Ullman the true American

Tracey Ullman is proud to be an American, says Edward Wyatt in The New York Times. Born in England, the 48-year-old comedian moved to the U.S. more than two decades ago and has lived here ever since. But only recently did she decide to become a U.S. citizen. “After the last election I thought I’d like to vote,” she reflects. “I’ve been here a long time. I’ve invested a lot in this country, and my children were born here, and I’ve had a really nice career here.” So Ullman, who lives in Los Angeles, boned up for her federal civics test, passed it, and has now taken the Oath of Allegiance to her adopted home. “It’s a really interesting process. I was interviewed by this lovely woman from Jamaica, who had become a citizen herself. And then I went downtown, with thousands of other people, in the convention center. And you all wave flags, and give your green card in, and they showed a film—moon landings and waving wheat fields and monster trucks. President Bush came on and made a speech—silence—and it’s all scored.” Ullman, whose depiction of American characters can be both hilarious and biting, says she may now probe her subjects even deeper. Being an American, she says, “has released me psychologically to say that bit more about the people I impersonate.”

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