“If you’re an actor, you’re trying as hard as you can to be out of control all the while that you also have to be in control of being out of control,” said Warren Beatty.

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Went to the Marriott Marquis where the stage door is almost right in Times Square to see Allison Janney, who is so miraculous onstage these nights in the Dolly Parton musical of “9 to 5.” (For someone skilled in the acting business but not really a singer or dancer, her prowess is astonishing!)

Everybody in America is in love with Allison Janney anyway – and they have been ever since her seven years as the president’s press secretary on “The West Wing.” People all feel they “know” Allison and a lot of her fans expect or hope she’ll become their new best friend.

I suffer from such mythic fan seizures myself. And sure enough, Allison, who is playing what they call the Lily Tomlin part (if you are harking back to the iconic movie of the same name) turns out to be just what you’d expect and hope for. (It’s always so great when a famous actor does not break your heart by being a jerk in person.)

I tried to tell Allison how the public feels about her. She resisted as if I were kidding. So then I segued into Dolly Parton and how her lovability factor is way up there. I said I believed Dolly could double park or commit a crime right there in Times Square and she’d be let off scot-free. Allison laughed: “It’s true. I agree. Dolly’s  lovability factor is very high. And people seem to adore this show. I had never done a musical before and the fans for this are just unbelievable. They are all infused with love for Dolly, for the idea, for the memory of the film and they are so supportive. It’s really thrilling to be doing something that is so different for me. I’m not really a singer, although I am studying like crazy with vocal coach Liz Kaplan.

“The only time I ever sang before was for a breast-cancer benefit where I performed the Larry Hart song ‘Zip’ with special lyrics sending up people in L.A.”

"How did you trip into ‘9 to 5’?" I asked. Allison said, "Well, I had worked before with Joe Mantello. He thought I could do this and I guess I just trusted his judgment. You know, I once did a little play for him in New York called ‘Fat Men in Skirts.’ I remember going onstage and I felt nobody in the audience was looking at me or paying any attention to me.

“So I looked hard at the audience and there were Jackie Onassis, John Kennedy Jr., Al Pacino, Ellen Burstyn and Mike Nichols sitting down front. No wonder no one was looking at me! Well, anyway, I had a great letter from Mike Nichols after and he has become a real supporter. But I let Mantello talk me into this musical.”

We talked about the first thing that happens in “9 to 5” – a man crosses the stage with a big erection. She seemed to muse. “Y – e – sss! But it’s funny, kind of sweet, it’s not vulgar.”