LeBlanc: It’s tough. I just went down there for the first time since it all happened. It was hard. Not as bad as what it was initially, because I was really braced to see horrors, and it’s horrible enough, but you know it’s a day at a time. I was so hopeful. I gutted my dad’s house. We lost my dad’s house. My house is okay, and I was under a little construction anyway. But just to see people hammering on their roofs. Slowly but surely. They had Mardi Gras this year. It turned into a real neighborhood thing. I got so many fantastic phone calls. And for all the sad stories you hear, there are some amazing stories. It’s still rough. The looting goes on. I feel for the people. My father was insured, and it was hard for him, but he has family and had places to go. There are so many people who didn’t have insurance, and it’s so hard to come back. You can be in my neighborhood and if you squint it looks good; there are people there. Then you cross the street and you’re in a wasteland, and it goes on for blocks. It’s like a war zone for blocks and blocks. But again, it’s such a neighborhood town, such a special place. The community will do it. It will be because the locals are really pulling for it. It won’t be a government thing.

YR_Kristen: Were you back there to visit family?

LeBlanc: Yeah. I have a huge family! I went to go work on my house, finish gutting my dad’s house and to see if there was anything salvageable. He’s [my dad] very emotional. My dad’s 81, and some people were just knocked down by it, but he’s just got the life in him! He’s in Lafayette with my sister, and he just keeps on going. It’s so much about your mental attitude. So many people got knocked down by this, and I don’t blame them, but I’m so grateful that my father and family have been resilient. I have one of everything. I had one uncle who was airlifted out of his home because he wouldn’t go, another uncle who was in the Superdome with all that horribleness. But everyone has those stories. I was just down there at Mardi Gras. It’ll be a long haul, but I’m very hopeful.

YR_Kristen: Yes, hopefully the community there will be successful in rebuilding. My last question for you is whether any of your Oscar picks won this year?

LeBlanc: Haha. I have not seen so many movies so I really look forward to catching up. I am a fan of George Clooney, and I’m a huge fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman. He has a body of work that’s amazing. [He’s] one of those types of actors I really admire. So those two choices I was really happy with. And I’ve got to catch up on it all!

YR_Kristen: Well thanks for chatting! Hopefully you can download one of your own wallpapers soon!

LeBlanc: I know! On my own computer!