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An Interview With Mindy Kaling

Written on November 27, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Mindy Kaling

Huffington Post:

Bookish: When you were a little kid, what was your favorite book?

Mindy Kaling: I loved a book called “The Westing Game,” which was a murder mystery. It didn’t really condescend to kids, which I liked. I’m very sensitive to books that are condescending, and I felt that book was just a great, well-written mystery thriller that happened to be popular with kids.

Bookish: When it comes to books, do you have any guilty pleasures?

MK: We all know the difference between me enjoying Sweet Valley High versus James Joyce. As a kid, I always loved serialized books. It’s the reason why people love Harry Potter. Serialization is amazing. It works in television. It works in film and it works in books. Especially when you’re a young kid, you get attached to these characters.

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The New Yorker Interviews Mindy Kaling

Written on October 18, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Mindy Kaling

The New Yorker:

Speaking of romantic comedies, what’s it like working with James Spader?
When James started on “The Office,” I watched his scenes in “Pretty in Pink” on YouTube, and I was, like, Wow, James Spader was straight-up, unironically hot—blonde and hot.

He’s pretty great on the set. Unlike any other actor I’ve ever worked with, he always wants to talk about things. He’s intimidating, because he’s such a smart guy. And he’s so sensual—it’s sort of unnerving.

You write in the book about some of your less positive experiences writing for “The Office.” Do you worry about what your co-writers will think?
Comedy writers have the most fragile egos. It’s not that they’re offended by what you say, but more that you omitted sparkling parts of their résumés. I’m used to showing everyone what I write, but this had to be more private, because, inevitably, they just wanted to see the stuff about them.

I love your idea of remaking “Ghostbusters” with a female cast starring you, Emily Blunt, Taraji Henson, and Natalie Portman. Who would be your Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?
That T-Mobile girl in the pink dress. Every guy I know has a crush on her—she’s pretty and pristine and not edgy at all. She looks like the best girlfriend. Either her or a bottle of coconut water. Wherever I go, there’s a bottle of coconut water.

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Josh Groban On His Office Role

Written on October 15, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Josh Groban, season 8

National Post:
Josh Groban On His Office Role

Q Most people will recognize you as a singer but you’ve flirted with acting your whole life.
A When I was young I was really interested in theatre, so I guess the first thing that got me interested in acting was the idea that I’d hoped to be a theatre actor at one point. I was really fascinated with Shakespeare and I loved improv. When I was in eighth and ninth grade I joined an improv troupe in LA and eventually went on to a wonderful arts high school and studied theatre there, and before I was signed to my record label I was a freshmen at Carnegie Mellon and studied musical theatre there so acting was definitely at least half of what I wanted to accomplish in the arts.

Q How did the opportunity to appear on The Office come about?
A When Mindy Kaling asked me to do the show, she actually direct message Tweeted me. I was shocked to hear from her. And I said, “I’d love to do the show; when are you thinking?’ and it just so happened that the week they were taping the episode was the exact week, out of an eight month tour that I’m doing, that I happened to be in the Los Angeles area. It was 100 per cent serendipity and I’m so happy that the stars lined up for that.

Q As a longtime fan of the show, how did it feel stepping into that world?
A The really cool thing about this particular episode was that it’s such an ensemble episode. As a fan of the show, showing up at Schrute Farms and seeing everybody that I love from the show gathered in one place was really an amazing, pinch-me moment for me.

Q On the episode, you play Walter Jr, Andy’s younger and more successful brother. In real life, you share a birthday with your younger brother, which must have caused some awkward moments. Did you see any similarities in your character’s relationship with his brother to that of your own?
A Subconsciously, I think there’s always a rivalry in the family, whether you choose to admit it or not. I adore my brother to death. The dynamic, especially when you’re exactly four years apart and you have to share a birthday from the age of four on – when it was 10 and 14, a little bit awkward, after that we were able to settle into our ages and now we can go and have a beer and talk about anything. I’m sure that he and I will get a really great laugh out of this episode because, at certain points in our lives, there are similarities between us and Andy and Walter Jr.

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Why Andy Bernard Replaced Michael Scott

Written on September 27, 2011 by Nette in Ed Helms, Interviews, Paul Lieberstein, season 8

NYMag:

In his first interview since the promotion was made public, Office showrunner Paul Lieberstein tells Vulture that Andy shared one trait with Michael that ultimately made him best suited for the role: They’re both people persons.

“The Andy character is very different from Michael, but one of the things they have in common is that they both put people first and relationships first,” says Lieberstein (who also plays HR chief Toby Flenderson). “And at the end of it, that’s why he won the day.” Andy’s need to be pals with his co-workers was clear in Thursday’s season opener: In his meeting with Robert California, he was most concerned with getting approval for a four-day Columbus Day holiday. “His last priority in the meeting was the fact that [the branch] had lost its biggest client,” Lieberstein says, adding that Helms has been having a good time in his new post. “He’s been doing some hilarious stuff on set, just killing it,” he says.

