North Carolina native ‘Claws’ her way into a hot new series on TNT

High Point native Jenn Lyon stars as Jen in TNT’s new dramedy “Claws,” which sets drug dealing, murder and money laundering against the backdrop of sunny South Florida, female friendships and a nail salon.

In the past, Lyon played George Lopez’s ex-wife on the sitcom “Saint George.” After graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2003, Lyon went on to appear on Broadway in the cast of the Tony award-winning “The Coast of Utopia,” as well as “Fish in the Dark.”

The main character of “Claws” is Desna Simms, played by Niecy Nash. In addition to being Jen’s best friend, Desna is the owner of the nail salon where Jen and the other women work.

Lyon said working with Nash is like getting a masterclass in acting and how to be a strong woman.

“She’s the mama bear of our group, and she takes care of everybody,” Lyon said. “Some people take care of other people and forget to take care of themselves, but she has mastered both, which is just a lesson that I learn with her everyday.”

In some ways, Jen in “Claws” is similar to Jenn Lyon.

“Jen on the show is definitely loyal to a fault. Similarly, once I love you, it’s going to be hard to shake me, because I have a real unconditional love for people. We’re different, because I’m not quick to anger and not easily disappointed--I just feel like we’re all little animals trying to make it,” she said. “And Jen is definitely scrappier than me, but we have the same sense of loyalty and of family.”

Lyon said acting on “Claws” doesn’t always feel like acting, because she and her co-stars have become such good friends.

“We are very lucky that this particular group of women love each other so much and are so tight,” Lyon said. “Everybody is very funny and ridiculous and emotionally available, and so what you see on screen is translated from who we are. We’re just crazy about each other.”

Although Lyon and Kevin Rankin, who plays her husband on the new show, both appeared in the FX series “Justified,” they hadn’t actually met before.

“He was dead before I got there,” Lyon said, laughing. “But I couldn’t have asked for a better guy to play my husband. I’ve been a fan of his work for so long. He can play a bad guy, and he’s such an amazing actor. But he’s so kind and open-hearted.”

Lyon said the experience of filming is complicated, just like the characters on the show, because it’s simultaneously fun and grueling.

“We love what we’re doing, but sometimes it’s so hot and you’re, like, sweating down your legs and you’re just pretty sure you’re going to have to take a trip to the ER for heat stroke,” she said. “I would say overall it’s been just amazing because of the people we get to be around, the people we get to work with are to a T – the crew, the production office, the transport guys, the hair and makeup team – everybody is dedicated and smart, and it’s been such a pleasure.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 12:38 PM with the headline "North Carolina native ‘Claws’ her way into a hot new series on TNT."