If, instead of becoming an actor, Allison Tolman had become a nurse, you would have wanted her to be your nurse. As Alex on NBC's new hit mockumentary sitcom "St. Denis Medical," the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated performer plays a dedicated and conscience-driven health care worker. And in real life, she's equally firm in her convictions and confident in her skill.

In the wake of her breakout role as Molly in "Fargo" a decade ago, Tolman — with her quick comic timing and down-to-earth persona — could have slid into a reliable supporting role career. Instead, she met the moment with confidence. "I knew coming off 'Fargo' that I was never going to be closer than that to being like, 'I'm a leading lady, and you should treat me a leading lady,'" Tolman recalled during our recent "Salon Talks" conversation. Ten years on — and after starring in acclaimed series like "Downward Dog," "Why Women Kill" and "Emergence," Tolman still holds firm on what she wants and how she works.

"If they mention the character's body type," she says, "I pass immediately. It's lazy and weird." And on the set of "St. Denis," even though she and her colleagues, like David Alan Grier and Wendi McLendon-Covey, are sketch comedy and improv veterans, "We're pretty disciplined," she says. "As funny as the cast is and as varied as their backgrounds are, we don't improvise off-subject and waste everyone's time." No wonder then, that Tolman seems uniquely suited to lead a show that gently pokes fun at one of the nation's most frustrating, body-shaming, time-wasting industries. "There's very little snark," Tolman says, "Every episode is funny, but it also has these tender, sweet human moments."

Watch my "Salon Talks" episode with Tolman here, or read the conversation below, to hear more about how her father's illness impacted her decision to do "St. Denis," the Cher quote she lives by, and why she has a soft spot for holiday horror movies.

The following conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Can you introduce us to "St. Denis Medical" and the character you play?

St. Denis Medical is a safety net hospital in a medium-sized town in Oregon. I play Alex, who has recently been promoted to be the head nurse in the ER department, which she's excited about. It's a tiny, tiny pay bump, but she likes responsibility, and she thinks she does things right all the time. She's happy to be able to teach other people how to do things her way.

That's the world that we live in, by the nature of the fact that it's a hospital that's really underfunded. The patients coming in are from all different walks of life. It's a little bit like the island of misfit toys. Everyone who's in there and everyone who works there has made the choice that this is where they want to spend their time and spend their career.

You're up-front about being choosy with new projects. What was it about this show and Alex that attracted you to it?

It's funny because I have been so choosy about the things that I do. I also never pictured myself on a network sitcom at all. I feel like I've been chasing "Fargo" and working towards more prestige television. I want to get another Emmy nomination. I want to fire a gun, and be cool, and run around.

I did not see myself on a network sitcom, but the script came along, [and] I've always wanted to do a mockumentary. I love mockumentaries. My father had been sick the year before, so I had spent more time in the medical industrial complex than I ever had. I was feeling close to the subject matter.

"You can spend hours on a set watching two people improvise at each other and thinking, 'This will never make it into anything.'"

Also, while my father was sick,........

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