It’s All Coming Together for ‘On the Air’s’ Marla Rubinoff

On her birthday a year and a half ago, actress Marla Rubinoff was not a happy puppy. Although she was appearing in a wild, wonderful piece--”The Lulu Plays” at the Odyssey Theatre--the actress was miserable. “I was sitting around my apartment thinking, ‘It’s my birthday, I have no boyfriend, this play is costing me money. I have nothing to celebrate.’ ”

Today, Rubinoff has a boyfriend (“he’s 6-foot-4, gorgeous, owns Nathan’s Hot Dogs chains”), an ongoing role as the receptionist on TV’s “The New WKRP in Cincinnati”--and now, a starring part in David Lynch’s new oddball comedy series, “On the Air,” playing Betty, the daffy lead actress on the make-believe “Lester Guy Show.”

Although others describe Betty as a “dim bulb,” Rubinoff defends her as “an innocent--like me 20 years ago. She’s not dumb, just stuck in 7 years old. And she comes from love.”

As for Lynch, “I can’t say anything about him that’s not good. He’s brilliant.” The actress is less sanguine, however, about the show’s time slot. “It’s ABC’s worst night,” she says dryly. “And people into hipness are usually out doing their hip things at 9:30 on Saturday. But I think we’ll survive.”

Born in Michigan, she grew up in the San Fernando Valley with her surgeon father and psychologist mother. Now, with a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA, she’s going for a Ph.D. in psychology at Pepperdine--and racking up the 3,000 work-hours needed for the degree.

“Everyone keeps telling me that psychology is like acting,” she muses. “I don’t think they’re alike at all. Anyone who tells you acting isn’t fun is lying. It’s one of the funnest things to do. I think all performers are narcissists--which isn’t bad. But they need approval, and acting is a healthy way to take care of that need. As a psychologist, you listen to other people, try to help them . It’s a very giving thing, like unconditional love.”