Former Norman resident Megyn Price discusses co-starring in CBS sitcom “Rules of Engagement”

Getting a breather from the fast pace of filming a television show is one of the reasons actress Megyn Price likes coming back to the city where she grew up.

Family is the most important reason, however.

Price, 40, who grew up in Norman, is married and has a 3½-year-old daughter, Grace.

She also stars in the CBS sitcom about relationships, “Rules of Engagement,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays.

Fellow cast members are: Patrick Warburton (who plays her character Audrey's husband, Jeff), David Spade, Bianca Kajlich, Oliver Hudson and Adhir Kalyan.

Price fielded some questions about returning home, the series, and her co-stars Warburton and Spade, during a phone interview.

Q: How often do you come back to Oklahoma?

A: As often as I possibly can. My mom's terrified to fly, so I try to bring my daughter back as much as possible.

Q: If you want to see your mom, you've got to come back.

A: Yeah, exactly. My mom, my sisters, my nieces are still there, some new nephews, all kinds of family still there.

Q: Do you have a favorite place you like to visit when you're in Norman?

A: Oh, yes. One of my good friends from high school opened this store called Forward Foods on Main Street. It is unbelievable. It's literally better than food shops we have in L.A. or New York.

There's a cheese counter, they have all these different varieties of olives.

They have every kind of like pasta that you can buy in bulk, like in loose bins, of these cool-shaped pastas.

They truck in organic everything. It's the most incredible gourmet shop. Plus, they make great cappuccino, and they have a little lunch area, too, where they make sandwiches and stuff. ... I think they have another shop in the city, too.

Q: So what's coming up on “Rules of Engagement” as this season comes to an end?

A: Well, we have this crazy story line, me and my husband ... I tried to get pregnant, it was a no-go and now we have a surrogate, who is actually one of Jeff's friends from softball. It's very strange, and I think sounds very out there when I describe it, and somehow it makes sense when it's all put in terms of a sitcom.

... The whole thing is very strange and I really fought it at the beginning. I kept saying this is ridiculous. This would never happen ... and I think that our writers just manage to find the funny in whatever the situation is. So, it almost doesn't matter what's going on, it's like they find funny things about every single situation.

Last year we had, you know, this infertility story line, and I personally never had those issues, but I have lots of friends who've had those issues, and I said, “You guys, there's nothing funny about this. This is going to be hurtful. It's too sensitive a topic.”

And sure enough, they managed to find absolutely hysterical aspects of it, and I think mostly it's because several of our writers had gone through those issues themselves. So, they knew that once you get so focused on something, you become crazy. So they found the absurd.

Q: Are there any hints you can give about the finale?

A: I don't know about the finale. I know that there is an upcoming story line that I happen to love, not because it's about my real life, but it's just such a fun dynamic to play, which is Audrey gets a raise and rather than just being happy for her, Jeff gets very threatened.

... The whole episode was about sort of money issues, but money in terms of power in a relationship.

And I think that's, well, at least for my friends and family, that's the No. 1 thing that people fight about.

So, it was kind of great that they tackled that issue and turned it into something that, you will laugh, I mean you will laugh.

And it all hits very close to home ... who wears the pants in the family and all that kind of stuff. And it's very funny to see Jeff very threatened.

Q: How is being married to Patrick Warburton on TV?

A: (Laughs) It's so funny 'cause he is so what-you-see-is-what-you-get. He is just kind of an old school, traditional, conservative man. He's a lot like, kind of like my dad was, in a way. Yeah, he's just what's right is right, what's wrong is wrong. If anybody were to be mean to me, Patrick would smash them into the ground ... he's the most protective, dad-like figure. And he's just so kind ... he's very Oklahoma if you ask me, although he's not from Oklahoma, but he reminds of a guy from Oklahoma, and that's a compliment.

Q: How is working with David Spade?

A: He's another one who has a reputation as being a ladies' man and all these things. ... He shows up for his friends. He's the most loyal human being. I know no one wants to hear these 'cause they're not scandalous items about him, but I don't have scandalous stories about him. I have that I think he's (a) great dad, I think he's an incredible friend to his friends, and he's the most professional person I've probably ever worked with.

He is so present when we do our scenes that he can improv on things on the spot, he's 100 percent in the scenes and that kind of work ethic, just from a professional standpoint, is sadly kind of rare, so, to me it's a relief.

And I love doing scenes with him because I know he's never going to drop the ball on the joke. I know that he's never going to not deliver. He always delivers.