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Hollywood.com Interview With Ellie Kemper

Written on September 26, 2011 by Nette in Ellie Kemper, Interviews

Hollywood.com:

Let’s start off with Bridesmaids. It’s such a huge, huge hit. You’re now kind of billed as Ellie Kemper from Bridesmaids and The Office, which are two big things. Did you think that the film was going to be such a vehicle for that kind of success when you started?

I am so—I know everyone says this—but I am so lucky to have been a part of that movie. I think, when we were making it, I wasn’t in charge of anything. I didn’t write it, I wasn’t producing it, I wasn’t directing it, so I sort of just got to have fun. I had fun during the whole process of it. The ladies on that movie are so generous, and so without any kind of ego or agenda. It really was just a pleasure to make that movie. So when making it, I personally wasn’t thinking, “Is this going to be a breakout? Is this going to be a blockbuster?” or whatever. Of course, we all hoped it did well. But the experience of making it was a lot of fun. And it was such a treat that it did really well. I lucked out being a part of that. Because like I said, I just—I’m not trying to sound guilty—I just got to have fun on that movie. It was really cool.

So how did you initially get involved? I know Paul Feig has worked on The Office as a producer. Is that the avenue that got you in?

Yeah, I think that it was Paul—who had directed and produced on The Office for many years. And then Allison Jones, who does the casting for The Office, she had also called me, and she did the casting on Bridesmaids. So those two were people I actually knew. As far as the other actresses in it, I hadn’t met anyone before. I hadn’t met the writers either. So obviously I got to know them from being [in the movie]. So I think that was how I got into the audition room.

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The New Regional Manager of The Office Speaks

Written on September 22, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, season 8, Spoilers

SPOILER WARNING! Do not read this if you haven’t watched the season 8 premiere episode, “The List”.

Read this incredible TVLine interview with the new boss of The Office.

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Steve Carell Turns Focus to Movies Now

Written on July 26, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Steve Carell

Daily Herald:

Steve Carell is not going through Michael Scott withdrawal —at least not yet.

“I don’t sit at home and think of ‘that’s what she said’ jokes and wish that I could do them one more time,” says the actor, laughing. “But it’s only been a few months, too, so I haven’t really had any time. All of that is still fresh to me.”

Carell’s sendoff from “The Office” (for which he received a parting Emmy nomination) is still fresh in many viewers’ minds, too. The emotional hubbub over his exit after seven seasons caught Carell by surprise. He was flattered, he says, but, with typical humility, considers it “just an actor leaving a show.”

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The Boston Globe: Kickin’ Back With Steve Carell

Written on July 24, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Steve Carell

The Boston Globe

Steve Carell is on the cover of the July 24th Boston Globe magazine. Inside they have a wonderful article and interview.

Read the full article and photos here»

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NYMag Jenna Fischer Interview

Written on July 23, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Jenna Fischer

Warning: This article is a little spoilerish at times.

The Office’s Jenna Fischer on her Indie Drama A Little Help, hiding her pregnancy, and Michael Scott’s replacement:

Your character in this movie is so different from Pam.

Laura is the least like me personally of any character I’ve ever played. She was this very pretty girl in high school and things came very easily to her. That was not my experience at all. I was kind of a wallflower. I was neither a nerd nor popular, I just went unnoticed.

In the scene where she has a big fight with her son, did it feel wrong yelling and swearing at a kid, even though it was just acting?

That was one of the reasons I wanted to do the movie, because I thought the scene was just so raw and so real. I think that a lot of parents are going to relate to that scene; in their fantasy, maybe they wish they could say how they’re really feeling.

It was hard at first to imagine you as the mother of a 12-year-old. You don’t look old enough!

When I first read the role I thought, Oh, I’d love to play this part, but I’m too young. And then of course I stopped and thought, I have friends who are my age and they have 12-year-old children. So I clearly am not!

Chris O’Donnell is also in the film, and he’s another actor who doesn’t seem to age. He looks pretty much the same as he did in Scent of a Woman.

He does. He’s so handsome. He’s a father of five, how about that? It was so cool to work with him. I’ve been a fan of his since Fried Green Tomatoes.

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Jenna Fischer Looks Forward to Season 8 of The Office.

Written on July 18, 2011 by Nette in Audio, Interviews, Jenna Fischer

FOX interviewed Jenna Fischer about season 8 of The Office.

Listen here»

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Jenna Fischer Talks About Her Pregnancy

Written on July 16, 2011 by Nette in Interviews, Jenna Fischer

DigitalSpy:

Jenna Fischer has revealed that she is suffering from remarkably few of the negative side effects of pregnancy.

The Office star, who recently announced that she is expecting her first child, confessed that she feels fortunate to be having such an easy pregnancy.

“I’ve been really lucky, I’ve had a really easy pregnancy,” Fischer told E! Online. “Before all the pregnant women at home get mad at me for saying that, I just want them all to know that, while I did not have morning sickness, I have plenty of cellulite and it’s okay. I’ve been cursed in other ways.”

Fischer went on to discuss her cravings, revealing that they have changed over the course of the pregnancy.

“In the beginning it was a lot of macaroni and cheese and Lucky Charms,” she said. “Now it’s a lot of strawberries.”

Photo credit: SimplyJennaFischer

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