with friends, people who cared about him. He played poker with us. Until then he had lunch alone. So by the end of the season he was very grateful to her.

In the finale, Mabel (Selena Gomez) tells us that Sazz wrote a love letter to Charles with her Only Murders movie script. Do you agree?

Oh yes. She needed a way to stay in the business, because she was pretty beat up, and she’d been on sets long enough to know how this writing thing worked, and she got so inspired. It’s all in that script; the connection with him and how much she cared about him. I love that she said it was a love letter to him.

Next to see another side of it Sazz and Charles’ relationship, we also got to see more of Sazz’s life outside of Charles. How did that fill in the blanks for you?

It was great because – and obviously the writers see her that way too – she embraced life. She embraced her role as his stunt person, that he was her number 1. When I had to walk around the set like I owned it – jumping into that car – everything I did as Sazz had a style and a precision to it and she just loved that. She just enjoyed that.

Did you know immediately who Sazz’s killer would be, or did you find out later?

I found out later. All the twists and turns of the season’s mystery were all revealed to me as we received each script.

When you first heard that your character would be the victim. Did you have any idea who would want to kill Sazz and whether the killer was actually aiming for Charles?

I had no idea because I couldn’t see (Martin Short) or Selena (Gomez) doing it. So I didn’t know. I knew it was going to be wide open, and then he started adding all these characters, like the tenants on the west side of the building. I thought, “Oh, maybe one of them.” And then this story makes you believe it might be one of them. So it’s something very interesting.

How did you feel when you heard that all these big actors wanted to be in the show that you were such a crucial part of?

It was really exciting. I shot with all of them in one day, with Zach (Galifianakis) and Eugene (Levy) and Molly (Shannon) and Eva Longoria. So we got to say hello and stuff. It was really nice to see them. Of course I didn’t work with them, but I just loved it. And they were hilarious. I love the scene on social media that the show posted of Molly Shannon drunk. I call it her “contempt for actors” scene. It’s so funny, and then she farted at Meryl Streep. Come on!

Comedy gold.

They are national treasures: Molly and Meryl.

Returning to the finale, it’s tragic to think about how Sazz’s prized mentee ultimately became her downfall. What were your thoughts when you came across that?

The way Sazz goes through life is that you are devoted to your friends, just as she is devoted to Charles. The betrayal of what Marshall does is so out of character for her, it shocks her because she doesn’t see the world that way. You don’t betray the people who help you. You don’t betray anyone. So playing that scene where I realized he stole my script and said it was his own, it’s such an earthquake for her psyche. That was a really juicy, juicy scene to play.

So Sazz is dead in the show. But Paul Rudd came back in season four (as new character Glen Stubbins) after his death in season three. Do you have any hope of returning for the already renewed season five?

Oh, if they want me, I’ll do what they want me to do. I can play myself as a ghost as long as the show goes on. I would love it.

What are some of your fondest memories of the show, behind the scenes or on screen?

Sitting in our cast chairs and just chatting with Selena, Marty, Steve and the variety of actors who have come in and out. It’s almost like being at a dinner party with really smart, shiny people who are funny and nice. We talked about everything. It was a wonderful place to be; so pleasant and embracing, and so very cold. This starts from the top down, both John Hoffman and Steve (Martin), they set the tone, and it’s such a beautiful tone. It’s such a chill show and the crew is just great. Everyone is nice. A nice group of people.

The season four finale reveals that Lester (Teddy Coluca) is the victim of season five and that Téa Leoni will be involved to some extent. Do you know anything about the next episode that you can tease?

Nooooo. I don’t know anything. I barely knew anything about mine. (Laughs) But I’m sure it will be very interesting and exciting.

Are you going to watch?

Oh yes, absolutely!

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Only murders in the building season four is now streaming the full season on Hulu. Read THR’s interview with showrunner John Hoffman about the season four finale, and analysis of the season five murder.