April 23, 2013
Megyn Price has been playing Audrey Bingham on the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement for seven seasons, and in the show's seventh-season episode "Timmy Quits," she finally got the chance to direct an episode herself. Here she talks about the challenges of making her directorial debut, as well as the future of the show during the seventh season and potentially beyond.

Was directing something that you always wanted to do?

Yeah. I’ve directed theater stuff before, and a couple little film things, but I had never directed multi-camera television, and it seemed like it was about time. I’ve been doing multi-camera television since 1842. I’ve always kind of had a more directing eye, because I’m also a writer, so I tend to look at scenes more from the outside than from the inside.

How was the adjustment going from directing theater and film to directing the show?

It was a lot more natural, actually, because it makes so much sense to me, having done so much television. It feels very natural to me, that medium does. It was actually a blast. I kept waiting to feel nervous, and I just didn’t. It just made a lot of sense in my head.

Did you have to prove yourself to the producers in order to get the chance to direct?

I did a ton of work before they said yes. I shadowed just about every television comedy director out there, meaning I literally followed them around their job. Which is pretty much the only way you can learn how to do it, is by someone else being gracious enough to teach you.

And I had worked with so many different television directors who I loved, and I just called them up and scheduled weeks to go follow them. I started watching the cameras a lot more. As an actor, you never watch the cameras. But I started really just paying more attention. I’ve shadowed directors for about a year and a half, actually.

Was there any director in particular who was a valuable mentor for you?

There were two in particular, and I have to say, they’re two totally different styles. Mark Cendrowski, who directs The Big Bang Theory -- he really is like a directing teacher. He was so kind and so incredibly supportive of me and would just tell me step by step what he was doing, which was really helpful. And then I think my favorite of all time, who I have worked with numerous times, is Andy Ackerman, who directed Seinfeld. He’s a legend. And his style is to be totally silent. So you just kind of watch him -- you watch the rhythm and the flow of what he does. It’s beautiful. Andy really knows how to tell a story. Everything really serves the story and the joke.

Was there any awkwardness directing your co-stars?

Not at all, and that’s what’s so funny to me. A lot of people have asked me that question, and the truth is I think I didn’t really think about it beforehand. The only thing that was really different for me was I gained new sensitivity for how fragile actors are. Because when you’re one of them, you don’t really think about it. I just kind of shut up and do my job, and I certainly don’t think, “Oh, I wonder if he’s unsure of how he’s going to play that line.” It’s not really my job to worry about it. And as a director, I really felt very protective of them, of all the actors. I just really wanted to protect them and make sure that I staged things in a way that would make sense to them, so that they wouldn’t have to make some strange move that didn’t feel natural. I think I was very sensitive to them. But I have to say, my cast, they brought their A-game. From minute one they were so great and so supportive.