'Camp' star Rachel Griffiths on the challenges of comedy, gay characters, more

Credit: John Tsiavis/NBC

NBC is attempting to capture the nostalgic power of summer camp in its new comedy series, Camp. The Australian cast is led by Rachel Griffiths as Mack, the director of Little Otter Family Camp. The show takes a humorous look at the coming-of-age tradition of camp, among more serious subjects like terminal illnesses and gambling addiction. The series is surprisingly rich for such a low-stakes bit of summer pablum, but the best element of the show remains Griffiths, whose performance imbues the show with heart and warmth.

The actress took time to discuss the new series, along with the depiction of gay characters on-screen and the transformative quality of summer camp. Check out the full interview below!

On the portrayal of gay couples via the characters of Raffi (Christopher Kirby) and Todd (Adam Garcia):

Rachel Griffiths: Yeah. Adam and Chris. I don't know what to say. I guess, you know, I went to do Six Feet Under back in 2000. And we made that pilot. You know, we were really kind of groundbreaking, I think, about normalizing the gay family member. ... So we did some of the first, I think, TV breakthroughs. And then moving on to Brothers and Sisters, I think we had the first gay wedding on network television. And then now we're in kind of a lighthearted, you know, growing American camp tradition, and there we have the full gay family. And more than anything I think it's just - I can't imagine NBC would have been tossing that idea around or if they would, it wouldn't have just been casual. "Oh yeah, yeah. No, we should definitely have a gay family," back in 2000.

So, you know, I'm really proud to be part of, I guess, a kind of change in attitude towards gay families and gay marriage and also the representation of gay families and gay relationships in a very kind of normalized way. And, you know, I mean I know they still have kind of a sidekick role in these early episodes. But they should certainly become more significant. And some of the issues that children of gay parents face -- particularly the marriage debate that's still out there -- some people are still trying to say that it's not an ideal situation for children to be raised in. To be following the child of that situation and her being such a beautiful girl and her being a good kid, you know how it feels sometimes to be the subject of that prejudice. I think it's great.

On filming on location in her native Australia, and interacting with nature and the outdoor environment:

Rachel Griffiths: Here we have long days in Camp, maybe not as long as we used to for Brothers and Sisters. But I would get to the end of the day and I would never feel this kind of fatigue and bottle exhaustion.

You know, for five years on - being there I would often drive in the dark and then I would come out in the dark and drive home. It was sunrise on the way in on the 101, and sunset on the way home. And you're in these wonderful studio lots in these giant vaults making make believe. And it's absolutely a completely different experience to be outside. A lot of things we tried to make transitional because we could. So you would enter into a world from an outside world, have a scene and then, you know, perhaps exit. And it just was absolutely beautiful to be breathing real air. And everything you interacted with was real. You know, everything you leaned against, every object you held, every door you closed was real. Every prop had a kind of reality to it.

And it was interesting. I guess you don't really realize the energy that you put in as an actor in that studio environment to create reality. And not having to do that was - it was quite a different experience. You could kind of relax and occupy the environment; feel, you know, very much that it was yours and it just kind of affected everything, your level and your pitch. And you would be really reaching across actors in time and space, walking and talking.

So it really - it was very different, and a great pleasure. I love being outside. It's my favorite place to be. I'm a real water girl. So, yeah, it was stunning. It was just a stunning place to shoot. It's got to be one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

On getting to tackle comedy again after a long period of dramatic roles:

Rachel Griffiths: You know, two things. It was kind of terrifying for sure but also, you know, a real pleasure and kind of - I don't know, it met where I wanted to be in my life right now, you know? It was kind of a return - you know, Muriel's Wedding definitely had the kind of dramedy tone. And it was kind of lighter, you know, definitely lighter, hilarious moments.

So it was a bit of a return to that, but I do love lighter shows. I was the biggest Ally McBeal fan. I'd learn a lot from Calista [Flockhart]. She would definitely take the drama when it was there but, really, she has quite a unique way of keeping it kind of light and fluffy when that's really all that's called for. ... I think the last few years I tended to turn left always and not necessarily feel as confident to turn right. So I felt they took a risk on me here because, when I first went in to meet [with NBC], they're like, "You haven't really done this." I could kind of see on [series co-creator Peter Elkoff]'s face when he flew out and met me that I didn't really think I was what he had in mind. And we just had a great meeting and, you know, I left and they - I guess I have quite a lot - had that thing after a meeting where people would say, "Wow, you're much funnier and lighter than I had expected!" ... But that's not to say that when I first walked into rehearsal I wouldn't think, "What if I'm not funny? What if I can't do it?" So, you know, I had all those doubts. I have to say the kids really helped. They were just naturally so carefree and funny. And, you know, they kept it very light.

On what she liked best about camp as a kid:

Rachel Griffiths: Well, you know, we don't so much have the big camp tradition in Australia. And one is that our summers are only half the length of yours. So we're not trying to keep our kids occupied for three months. The second thing, and you're going to find this terrific, is that most Australians get four weeks annual leave and they take it at that time. And then they roll it into the Christmas New Year, what they call it, so they end up with sometimes five weeks. I know it's really bad, isn't it? It's probably why we're way down on the list of the world's most productive countries. [Laughs]

...I think so much of the camp tradition comes from getting kids out of this ... metropolis scene of the boiling stinking metropolises and wanting our children to have a kind of a freedom and a contact with the great American outdoors of which I'm, you know, I'm a ridiculous fan -- of the American landscapes and all their varied beauty.

But if I guess I would say these [camps] are dense, they're not as built up, they're not as hot in the summer. ... A lot of people still have their quarter acre backyard and, you know, that need is not as important. But I went to my first family camp actually as a family. That was my first. I never did Camp America though I was thinking about it at some point. But I went to Camp Montecito up in the Sequoia National Park with the kids. And we just - we had actually a wonderful time and met these gorgeous kids. There was a great kind of a mix of - there were some Hollywood families who were kind of going rustic and trying to get their kids away from the devices. And I really got it, you know. They keep you running off all day and did these great things and we hung by the lake and drank Chardonnay and read novels.

And then it all came together at night. And I really got it. It was a very nostalgic camp and had that 1950s feel. So, you know, when they were explaining the pitch for the show, I was like "Don't worry. I know. You don't have to explain."

On summer camp as a metaphor for transitions life, particularly for her character, Mack:

Rachel Griffiths: I love that. I love it. You have a serious approach. I do think sometimes - I know this with my own kids just over the long summer. You know, when the to-do list is kind of taken off the table and you're not just meeting your deadlines and doing your homework and being shuffled from all your activities, I think it does create some psychic space where we're able to catch up with who we are and maybe who we want to be and make those decisions really actively.

I think, you know, the last ten summers maybe have been very similar, and a welcomem predictable time of the year for [Mack], and she's super comfortable shepherding these young people through their great adolescent transitions. But I guess this is her summer, you know? It is a bit like her second adolescence.

Camp airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.