Ashley Jensen: 'It was liberating – like being a child doing a funny voice in your bedroom'

When you were cast in Extras did you have any idea what a success it might be?

Not really, no. I don't know whether I was a bit naive… the odd person would say this is going to be really huge and I'd be like "oh right, yeah…" But I took it all in my stride. It's weird to read things like "unknown" or "overnight success" when I'd been working for 15 years and doing all right. But I would never have moved to America had it not been for the success of Extras. America embraced it so readily. I think they like the starkness and brutality of it. The way Britain does these things –the way Ricky [Gervais] and Stephen [Merchant] did that show, they just didn't compromise in any way – I think America rather liked that honesty.

The show had incredibly famous actors as guests: did you get starstruck?

Well the first day's filming was with Samuel L Jackson, and I was nervous enough anyway about working with Ricky. So there was a little "flight or fight" in me that took over and I thought, I can't afford to be overwhelmed by this situation. I've never heard silence like the moment Sam walked on to that set. There was such reverence. But then of course Ricky broke that – Sam bent down to tie up his laces and Ricky shouted, "Oooh, he ties his own shoelaces!"

Did you find it difficult moving to LA?

I got the job on Ugly Betty and thought it was filming in New York. When they said it was in LA – to be honest, my heart sank. I'd been here for the pilot season and my husband and I had felt, "Oh, we're not connecting with this place". And then it was like, "Holy moly we're going to have to move to LA." For the first few years I felt a real disconnect from it. A lot of that was to do with just being a bit frightened of it.

Do you feel more settled now?

Yes, I do. And that's partly because I'm a wee bit happier about driving! It's crippling here if you can't drive.

Anything you miss from the UK?

A decent cup of tea. You know when they bring you a cup of hot water and the tea bag on the side? Warm, watery milk with your tea bag on the side so it doesn't stew properly! Oh dearie me. What I do love about being here, though, is that at the supermarket they bag up your shopping for you. That's a reason to stay.

That and the weather?

The weather is nice. Although it can make you feel slightly grubby because the sun points out all your wee imperfections. You get your skin out and you've got this peelie-wallie Scottish skin. People do look groomed here – they all have manicures and they go for facials. There is a pressure to look good. I personally don't feel it because I consider myself slightly outside the box. I don't know why – whether it's because I do comedy or because I'm slightly older.

Is comic acting more difficult than serious drama?

I think perhaps it is and I don't think I've ever said that before. With comic acting you have to look not only for the truth of a line, but for the comedy in a line. Whereas I suppose with drama you're just finding the truth in the moment, within the relationship.

What's it like seeing yourself as a frog in the animation Gnomeo and Juliet?

It was quite good because there was no pressure – you knew people weren't going to judge you on what you looked like!

And you were in great company: the film's got a very impressive cast.

I know and it was really annoying that I didn't really get to meet many of them! I met Emily Blunt on the red carpet in LA for the premiere and that was really weird, having had a relationship with her as my character. To see these films you'd never know that all these actors are in a booth, on their own doing the voice.

Was that strange?

I found it quite liberating. It was almost like being a child playing in your bedroom doing a funny voice.

Were you funny as a kid?

Yeah, and my mum's always very pleased because she says, "I always knew that your strength was comedy." But of course doing comedy you suddenly hanker after doing a drama. With The Reckoning [the recent ITV drama] I don't think I cracked a smile once in those whole two episodes.

You have a very young son – how do you cope while you're filming?

My husband's in London so I'm scrabbling around in a particularly chaotic fashion at the moment. It does take planning and you can't leave things to the last minute like you did before – and I end up in bed at 9.30. It's hard! You're very aware that you're on all the time as a mum.

Does he make you laugh a lot?

Oh he's already a wee funny character, yes. But every mum's got the best child in the world – clearly the most gifted and the funniest. Everything that small one-and-a-half-year-old people do is funny... I feel very lucky to be experiencing it.

Which character of yours do you have the most affection for?

It has to be Maggie [from Extras]. My husband read those lines with me before the audition and he just looked at me and said, "Ashley, I have conversations with you that are written on this page. If you don't get this job there is something wrong here."

Do you think you and Ricky Gervais will work together again?

I'd love to. It's just the best fun I've had. I quietly would like to resurrect Maggie. And on a daily basis I have to answer that question, "Can you not just do one more? Can you not do Extras The Movie?" But I don't think it can happen – we should do what Ricky does, which is lay it to rest and leave people wanting more.