Jane Lynch on Why She Was Thrilled to Be the Murder Victim, Working With Steve Martin and Her ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Future

[This story includes major spoilers from the Only Murders in the Building season four finale.]

Only Murders in the Building has said farewell to its beloved, fan-favorite character, Sazz Pataki, portrayed by Jane Lynch, with the season four finale reveal of how she died (sadly, she didn’t fake her death as some fans may have hoped).

When Charles’ (Steve Martin) longtime stunt double and best friend, Sazz, was shot in his kitchen at the end of season three, there were countless questions about who did it, why they did it and, were they actually aiming for Charles?

Now, with the conclusion of season four, all of those questions are answered: Marshall P. Pope/Rex Bailey (Jin Ha), aka Sazz’s prized stuntperson mentee, killed her because he wanted to pawn her Only Murders in the Building movie off as his own, and, well, she wasn’t going to let him do that.

For someone like Sazz, who went through life devoted to her friends, “the betrayal of what Marshall does is so out of [character] that it shocks her because she doesn’t see the world that way. You don’t betray the people who help you,” Lynch tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It is such an earthquake to her psyche.”

Despite her character’s death, the Glee and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star was grateful to be able to explore Sazz’s life more throughout the season in flashbacks, including seeing her in action on set as a stuntperson and going after her dream of opening a trampoline park in New Jersey to share her and father’s love of stunting with the world. Most of all, she loved playing out her complete and utter dedication to Charles.

Lynch had several conversations with showrunner John Hoffman about Sazz and Charles’ friendship, and “he gave me the idea that the relationship was going to be revealed as a very deep one, and one that would surprise Charles with just how much Sazz sacrificed herself for him — not only in death, but in life — and how she took very seriously him being her No. 1.”

Below in a spoiler chat with THR, Lynch reveals how she felt when first finding out that she would be the season four victim, talks working with Martin on their emotional scenes and shares if she’d be open to returning to the show in some capacity for season five.

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I spoke to John Hoffman last year when it was revealed that Sazz would be the season four victim, and he said he approached you about it and you loved the whole storyline. What went through your head at the time?

I was honored and also I knew that I’d work more, because I usually only do two or three episodes of the season, if that much. I knew that even if I wasn’t in an episode, they would be talking about me. And sometimes it’s just as important than actually being there. So, I was really thrilled to be the murder victim.

That’s not a sentence you hear very often.

(Laughs) I know.

Were you at all disappointed by the idea that your time on the show would be coming to an end to some degree after season four?

I guess that was there, but it wasn’t the overriding thing. I kind of live in the moment, and I’m in whatever job I’m in. Very rarely, am I thinking, “Oh, I hope this turns into something bigger.” But that was a pretty big thing to happen in this particular show, to become the murder victim.

Did you have conversations with John about Sazz’s storyline and how it would all play out?

A little bit. He told me I was the murder victim. He didn’t tell me how that was going to occur, or the twists and turns in the season. But he would say little things like, “Oh, you’re gonna love this. It’s a very sweet scene between you and Charles.” He gave me the idea that the relationship was going to be revealed as a very deep one, and one that would surprise Charles just how much Sazz sacrificed herself for him — not only in death, but in life — and how she took very seriously he being her No. 1. In her code of ethics, and in the stunt world too, as we find out, this little subculture: Your No. 1 is everything. You protect them. And for her, it extended into life as well, not just on set.

I’m glad you brought that up because it was so sweet to see Sazz and Charles’ relationship in a new light with him hallucinating her and in flashbacks to when they were working together. What was it like playing out those scenes with Steve Martin?

It was just lovely, everything this season. And, of course, the other seasons too. We both relished the depths we got to go to with this relationship. I love the scene where I’m sitting on the end of the bed with him, and I’m a ghost at this point, and he says, “You’re my very best friend. What will I do without you?” I thought that was wonderful, and, prior to that, we detailed what Sazz did for him: She gave him friends. He was all alone. And I think that’s something that Charles felt, that he is alone in this world, and especially back then, and she populated his life with friends, people who cared about him. He played poker with us. Up until that point, he was having lunch by himself. So he had a great deal of gratitude to her by the end of the season.

