‘Trial & Error’: Kristin Chenoweth Talks Season 2 Role Lavinia Peck-Foster

Kristin Chenoweth drew inspiration from different iconic people and fictional character for her role in Season 2 of NBC’s “Trial & Error.”

Speaking at the 2018 ATX Television Festival earlier this week, Chenoweth said that her character Lavinia Peck-Foster is an amalgam of different personalities. “There are all kinds of people I used [in her character],” Chenoweth told Page Six of her new character, who is accused of murdering her husband. “A little Carol Burnett, Madeline Kahn, Hannibal Lecter, Lisa Vanderpump. They’re all represented in this one woman.”

Chenoweth added that Lavinia’s style was partly inspired by Vanderpump’s. “I looked at the style of Lisa, and I love her. I admire her,” said the “Pushing Daisies” alum, who is a “Vanderpump Rules” fan. “So, the good, beautiful heart hopefully will pay homage to her.”

During a Q&A following a screening of the Season 2 premiere of the mockumentary, Chenoweth revealed (via Deadline) that Lavinia’s life is quite miserable. “When I saw Lavinia, what I saw was a very sad woman who’d been trapped away in her house her whole life and was very skilled at many things because she’d had nothing but time,” said the Emmy winner. “She has this difficult, sad life. As we all know, through tragedy there is comedy and what I saw was a beautiful wealth of gold…”

As for what she learned from playing Lavinia, Chenoweth told TVInsider that the role taught her to “accept people for where they are in their life [because] not everyone is going to be where you think they should be.”

Per NBC’s description, Season 2 follows bright-eyed New York lawyer Josh Segal (Nicholas D’Agosto) as he defends Lavinia, the first lady of East Peck, who finds herself accused of the murder of her beloved husband, Edgar. Lavinia reaches out to Josh Segal and Associates, the same law firm that defended Larry (John Lithgow) in court last season, to help her prove her innocence after Edgar’s body is found stuffed inside a suitcase in the back of her car.

“This year is also about a sense of belonging,” executive producer Jeff Astrof said (via Deadline) of the theme of the new season. “I wanted to see what it would feel like for Josh to have somebody who, even when it looks like she did it, no one believes that Lavinia did it… the stakes are very high for him because if he loses, the entire town will be against him.”

“Trial & Error” Season 2, subtitled “Lady, Killer,” will debut with back-to-back episodes on Thursday, July 19 starting at 9 p.m. EDT on NBC.