Ann Arbor native Carol Banker — a script supervisor and two-time director for “Glee” this season — recently recalled a memorable first job interview with filmmaker Kevin Smith.

A friend of Banker’s was slated to work as a producer for “Mallrats,” so Banker was called in for a possible job, too. “I remember going into this office with two doors, and I don’t know if I even sat down,” said Banker. “Kevin just said to me, ‘Did you see “Clerks”?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘Did you think it was funny?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ And I got the job. He didn’t have script supervisor for ‘Clerks,’ obviously, but ‘Mallrats’ was going to be his first big Hollywood movie. So he knew he needed one, but he wanted someone who was a fan.”

After “Mallrats,” Banker worked as a script supervisor for Smith on “Jersey Girl,” “Dogma,” “Clerks II,” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” (A script supervisor focuses on continuity, acts as the director’s right hand, and is the writer and editor’s representative on set.)

“I adore him,” said Banker of Smith. “I just love him to death. … Here’s the thing: if you’re a script supervisor, you’re going to be sitting next to (the director) all day, every day of the shoot. So it helps if you click, and it’s painful if you don’t. … I’m very opinionated. I’ll often give my opinion, and sometimes that’s welcome, sometimes, it’s not, and you’re viewed as overstepping your place. (Smith)’s not that way. He always asks my opinion. He solicits it. And we also laugh together all day long, and that helps get you through the long days.”

Banker hasn’t worked on Smith’s more recent projects, though, because “Glee” has kept her tied up. Though she has worked as script supervisor for most of the show’s episodes, creator Ryan Murphy hand-picked her to direct the episode “Furt,” which featured a guest appearance by Carol Burnett as Sue Sylvester’s Nazi-hunter mother, and the joyful wedding of Kurt’s dad and Finn’s mom.

Why match Banker with this particular episode? There might be several reasons. “Mike O’Malley, who plays Burt (Kurt’s father) — he’s an actor that requires a lot of conversation when he’s working, and some directors get impatient with that, but I don’t,” said Banker. “So I think that was part of it. Ryan also wanted to give me the chance to come out with a bang, and Carol Burnett being in it (ensured that). Plus, I’m older, so I grew up watching Carol Burnett. … But the storyline was really tough to do, tonally. I think that’s why she hasn’t been back. … In a previous episode, it was mentioned that Sue’s parents were Nazi hunters, so we had to make her a Nazi hunter; … but fortunately, the joy of the wedding balanced out the storyline.”

Here's the teaser trailer for "Furt":

According to Banker, the tonal challenges that often surround Jane Lynch’s larger-than-life Sue Sylvester character also plague Stephen Tobolowsky’s Sandy Ryerson. “That’s why he’s not around much,” said Banker. “The network is very freaked out by that character. … An entire musical number that he did ended up being left out of my episode. It was hilarious, but the network’s just terrified of him.”

The other episode that Banker directed this season was “A Night of Neglect,” in which the glee club staged a fundraiser concert that only drew hecklers. And while some script supervisors — a position often held by women (a holdover from history, when the job title was nicknamed “script girl”) — stay in that position throughout their careers, Banker pursued it as a means of becoming a director.

But finding her way in the still male-dominated field of film and television directing hasn’t been easy.

“I think young girls today don’t pay much attention to it, because it seems fine when you’re just starting out,” said Banker. “You move here from the Midwest, you have a strong work ethic, and you move up, but only to a certain place. As a woman, it’s not until you get up there that you notice it so much.

"I got into (the Director’s Guild of America) 11 years ago, as a TV director, and I’d assumed that that was the tough part — getting in. … But it becomes clear what a man’s world it still is. I’ve watched it many, many times. When a man gets his foot in the door, it’s a given that he’ll be fine, and that he’ll move forward at a typical pace. But that’s not true with women. I’ve been working at this for 10 years, and still, my directing career is very spotty. … Sometimes I think that it’s easy to say that it’s because I’m a woman - maybe I’m just not that good. But I don’t think that’s true. I’ve gotten glowing reviews in the L.A. Times for my work. It’s just different for women. … For a long time, I fought to try to change that. But I’m tired of the fight. Now I just want to work.”

Banker thus hopes to leave script supervising behind, and she’s talked with Murphy about concentrating more exclusively on directing.

“’Glee’ works on a different model than a lot of TV shows,” said Banker. “(Murphy) has to approve everything. He doesn’t delegate. He’s smart and talented, so that helps, but it’s a big show to pull together. … At the risk of outing a problem, we don’t get scripts on time — which is something that’s very common, but you don’t generally talk about it professionally, since it’s like biting the hand that feeds you. But ultimately that means you don’t have much prep time to deal with tone and storytelling. And there are so many characters — it takes some rumination to sort everything out, and that process is necessarily sped up.”

Even so, Banker noted that “’Glee’ is a joyful set. It’s interesting. We’re often frustrated that we don’t have the scripts or music ready to go, or we’re tired, but we generally have fun. We all like everyone we work with, and everyone loves the cast — which is definitely not always the case.”

Of course, Banker — a Pioneer High grad who started college at Michigan State University before transferring and earning a film degree at the University of Michigan (’87) — works among several Wolverines, including breakout star Darren Criss (“Darren is such a huge fan of Ann Arbor — it’s very sweet,” said Banker) and supervising producer Brad Buecker, as well as Michigan natives who work on the crew as stand-ins, in wardrobe, and as a production assistant.

Banker was first inspired to work in show business after seeing “The Deer Hunter” while growing up; and she first cut her professional teeth working on Roger Corman’s low-budget, quick-turnaround projects. She then worked as a script supervisor for various films and television shows like “The X-Files,” which - as was true when the “Glee” team filmed parts of the season finale in New York City a few weeks ago — often drew out mobs of fans.

Dealing with these logistical hiccups can make a 70-75 hour work week even more challenging, of course.

“I just spoke at a high school to kids who want to get into the industry, and what I told them was, ‘You can’t be afraid of hard work,’” said Banker. “It’s not glamorous, and it’s not easy. It’s kind of like working in the circus.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.