The Conners: Christopher Lloyd & Ames McNamara Talk Playing the Contrabassoon

Christopher Lloyd's stint on the world of The Conners was so much fun that Lloyd was eager to come back to the role of Lou. On yesterday's The Conners, Lou, who was first introduced as Beverly's boyfriend back on the revived 10th Season of Roseanne, returns to teach Mark how to play a very special instrument: the contrabassoon.

In a conversation with CBR, Lloyd and costar Ames McNamara discussed the relationship between Lou and Mark. The pair dove into McNamara's plans to conquer the contrabassoon, whether a future appearance by Lou might just be in the cards, and dove into how much they actually knew about this instrument before they filmed this episode.

CBR: The dynamics between Mark and Lou are very fun from the get-go. How was it to play those dynamics?

Christopher Lloyd: Well, to me, it was about finding my place. It's been a long time since I did an episode, so it was about getting acquainted again with the cast and the texture of the show, so to speak. So, I wanted to try to nail that, and as the week went on, we seemed to be successful. I love the character and his kind of eccentricities. I love working with this guy, too.

Ames McNamara: I would say the exact same thing about Christopher. The last time he was on the show, I didn't get a chance to work with him. I didn't have scenes with him. So, when I heard that he was coming back and that we were going to have scenes together, I was super excited. I think he's one of the best guest stars we've had this season, and we've had some amazing guest stars. It was a fun storyline. It's one of, if not my favorite storyline this year, just because it's different. So, yeah, I really enjoyed it, and I had a lot of fun when we were filming.

Did either of you know what the contrabassoon was before this episode? Ames, did you have to take lessons on how to play it?

Lloyd: I've probably seen one when I've gone to a concert or something, but I really know very little about it, how it works and all that. If I happen to do more episodes, I'm going to take lessons because if the opportunity comes up, I want to play a few chords or whatever you do.

McNamara: I had never heard of it, and it's a hard instrument to play when you look at it. There are so many different buttons. It's so tall, too. It's almost as tall as me. Someone did teach me. We had this amazing contrabassoon teacher. He was awesome. He basically just taught me how to get a note or some sort of sound out of the instrument. He also played it for me because, after our lesson, I was like, "Okay, I can see somewhat, show me what you can really do." When he played it, we were all like, "Oh my god!" So, in the right hands, it is a beautiful, beautiful instrument. Maybe not my hands, but it is an awesome instrument.

How do you think Mark come up with this plan to learn the contrabassoon so he could get into college?

McNamara: In a previous episode, there's a mention after Mark really expressed his desire to go to college. Knowing that the family is not really going to be able to get him into the college that he really wants, it's quickly established that he needs a scholarship. Instead of trying to make money on the side, Darlene suggests that Mark try to learn the contrabassoon. At the time, I just thought that was some joke that they threw in, and I never was going to hear about it again. Then I found out we were doing this episode, and I was like, "That's really cool."

There's a mention in the episode of Lou expecting Mark to practice for two hours. Do you think that's just how Lou is with every student, or does he actually think Mark can become good at the contrabassoon?

Lloyd: I feel that this guy, you can't put your finger on just who he is, what he is, or what he's trying to be. When it comes to the contrabassoon, this is the way it's done. Get serious. This is not fun and games. We're making music here. This is just who Lou is, and he's going to be like that with every student, whether he thinks a student can get good or not.

The determination to learn really says a lot about Mark as a character, too. Is this something that's going to continue to be part of his storyline going forward, this drive to get into college?

McNamara: Yes, I think that Mark's determination to get into college has been and will continue to be like a big part of his storyline. I think that's not just for the Conners. It's the same for so many kids whose families are maybe not in the best financial situation, and they're forced to turn to some unorthodox methods, like scholarships for the contrabassoon.

Is Mark going to get better at it? Are we going to see this instrument again, and Lou?

McNamara: Well, hopefully, in the future we will see more of the contrabassoon. I know myself, I would love to do something more with it, and especially if Christopher is involved. I think that would be fun to do again in the future.

Lloyd: Maybe the story goes that Mark, at a certain point, auditions for a very special school or whatever, and Lou has to come back. I would love it.

McNamara: If it gets to the point of auditioning for something with the contrabassoon, we might have to get a stunt double.

Christopher, you've had a long career and you've played a lot of different characters. Do you always look for that something different?

Lloyd: By the time we finished this, because when I started out, I was like, "Where is this going to go?" but by the time we've finished, I felt like there was something here that I haven't done before, and it works. I'd love to do it again, get even better at it because [there's] something a little wacky about this guy, but it's real. He is what he is. When I start working on a piece, I don't think too much. I don't want to repeat myself; I want to bring something that nobody's seen before. That's always on my mind. I usually get there because no two people are alike. No two characters are alike. Somehow this guy is as much an individual as all the others.

New episodes of The Conners air Wednesdays on ABC.