Beverly Goldberg is who I dreamed of being, and Wendi McLendon-Covey, the woman behind The Goldbergs' Beverly, is equally amazing. While I only wish she was half as loyal to her children on screen, McClendon-Covey was perfectly cast as Barry, Erica and Adam's ultimate suffocator (aka the suffocating mother) on the ABC drama series The show will continue with Season 3 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. McClendon-Covey described her character as the kind of woman who "is on your side when you need something returned." "[Beverly] acts first and then apologizes, but she always acts from a protective standpoint," the actor said. "She will protect her pups, even if they are idiots - and she tells them that."
Although McClendon-Covey doesn't have children of her own, she said of Beverly's parenting: "I wouldn't have been any different. I would have been just as obnoxious because, you know, this all stems from Love." But that doesn't mean her experience as the ultimate mom on "The Goldbergs" impacted her real life. "It was fun to play, but it also made me think, 'Yes, I made the right decision not to have kids. This is so exhausting,'" she said. However, some fans who love the actor's motherly roles on Bridesmaids and The Goldbergs just don't understand that her personal decision not to have children actually has nothing to do with anyone.
I found myself having to justify [not being a parent] to strangers more than I needed to. Beyond my feelings. And there's no way to win with it. If I defend myself and say, "You know, my family planning is my own business," then I sound like a bitch... I think I've reached the point where I no longer care whether I sound like that or not. I just find it a weird instinct to ask someone this question.
However, McClendon-Covey's brash, warm, hilarious on-screen persona reflects her true personality so well that I can almost understand why it's so easy for people to think they know her. (Still, it’s not acceptable to judge anyone’s personal decisions, including whether or not they want to have children.)
Since she's played a mother in two of her most famous productions, I asked McClendon-Covey if she thinks actresses' roles have expanded in film and television. She did say that roles for women have gotten "so much better," especially since she first started working. "I remember when I first started acting, I was like 'Oh my God...these are the choices, huh?' Women have always been the butt of the joke...but that's not the case anymore," she said. Although Bay Foley's signature role on The Goldbergs is her role as a mother, but that doesn't mean that's all the character has to offer.
Well, what I love about Bev and the reason I agreed to do this role in the first place is that she has courage. She's not going to pretend to be perfect, she's not going to pretend to be a good person... She can form her own mob - I think she can form her own mob.
Fans of McLendon-Covey should be very happy about the character's progression, as she admitted that she was once close to giving up acting before landing the role of Deputy Clementine Johnson in Reno 911! . With this absurdist comedy, she had the chance to decide how to play her character because the creators weren't sure what they wanted. Like the confident women she often portrays, McClendon-Covey said: "People think they know what they want, but you show them. I change their minds. You show them something better." ”
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
