In her Emmy-winning role as cheerleading coach

on

Jane Lynch exudes authority, boundless self-assurance and hilariously extreme opinions.

The real Lynch, as she reveals in her memoir,

is, by contrast, self-reflective, insightful and hilariously self-deprecating.

It's the distance between the two that Lynch, 51, says makes it fun to play the formidable Sylvester, tormentor of the William McKinley High School glee club on the Fox TV series.

Lynch will be in Portland tonight for an appearance to talk about her life and career. The evening is presented by Third Rail Repertory Theatre and Powell's Books and will feature Lynch talking with

host of the OPB radio show "Think Out Loud."

In "Happy Accidents," Lynch writes with bracing candor about growing up in Dolton, Ill., in "a family that was pure Americana." Even as a youngster, Lynch writes, she was drawn to performing, while also feeling different. "I not only felt out of place in my family, I also felt out of place in my own body. Growing up, I didn't feel like the other girls seemed to feel. I wanted to be a boy."

It wasn't until she was in college that Lynch began coming to grips with the fact that she was gay. And it wasn't until the early 1990s that she gave up her habit of drinking every day. In January 1992, when she was 31, Lynch writes, she called Alcoholics Anonymous and found a meeting.

Since then, Lynch has been a standout performer in movie and TV comedy, in such projects as "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Party Down" and "Glee."

We spoke with Lynch by phone earlier this week about what to expect in her Portland appearance, the appeal of being honest and what's up with Sue Sylvester's pregnancy. Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q:

Your book, "Happy Accidents," is very readable. Why did you decide to write a memoir?

A:

I'd been giving speeches, mostly for gay organizations, and I always got personal. I don't know else how to do it; I made all these speeches, and started connecting the dots. I got a (book) deal, and before you know it, you're writing.

My wife, Lara (Lynch married Lara Embry, a clinical psychologist, in 2010) and I would sit down and I'd do my stream of consciousness. She would shape it, and we'd write some more. We were really a team on this.

Q:

You're very open in the book about feeling alienated because of your sexuality, and struggling with self-esteem and drinking. Did you have any fears about being candid?

A:

When you pull back the covers and reveal the truth about yourself, it's very freeing. And I don't have any shame around any of it. It's helpful for other people. And it's very empowering.

Q:

What can audiences expect from your appearance in Portland?

A:

I think we're going to do a Q&A. It's my favorite format. I don't like to stand up at a lectern and start pontificating, preaching to people.

Q:

You write about how hard it was in your early life to feel like you were good enough. But you play such strong characters. Why do you think it works out that way?

A:

I do tend to play people in authority. I can't say I feel like an authority on anything. But I've developed a persona around my height -- I'm 6 feet tall, which is taller than most men and always taller than other women.

Q:

Sue Sylvester is certainly an authority figure.

A:

Sue Sylvester has this shocking entitlement and bloated sense of herself. I'm fascinated with confidence. I have a lot of confidence around my work, but not as much certainty in (other areas of life). Sue Sylvester is nothing if not certain.

Q:

The season-ender on "Glee" referred again to Sue Sylvester being pregnant. Is she really, and how will that play out next season?

A:

She is pregnant, and the baby is supposed to be due in September. The baby daddy is supposed to be a celebrity of some sort. She's been to a doctor, and was told it's a girl, but they noticed some abnormalities.

Q:

Does that mean Sue's baby might have Down syndrome, which her late sister also had?

A:

Who knows? It's up to the writers.

Q:

Sue is a great character, but she can be awfully inconsistent. What are your thoughts about that?

A:

What happens is, they'll give me a moment of redemption, and then I become vicious again. Sue sees herself as a warrior, and if there is no battle, she'll create one. I always say she's your worst enemy, and your best advocate. Now (with the baby) she's got something to protect again.

Q:

You've achieved so much. Do you have specific roles or projects you still want to do?



A:

No, I don't. I have no goals. I just did the commencement speech at Smith (College), and I said to them, plans are for wusses.

An Evening With Jane Lynch

When: 7:30 Saturday, June 16

Where: Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway

Cost: $27, $45, $55, $75 (all $55 and $75 tickets include a copy of Lynch's book, "Happy Accidents")

Tickets:

; 800-745-3000;

;

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