Amy Sedaris: Use bacon fat as sunscreen during coronavirus lockdown

May 20, 2020

Is your coronavirus quarantine driving you kooky? Try sheltering in place “At Home With Amy Sedaris.”

The wild satire of a homemaking show — starring comedian and consummate crafter Amy Sedaris as a deluded domestic diva with a dark side — kicks off its third season at 10 p.m. Wednesday on TruTV. And Sedaris, 59, says shooting the show on a faux home set last year actually felt like it was shot on lockdown.

“Our show already feels like it’s in quarantine because we never leave the freakin’ set,” she tells The Post. “We shot it inside of an ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ bottle and now we’re all living inside of an ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ bottle. I just hope people don’t get that claustrophobic feeling, if they’re stuck at home, watching other people stuck on a set.”

But viewers will have plenty of daffy distractions, at least. The former “Strangers With Candy” star and her cast of characters — including sturdy, bouffant-rocking socialite Patty Hogg, played by Sedaris, and self-involved neighbor Chassie Tucker (series regular Cole Escola) — will stay occupied by turning her craft room into a nursery (rusty-nail crib mobile, anyone?), giving a whirl to summer outdoor entertaining (well, perhaps after lockdown) and more.

Guest stars this season will include Laura Benanti, Michael Cera, Ann Dowd, Rachel Dratch, Bridget Everett, Ana Gasteyer, David Alan Grier, Jackie Hoffman, Jane Krakowski, Debi Mazar, Michael McKean, Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon, Jason Sudeikis, Justin Theroux and more.

Longtime Greenwich Village resident Sedaris and her Cobble Hill sidekick Escola, 33, recently spoke with The Post about living in quarantine, the problem with taking baths and their cooking tips.

"At Home With Amy Sedaris" features the star as Southern socialite Patty Hogg.
“At Home With Amy Sedaris” features the star as Southern socialite Patty Hogg.Phil Caruso

What are the biggest changes under quarantine?

Sedaris: My attention span is shorter. I have less patience. I don’t really have what it takes to watch a movie and I don’t really want to listen to music; I don’t really know what I want, you know? You’re not as busy running around, going in and out, but I have been able to read books, which has been nice. I miss not seeing my godkids and I like hanging out with friends, so I miss that.

Escola: The thing I’ve been doing more is shopping online because I just love looking forward to the mail and a package coming and not remembering what I ordered.

Sedaris: Now you’re gonna start getting some s–t in the mail from me.

How stir-crazy do you get?

Sedaris: I kind of have that feeling now no matter what. I like being at home. I enjoy it; I’m a home person. But I’m getting a little antsy; I’m over it.

Escola: Yeah, I’m getting stir-crazy and I’m looking at hotels and stuff, pretending to plan a trip.

Sedaris: Do you take baths, Cole?

Escola: No, I get in a bath and am like, ‘Well, I’m here.’ I sort of feel the same way about baths as I do the ocean. But when I go to the beach, I’m like, ‘Oh, pretty. Now what?’ I don’t really wanna stay. I get in a bath and I’m like, ‘OK, well, I’m done.’

Sedaris: I’m with him. I love the idea of a bath over a shower, but I’m not in there long. I’m in and out — it’s a very big waste of water.

Amy Sedaris and Cole Escola (as Chassie Tucker) team up with David Alan Grier for a cooking segment.
Sedaris and Cole Escola (as Chassie Tucker) team up with David Alan Grier for a cooking segment.Phil Caruso

Sedaris: I do, yes. I’m taking more time cutting and dicing. I’m doing things slower in the kitchen. Like, really romanticizing the cooking element instead of, like, throwing it in one pot, like an alcoholic would, and walk away for an hour. I’m taking more time with things. But I have one new recipe; that’s it. I usually just go to my stand-bys.

What about you, Cole?

Escola: Not really. My boyfriend will come over sometimes and he likes to cook, so he does that and then I’ll just eat the leftovers. It’s like an all-day activity when I try to make something because I don’t really know how to do it. I have to read the recipe, like, three times and pre-measure everything.

Do you have a go-to cooking tip for quarantine?

Sedaris: Just save that bacon fat for everything!

What’s the weirdest thing to do with it?

Sedaris: Well, if you’re tanning and have a fire escape, you can stick your legs out and put bacon fat on ’em. But be careful of horseflies.

What is your cooking tip, Cole?

Escola: Date someone.

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