Betty Gilpin and Tony Hale Talk Improv and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl [Interview]

In Netflix’s Office Romance, nothing is off the table. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein steam up the screen as Jackie Cruz and Daniel Blanchflower, an unlikely duo who, through forced proximity, must address their growing feelings for each other. Office Romance marks the return of the raunchy rom-com, though it sometimes doesn’t always hit the mark.

However, it’s still a fun movie, and that is largely in part because of the incredible cast of comics, including Amy Sedaris and Roger Bart. At its core, Office Romance is about letting yourself feel rather than keeping it bottled up. Also, it definitely doesn’t skimp on the more R-rated aspects.

Speaking with stars Betty Gilpin and Tony Hale, we discussed some of the zaniest aspects of the film. Gilpin, who plays Sydney Bloom, Jackie’s right-hand woman. In this film Gilpin gets to play it a little more unbuttoned, which she said was a role she had really been waiting for.

I think that it’s a fun phase of my life and career to step into. You know, I’m almost 40. So in my 20s the rise of the manic pixie dream girl was happening in film and I would always, in my audition, play them like Sydney–like an insane woman holding a goblet with a plan to destroy the world. And they’d be like ‘You can get a call back for the crazy aunt.’ So to play people like Sydney finally it feels like I can really take her out for a spin in the funnest way.

Hale plays George Dudek, the beleaguered HR manager who must deal with a slew of confessions at the end of the film. Some of them are normal, while some seem so out there that they can only be something off the cuff. Chatting with him, we asked how much, if any, of that was improv.

Yeah, a lot of it was improv’d. And that was such a gift on the set because it’s not always this way. I mean, it’s not always, but they were like, ‘Hey, let’s have fun, play with it, come up with your ideas.’ And that is a gift to an actor, especially on a comedy.

Office Romance is streaming on Netflix now. Check out our full conversation below.

About “OFFICE ROMANCE”

Jackie Cruz, President and CEO of Air Cruz, runs a tight ship in her business, including a rigid anti-fraternization policy for all her employees. When Daniel Blanchflower begins working for her, that policy becomes well-tested as the two begin to slowly–but surely–fall in love.

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