Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Grammer reveals how he manages to portray a character that is completely different than his past comedic roles — and how his current role relates to the possibility of his own real-life political future.

Though Boss is a one hour series, each episode is shot relatively quickly — the typical episode is shot in eight days.  For many actors that might be an unbearable pace, but for Grammer — who has spent half his life in episodic television — finds it liberating with an experienced cast, explaining, “I actually love working fast — those limitations can be freeing. There’s an honesty to it — you just go with your gut and jump into it. But you need people who are experienced, who can access themselves as quickly as possible. Firing on your first impressions can be really effective.”  After spending two decades playing Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and its spinoff Frasier, one would expect that Grammer would find the dramatic acting required of Boss difficult. 

But Grammer claims he actually finds it easier, saying, “With drama, you just get to pour it out. Tip the vessel over and out it comes. I just behave openly, in the context of what I know Tom Kane’s situation is. Of course, it requires a lot in terms of focus. But to make sure that a comedy succeeds, there’s more artifice and manipulation involved. You have to worry about the timing and how the whole cast comes together and also how to make it resonate emotionally.”

But in an life-imitating-art situation Grammer, a lifelong conservative, has often expressed his interest in one day running for Congress.  However, his desire to act trumps his desire to serve the public.  He jokes about this problem, explaining, “Getting into politics has always been in my head… But it has always been there that I want to do my part for my country if I can. Fred Thompson pulled it off — being both an actor and a politician — but I think I’d have to leave acting behind before I could do it. That’s something I would do when I’m finally an adult.”

I Don’t Know How She Does It

Director: Douglas McGrath
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Munn, Seth Meyers, Kelsey Grammer, Christina Hendricks, Jane Curtin

In theaters: September 16th, 2011

Tambor’s understudy, Chris Hoch, will take over the role of Georges until a permanent replacement is announced.

“I got my SAG card doing the first ever commercial for Dasani bottled water. I thought I only got the part because of my red hair but then the commercial was shot in black and white and I realized I got the part because I could sell the s— out of overpriced bottled water.” — Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

“Fran Van Hartesveldt, a commercial agent in town, explained to me that to get a SAG card, I needed a job and to get a job, I needed a SAG card. He had pity on me and gave me one line in a show called The Great Gildersleeve. Years later, when I got my own show, I hired Fran as one of my writers.” — Betty White

“I got my SAG card with one line in the movie, The Doors. I was very sassy with [director] Oliver Stone in my audition, so he offered me the job on the spot. In every take I kept making the line a little longer until Oliver yelled at me.”  — Lisa Edelstein, House

“I got it on a TV show called “Throb”, playing a little kid who stalks Jane Leeves.” — Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

“The first thing I ever auditioned for was an anti-drug PSA. They didn’t pay me to do the commercial, but they gave me my SAG card.” — Alison Brie, Community.

“I got my SAG card when I auditioned for a show called “Kate and Allie”. I was cast for the pilot as the guy who dated both Kate and Allie. I remember the writer looking at me and saying, ‘God, I keep hiring actors that aren’t union, but you’re the one. So do you mind getting your card?’ I said, ‘No, in fact, I’ve been trying to get my card for some time now.” — Kelsey Grammer

To read more stars recollections, go to: tvguide.com

BEST PLAY:

In the Next Room by Sarah Ruhl

Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts

Red by John Logan

Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies

BEST MUSICAL:

American Idiot

Fela!

Memphis

Million Dollar Quartet

BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL:

Everyday Rapture, Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott

Fela! Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones

Memphis, Joe DiPietro

Million Dollar Quartet, Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS):

Andrew Lippa (Addams Family)

Adam Cork & Lucy Prebble (Enron)

BranfordMarsalis (Fences)

David Bryan &Joe DiPietro (Memphis)

BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY:

Fences

Lend Me a Tenor

The Royal Family

View From the Bridge

BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL:

Finian’s Rainbow

La Cage aux Folles

A Little Night Music

Ragtime

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY:

