'It changed my view of women'

New Delhi: Louie Anderson jumped at the chance to essay the role of a woman "without being cartoony" in the series 'Baskets'. The Emmy-award-winning star says getting under the skin of the character has altered his view of what women are up against in the world.

"It (essaying role of a woman, being a man) did change my perception (about women). I realised how hard my mother worked and how much I took for granted," Anderson said.

"I thought my mom woke up with make-up and her hair done. I learned much more about empathy, and humanity having the opportunity to play Christine Baskets. I was treated differently being dressed as Christine than I was as Louie Anderson," he added.

Anderson took on the influences from his late mother Ora Zella Anderson to get the Emmy-winning role of Christine right.

"My mother for sure is the architect of this character along with my five sisters. My mom was a strong mother character. She bore 11 children and had a difficult marriage, and yet showered us with love and adoration and gave us hope for our futures."

Did it take a lot of convincing to say yes to the role of a woman?

"Almost no convincing, I jumped at the idea. You get to a certain age in life and you realise that you should take chances, you should broaden your horizons. I have five sisters and a mother, I have a good catalogue of gestures, nuances, personalities and points of view to draw from," he said, adding that he got attracted to the role due to the "chance to play a woman without being cartoony".