In the finale, Mabel (Selena Gomez) says that Sazz wrote a love letter to Charles with her Only Murders movie script. Do you agree with that?

Oh, yeah. She needed a way to stay in the business because she was pretty beaten up, and she’d been around sets long enough to know how this writing thing was done, and she just got so inspired. It’s all over that script; the connection to him and how much she cared about him. I love that she said that it was like a love letter to him.

In addition to seeing a different side of Sazz and Charles’ relationship, we also got to see more of Sazz’s life outside of Charles. How did that fill in the blanks for you?

It was great because — and the writers obviously see her this way too — she embraced life. She embraced her role as his stunt person, that he was her No. 1. When I got to walk through the set kind of like I own it — jump into that car — everything I did as Sazz had a style about it and a precision to it, and she just loved that. She just relished that.

Did you know off the bat who Sazz’s killer would be, or was that something you found out later?

I found out later. All the twists and turns of the mystery of the season, that was all revealed to me as we got each script.

When you first heard that your character would be the victim. Did you have an idea of who would want to kill Sazz or if the killer was actually aiming for Charles?

I had no idea because I couldn’t see [Martin Short] or Selena [Gomez] doing it. So, I didn’t know. I knew it would be wide open, and then he started adding all these characters — like the renters on the west side of the building. I thought, “Oh, maybe one of them.” And then this story leads you to believe it might be one of them. So, it’s a very interesting thing.

How did you feel learning that all of these massive actors wanted to be on the show that you were such a critical part of?

It was really exciting. I did shoot one day with all of them, with Zach [Galifianakis] and Eugene [Levy] and Molly [Shannon] and Eva Longoria. So, we did get to say hello and everything. It was really nice to see them. Of course, I didn’t work with them, but I thought it was just really great. And they were hilarious. I love the scene that was up on socials that the show posted of Molly Shannon drunk. I call it her “contempt for actors” scene. It’s so funny, and then she farted at Meryl Streep. Come on!

Comedy gold.

They’re national treasures — Molly and Meryl.

Going back to the finale, it’s tragic when you think about how Sazz’s prized mentee ended up being her downfall. What were your thoughts when you came across that?

The way Sazz goes through life is that you are devoted to your friends like she’s devoted to Charles. The betrayal of what Marshall does is so out of [character], it shocks her because she doesn’t see the world that way. You don’t betray the people who help you. You don’t betray anybody. So playing that scene where I realized that he stole my script and said it was his own, it is such an earthquake to her psyche. That was really a juicy, juicy scene to play.

So, Sazz is dead in the show. But Paul Rudd came back in season four (as new character Glen Stubbins) after dying in season three. Do you have any hopes of returning for the already renewed season five?

Oh, if they want me, I will do whatever they want me do. I can play myself as a ghost for as long as the show goes on. I would love it.

What are some of your best memories on the show, behind the scenes or onscreen?

Sitting in our cast chairs and just talking with Selena, Marty, Steve and the variety of actors who have gone in and out. It’s almost like being at a dinner party with really bright, shiny people who are funny and nice. We talked all sorts of stuff. It was a lovely place to be; so enjoyable and embracing, and so very chill. This starts from the top down, both John Hoffman and Steve [Martin], they set the tone, and it’s such a nice tone. It’s such a chill tone and the crew is just wonderful. Everybody’s lovely. A lovely group of people.

The season four finale reveals that Lester (Teddy Coluca) is the victim for season five and Téa Leoni is going to be involved to some degree. Do you know anything about the next installment that you can tease?

Noooo. I know nothing. I barely knew anything about mine. (Laughs) But I’m sure it’ll be very interesting and very exciting.

Will you be watching?

Oh yeah, absolutely!

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Only Murders in the Building season four is now streaming its full season on Hulu. Read THR’s interview with showrunner John Hoffman on the season four finale, and analysis on the season five murder.