Lizzy Caplan

Lizzy Caplan, the star of TV's Party Down, talks about infections and the joy of a sex tape (just not at the same time).

By Tim Leong; Photography by Yu Tsai
MORE CREDITS: (CLOTHING) BLAZER BY ELIZABETH AND JAMES; TOP BY KIKI DE MONTPARNASSE; LEGGINGS BY ROCK & REPUBLIC; SHOES BY BRIAN ATWOOD.

She looks familiar, right? She should. The 27-year-old actress Lizzy Caplan has been in everything from Mean Girls to Cloverfield to Hot Tub Time Machine—but let's be honest, you probably remember her best from those scenes (you know, the ude-nay ones) in the first season of True Blood. This month, she comes back in the new season of Party Down, the criminally underrated (and hilarious) Starz! show about aspiring actors-turned-cater-waiters in Los Angeles. Girl's got a dirty mouth, plus she's funny as hell. And did we mention she enjoys watching sex tapes? Party down, indeed.

So, about Hot Tub Time Machine...you know you can catch infections in there, right? Hot tubs, I mean, not time machines.

Lizzy Caplan: I was actually just speaking to a doctor about this. It's all just boiling up and into your parts. Stay away from the hot tub!

Fewer of those on Party Down, probably. As far as the catering uniform goes, was there any doubt you'd look good in a bow tie?

Lizzy Caplan: On every other television job I've had to do, even if you're in your pajamas—"I'm sick this episode!"—you still have to look perfect. And on Party Down, nobody ever looks perfect.

Yet somehow you pull it off. You worked briefly as a caterer in real life—ever do anything bad to the food?

Lizzy Caplan: I never spit in the food. But I would sit in the back room and eat all of it. I'd always find a reason to go back for something and then just eat 15 deviled eggs.

You're either disgusting or the sexiest woman we've ever met. While we decide, what's your take on this whole sexting craze?

Lizzy Caplan: I think it's scary. Not for me, necessarily, but for my unborn children. I can just see them sending hologram pictures of themselves naked to the other kids in their school.

What about sex tapes?

Lizzy Caplan: My old roommate told me he recently made a sex tape with his girlfriend, and immediately I was like, "I want to see it." I don't really want to see him having sex with his girlfriend—disgusting! But still, there's something about sex tapes. I want to watch every one.

What about them do you find fascinating?

Lizzy Caplan: If you meet people at a party, you don't know how they're going to be on their sex tape. Then you get to watch their sex tape and: Oh, that person is craaaaaaazy.

Obviously you've seen Screech's.

Lizzy Caplan: I did, but maybe I didn't watch the whole thing. He was with the girl in the tub...

Ewwww, infection!

CLICK HERE TO SEE LIZZY'S "HOT COMPLEX" GALLERY