‘24’s’ new bombshell

MARY LYNN RAJSKUB’S mother’s mother’s mother ran a boarding house for Irish sailors. The comedian and actress, born in 1971, grew up in Detroit. For her fourth season on “24” as scowly office-geek superhero Chloe O’Brian, she’s been escalated to second billing. She also appears in “American Fork,” starring Hubbel Palmer and William Baldwin, which will show at Slamdance in Park City, Utah, this month. With “24” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” in which she played Pageant Assistant Pam, both up for awards, this year was her first at the Golden Globes.

You know, when I was a kid, getting blown up in a nuclear bomb in Lancaster or Newhall or whatever was my worst nightmare.

It’s really scary! It’s bizarre to be acting out scenes and talking about the bomb that’s taking out Los Angeles and how many people it’s gonna kill. It’s freaky to be saying those words. It’s like last season, when the president turned out to be so bad and we heard the recording of him saying all this horrible [uh, stuff], and even though it’s imaginary, you can’t help but be thinking, wow, what if your president was saying that?

Well, it’s a confusing parallel reality, man!

Kiefer Sutherland -- I saw this thing online -- at the DVD release party, he was talking about how our show is a fantasy. It was created because first they came up with a 24-hour period and then came up with concepts that would serve that premise. And this was before 9/11. It wasn’t meant to be echoing or mirroring something that could happen in our world. But here we are in this world.

Over the summer you went to D.C., did a panel with Michael Chertoff -- the head of Homeland Security -- and then went to the White House for lunch. How weird was that?

Yeah! It’s totally bizarre. It’s one of those actor moments, where you’re looking at yourself going, “How did I get here?” It was very cool because there’s lots of fans in Washington. It’s one of those shows that crosses the political line -- from liberals to Republicans. It’s kind of cool. I got to go in the Oval Office. We got to see things that most people don’t get to see.

Oh, man. What’s the Oval Office like?

It’s just surreal. I thought it should be more monumental to me than it was. I was so completely out of my body. It’s very cream. Very cream-colored.

It’s beyond crazy when people confuse actors with their characters. I bet it happens to Pam Anderson all the time too.

Yeah, that’s true. Because you don’t really know what the person is like -- you just know what you associate them with. I don’t mind being associated with a computer genius.

Tell me everything about the Golden Globes.

The only thing you really need to know is that Puffy told me I was gangsta. That was the highlight of my evening. And the other one is when I was upset because I was sitting at a table by myself with no one from my show ... -- I was like, wow, how glamorous. So I was like, I’m outta here, and then I went to the bar and I saw Sheryl Crow and I was like, I’m so alone and so empty inside.

Thank God. She’s nice!

She’s awesome. I was in her video a long time ago and she totally remembered me. We had a long talk about the loneliness of award shows.

Well, it’s such an odd thing. You have to walk past like 8,000 photographers --

Weirdly the red carpet was the funnest part. I thought once I got in I’d be around all my people. No, not so much. I found them by the bar.

And you didn’t even bring a date!

No, I only had one ticket!

I have a feeling you’re not going to want to attend a lot of awards shows in the future.

I innocently go in and think this will be a lot of fun. Oh, it was fun. But you’ve gotta have low expectations. And go with the fact that you’re alone and eating a three-course meal.

Well, you looked marvelous.

I felt marvelous! I felt strong, powerful!

And now you’re on your way to London to promote “24.” Good luck with the crazy British press!

I’ll be like, I’ve been to the Golden Globes! I’m gangsta!