Pulse: Chatter: Five Questions for…

How did the movie people find you?
It was my first competition, and some people pulled me aside and yelled, “We got a newbie!” I said, “Yeah, it’s my first time”…which it obviously wasn’t. I’ve been married for 30 years!

When did you realize you were good at crosswords?
In the summer of ’67, I would take the ferry to New York City, and all the commuters would try to get the Times puzzle done by the time we reached the other side. I would finish. Not everyone did.

Are there perks to being a crossword whiz?
No. It’s totally useless. There are things I know because I saw them in a puzzle, but mostly things like the names of certain arias.

Sudoku. Discuss.
It’s boring, because they aren’t funny or memorable.

Did you enter that competition again this year?
I lost on an eight-letter answer to “Place for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.” I thought it was “Irish bar,” and it was “Irish pub.”