Jude Law, Hamlet

Alfred Molina, Red

Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge

Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane

Denzel Washington, Fences

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY:

Viola Davis, Fences

Valerie Harper, Looped

Linda Lavin, Collected Stories

Laura Linney, Time Stands Still

Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:

Kelsey Grammer, La Cage Aux Folles

Sean Hayes, Promises Promises

Douglas Hodge, La Cage Aux Folles

Chad Kimball, Memphis

Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:

Kate Baldwin, Finian’s Rainbow

Montego Glover, Memphis

Christiane Noll, Ragtime

Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture

Catherine Zeta Jones, A Little Night Music

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY:

David Alan Grier (Race)

Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences)

Jon Michael Hill (Superior Donuts)

Stephen Kunken (Enron)

Eddie Redmayne (Red)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY:

Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play

Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family

Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge

Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge

Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL:

Kevin Chamberlin (Addams Family)

Robin De Jesus (La Cage)

Christopher Fitzgerald (Finian’s Rainbow)

Levi Kreis (Million Dollar Quartet)

Bobby Steggert (Ragtime)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL:

Barbara Cook (Sondheim on Sondheim)

Katie Finneran (Promises, Promises)

Angela Lansbury (Night Music)

Karine Plantadit (Come Fly Away)

Lillias White (Fela!)

BEST DIRECTOR PLAY:

Michael Grandage (Red)

Sheryl Kaller (Next Fall)

Kenny Leon (Fences)

Gregory Mosher (A View from the Bridge)

BEST DIRECTOR MUSICAL:

Christopher Ashley (Memphis)

Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime)

Terry Johnson (La Cage)

Bill T. Jones (Fela)

You’ve accrued a lot of television, film and stand-up experience. In addition to Hank, what kind of work excites you most?
Look, anyone who has a job in show business. as far as I’m concerned. should be grateful and I certainly am. Sometimes you have a particular goal in mind and every actor is probably different in what they think they’re going to get. There have been times in my life where I’ve said “I just want to work.” And it just happens and I work. And then there have been other times when I’m looking around and I have a wife and four children. The number one thing I need to do is provide and so other opportunities come this way or that way. And I’m so fortunate that sometimes I have choices while other times I have only what is in front of me.

And right now, with Hank in particular, working on a four-camera sitcom is the best job in show business, it really is. This one in particular happens to be eight minutes from my house. [Just take the] freeway and an off-ramp and boom, I’m in the studio. I have four kids, I need to share my life with them, I can drop them off at school and I can pick them up and it’s a great job. So look, I’m very blessed to have this opportunity. I’ve never had a regular role on a series. I’ve done different guest spots or had an arc on a series years ago.

Plus, to get to work with Kelsey Grammer. So this is just another beautiful step, you never know where it’s going to take you. Wow, what a great trip. I get to do this one and that one. Look at all the great guys I’ve gotten to work with and going all the way back to Chicago, with all the people I worked with back there. And dude, here’s the thing I’ve realized about my path is that I will always get to work with a bunch of different great people and that’s the fun of it.

I imagine that the days are shorter than doing single-camera stuff.
That’s right.

Are directors taking advantage of your improv experience? If they put a camera in front of you, you’re going to say something crazy eventually; are you encouraged to do that or is it more of a “Let’s get through this” attitude?
Thus far, no, because we’ve worked on the pilot only and it will be up to the director. [Creator Tucker Cawley] will decide what we do show to show. The writers will get to know me and they’ll see what I may or may not be able to bring them and we’ll see how much they want of that. If I have a suggestion, I’m not shy. I don’t mind saying, “Hey Tucker, what do you think about this?” If he says “No,” it’s his show, I don’t care. I think if it’s strong enough and you’ve got time to rehearse and rehearsal is a time to offer something new, and if it’s accepted, “Great.” If it’s right, we’ll all know it. If it’s wrong, we’ll all know it. And so far, in the pilot, we only had one week and you’ve got a lot of pressure to get this one thing down. As the show rolls on, I’m sure we’ll have more opportunities to play.