Whitney Cummings Tells PEOPLE's Hollywood at Work Her Morning Ritual to Get into Character for Accused

Whitney Cummings Tells PEOPLE's Hollywood at Work Her Morning Ritual to Get into Character for Accused
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Whitney Cummings is pulling back the curtain on her newest television role.

In the latest episode of PEOPLE'S Hollywood at Work, the comedian reveals the morning routine that helped her get into character for Fox's Accused, an anthology series that details a new legal case each episode.

"My go-to morning routine or ritual for a shoot day — I'm such a dork: I listen to a playlist that I made that I think the character would listen to," the 40-year-old actress admits. "Embarrassing."

"Today's playlist is Twenty One Pilots, Alanis Morissette [and] it's a couple of musicians that have been canceled," she adds.

Whitney Cummings in the “Brenda’s Story” episode of ACCUSED airing Tuesday, March. 7 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2023 Fox Media LLC.
Whitney Cummings in the “Brenda’s Story” episode of ACCUSED airing Tuesday, March. 7 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2023 Fox Media LLC.

Steve Wilkie/FOX Whitney Cummings

Cummings goes on to share a behind-the-scenes look at her show in Toronto, where the crew built a fake comedy club called Goldie's that Cumming's character, Brenda, performs at.

Describing her character a bit more, Cummings says Brenda is a "very green" and "desperate" comedian who accuses another, more senior comedian of sexual assault, though she soon finds the people she thought would help her case have turned their back on her.

"[Brenda] ... is trying so hard to make it that she gets in a dangerous situation and is assaulted," Cummings explains. "Even though she doesn't have the finances, the resources, the confidence, she is just so broken and hurt and has so many personal issues, she recklessly decides to report it."

ACCUSED: Whitney Cummings in the “Brenda’s Story” episode of ACCUSED airing Tuesday, March. 7 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2023 Fox Media LLC.
ACCUSED: Whitney Cummings in the “Brenda’s Story” episode of ACCUSED airing Tuesday, March. 7 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2023 Fox Media LLC.

Shane Mahood/FOX

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The actress also shows off the comedy club's set — complete with a brick wall, fake food, a mock comedian lineup and even fake headshots with signatures lining the wall.

Not all of the headshots are fake, however, as Cummings reveals there are also some photos of iconic comedians and actors scattered throughout the wall.

"It looks so real. I was looking at it, and I was like, as a comedian, 'I'm in Toronto. Oh, I should jump on some shows here.' But none of this is real, but I bought it," she says.

ACCUSED: L-R: Whitney Cummings and Mary Lynn Rajskub in an upcoming episode of ACCUSED. ACCUSED premieres Sunday, January 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. 2022 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT)
ACCUSED: L-R: Whitney Cummings and Mary Lynn Rajskub in an upcoming episode of ACCUSED. ACCUSED premieres Sunday, January 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. 2022 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT)

FOX

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Other on-set easter eggs are divulged when Cummings explores the rest of the comedy club and shows off the bar and "juices" which are designed to be wine.

"This is where the Brenda character and her friends hang out and drink fake beer, drink fake wine, and it's a lot of juices," she explains. "It's a lot of white cranberry juice. I have sugar rushes all day because I just get to drink juice all day."

Cummings concludes the clip by joking how it takes her "40 minutes" to get out of her character's costume, which includes fishnet tights. She also quips that she'll be taking an "ice bath" after she inevitably rolls her ankle in the process of changing.

In addition to Cummings, Accused has starred Farrah Aviva, Angela Besharah, René Escobar Jr., Rachel Bilson, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and Michael Chiklis, among other celebrities.

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Accused airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Cumming's episode, "Brenda's Story," will air March 7.