Alison Court Was Pregnant While Filming The Big Comfortable Sofa Season Finale (Exclusive)

• Alison Court played Lunette the Clown in the series Large comfortable sofa from 1992 to 2002
• At 16, she helped with a demo, unaware that she was embarking on a multi-year journey as Loonette the Clown.
• Alison remembers filming her final season Large comfortable sofa six months pregnant with my son

Alison Court was still a teenager when she started playing Lunette the Clown on Large comfortable sofa.

The Canadian children’s series of the early 1990s received such success that the actress could not have imagined. What seemed like “just a job” at the time turned into a big part of her life, Court tells PEOPLE.

“At first it was just, ‘This is the character I play and my life outside of it.’ And then I started talking to little kids who loved the show,” says the 50-year-old actress. “I knew I had to be on my best behavior, but there was still a lot of distance between the show and the impact it had on the world.”

There was no sign that the show would become a phenomenon in the early days, with Court clowning around with her co-stars in the summer heat.

“I remember our first season. Where we filmed, we didn’t have air conditioning at the time, and we filmed in July. The noses we wore in the first season were made of a heavier rubber material,” she recalls.

“Our lighting director turned off the set lights when we went to lunch and it was 104 degrees in the studio. Obviously with all the lighting it was much bigger. We try to film these scenes and our noses get tense. we just roll down our faces because the glue melts,” she laughs.

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Court played Loonette throughout the series’ original run, from 1992 to 1996. There was a long hiatus until her final season as the character in 2002.

“We were given the green light for the last 13 episodes and there were conversations about a feature film, so everyone was involved in those conversations. We supported the property,” she explains.

“That’s when dolls first started appearing. At first it was Molly dolls, and everyone wanted a Molly doll. Then books and videos appeared. They started making other toys such as Snicklefritz dolls. There were even Loonette dolls, and some spoke. Loonette dolls, which was strange, but the main thing is that everything continues.”

She continues: “When we came back for season six in 2002, I was already touring and pregnant. Working this season while six months pregnant was also incredible because I can watch these episodes and I’m like, “There’s my son, he’s there. He was there this season.” ”

It meant a lot to Kourt to embrace motherhood while still keeping Loonette a part of her.

“I was going to become a mother, and I had so much experience working with small children that there was a great desire to do this. I wanted to be a part of it because it’s almost a legacy at this point, isn’t it? , it came back and we did those 13 episodes,” she says.

Court’s son, Blade, was just two months old when he first began to realize that the character and his mother were one and the same. She was preparing to work with a charity called Dreams fly away

“The charity is partnering with Air Canada to fly children to Disney World for a day. The only criteria is if something in your childhood prevents you from going to Disneyland – be it illness, economic hardship, abuse – and we’ll take those kids for the day.”

Preparing for the appearance: “I was in my hotel room putting on my suit. I have my son lying on my bed and he’s looking at me (strangely enough) because I’m wearing a suit. I was like, “No, sweetie.” It’s me. This is mom,” she shares.

“I remember him looking at me and suddenly you just see recognition. He starts smiling when he realizes I’m a mom,” she continues. “It was one of the most impressive moments watching my son put them together and then feel comfortable with me as Loonette.”

When he got a little older: “His dad would sometimes play episodes if I had to go to work. Comfortable sofa episodes because he knew it was mom.”

Court also notes that this charity has become more meaningful, especially after she became a mother herself.

“It changed everything. It’s a tough thing,” she says of her philanthropic work, which has included organizations such as Dreams fly away And Make a wish.

“Once I started getting involved with a lot of charities, it kind of completely consumed me. I would say it made me a better person, but it really took its toll, especially at this age. I do charity work more than anything else. more.”

Court is grateful for the opportunity to see the mark Loonette left on fans’ hearts, and for the opportunity to see how that mark will endure years later.

“It feeds my soul because people are so genuinely kind. They just want to express love and gratitude. At that point, you can see them becoming little kids again,” she says.

“Especially when we take photos together and then I put my nose up so they don’t notice, and then they look at each other and just lose it. They’re such flighty little kids again. So it was wonderful to be a part of something that had such an impact on people for decades.”

Today Blade is already an adult and has a very healthy attitude towards his mother’s fame.

“He’s typical in the sense of, ‘Oh, I don’t want to talk about my mom,’ which is what I wanted. He needs to live his own life and live in his own world, not in my bubble. But I also joked with him once, he was a teenager, and I ended up best wingman Always. And he didn’t know what that meant, but I said, “Trust me.” ”

“Right before Christmas, right before the pandemic, I took gifts to school for his teachers and stuff. I came to drop them off and he said, “Hey, a couple of my friends want to meet you,” and they were girls. … In the past, Blade kind of ignored it. He was always quiet, but he felt dizzy. And I remember whispering to him as I was leaving: “I told you so, the best wingman.” ”

While Blade wasn’t always thrilled with Loonette the Clown, Court scored plenty of points for her role in the animated film. Scott Pilgrim.

“I did a little casting in Canada, and it was cool. He likes it Scott Pilgrim so much so that I was excited to finally be a part of something my son would think was cool.”

“It’s funny because he’s very stubborn,” she adds. “He’s very confident. He is also incredibly brilliant and creative. I can see what he wants – he does his thing and I can give him comments or criticism and he will act like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. But then sometimes he ends up doing what I suggested or something like that.”

“I know he values ​​my opinion, especially with the amount of work I’ve done,” Court says, “and I think he’s starting to respect it more.”