Michelle Mylett Says LETTERKENNY’s Farewell Season is ‘Super Joke-Heavy, Very Silly, But Also With a Lot of Heart’

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede With all episodes in the 12th and final season of Crave’s LETTERKENNY dropping on Christmas day, Michelle Mylett – who plays Katy – was asked a blunt question: what can devoted fans expect as the iconic comedy says goodbye? “The final season of LETTERKENNY is going to give you everything you want,” Mylett promised. “It’s a classic season of LETTERKENNY, with all the things fans have come to love and expect. It’s super joke-heavy, very silly, but also with a lot of heart. There’s a really cool arc for a couple of our beloved characters – I don’t want to give anything away, obviously – but it was done in such a beautiful way, and a meaningful way. I’m really excited for people to watch that.” As for Katy in particular, Mylett added, “she kind of went through a heartbreak in a few earlier seasons, and I think it might have shaken her confidence a little bit. But, she’s sort of back to knowing exactly who she is. And even if she’s reevaluating some things, she still is just a solid, solid chick. So yeah, it’s a great season. I’m so excited to watch it, because reading it, and acting it, is one thing, but sitting down and watching the finished product is another.” LETTERKENNY, of course, is a hilarious slice of small-town life created by Jared Keeso, who plays Wayne. The ensemble cast combined to make something unique and magical, and Mylett admitted she has mixed emotions about the show coming to an end. “My reaction has been all over the place,” she said. “Obviously, I’m really sad, and I was a little shocked. And then you start to realize it makes sense, for this reason or that reason. Ultimately, it’s really cool that we were able to end the show on our terms. You never want to be asked to leave, it’s always nice to leave on your own accord. So I’m feeling quite good about that. But I’m going to miss everybody immensely. The odds of us all being together again are slim. People live far away. So that’s a bit of a loss, no question. But I feel really proud of the show in general, and what we did, and how much it has meant to the fans we have. So I think we’re all leaving on a high note, which is so lucky.” Indeed, LETTERKENNY is beloved not only across Canada, but in many other countries around the world. Mylett is well aware that doesn’t happen every day, and she has taken the time to step back and appreciate it. “It’s that balance of, you don’t want to be constantly reflecting on yourself, and how well you’ve done, but I am incredibly grateful,” she said. “And there have definitely been these moments of clarity, I guess, like being on tour in the States, and seeing thousands of people at our shows in New York and L.A. and Chicago, and they’re so engaged in what we’re doing. It kind of makes you realize, ‘oh, we’re not just this little kind of silly Canadian niche show.’ It has really resonated with people all over the place, in a way that’s quite overwhelming. They’re buying T-shirts, they’ve memorized all the lines. It is surreal. But I think we’ve all managed to maintain some humility, too, and know that the project is bigger than the individual. All of us came together and created something that people connected with, so we’re just as lucky to be there as we are responsible for it, if that makes sense.” Mylett believes that one of the keys to LETTERKENNY’s success has been the sense of community that it projects, at a time when many people feel more disconnected than ever, despite all the technology that is supposed to be bringing everyone together. “It’s incredibly sentimental,” Mylett said of LETTERKENNY. “As much as it’s about the jokes, and there’s a lot of making fun of each other, there’s also this really intense theme of loyalty, and sticking up for each other. It’s not a mean-spirited television show. It never has been. And while we have touched on social media, it’s not as if every character is looking at their phone all the time, which is how we live out in the world. So to your point, we are all very connected in a lot of ways, which is great, but it can be isolating at the same time. I think we’ve maybe gone a bit far, thinking that phone communication is enough. We need that human-to-human connection more than I think we all realized. So yeah, it’s nice to watch that on television, too. LETTERKENNY almost has a ’90s feel, because it’s not so tech-savvy, you know?” Finally, Mylett was asked if the unique language on LETTERKENNY has ever accidentally followed her into her real-life conversations. “Yeah, it has happened, especially earlier on, because I grew up on the West Coast, and the vernacular isn’t as intense out West – the hockey language, especially,” Mylett said. “My biggest thing is, when I come back from filming LETTERKENNY, my swear-word output is quite insane. And I know that’s not appropriate for all settings, certainly not with my family. So I do have to reel that back. We just get used to swearing, and speaking with your full Canadian accent. Yeah, it’s not always appropriate. But it is fun.” “Not always appropriate, but fun” … that sounds like the perfect description of LETTERKENNY over a dozen unforgettable seasons. billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv