- Hi, I'm Leighton Meester,
and I'm In Studio with The Hollywood Reporter.
(upbeat music)
- Thank you so much for dropping by.
- Thank you. - So excited to talk to you.
Single Parents finale is tonight.
Now, looking back at the show,
what stood out to you first about the script
and why you wanted to join?
- It definitely started with the team that had sent it.
It was Meriwether and J. J. Philbin,
and Taran was already attached
and I'm just a huge fan of him,
even before but now even more.
So it just seemed like an awesome team.
Jason Winer was going to be directing and executive producing.
And just that marriage of the New Girl humor and writing,
Jason coming from Modern Family and that world,
it became like its own new family, if you will.
Then seeing the group dynamic on the page,
it just made sense.
It was very funny,
I just felt like I was laughing on every page or more.
And I also on top of that
really connected with my character, Angie.
She's like a thread within me of her.
She's a fully-realized person
and I find her to be
in her sardonic, dry, tough wit,
super enjoyable to play,
and also really fun to thread the line
between that side of her and her vulnerability
and being a single mother
and having to be the mom and dad
and caretaker and breadwinner for her entire world.
Trying to make a career, having a kid at a young age.
So it's been humbling and super fun to do.
I also knew that it was just going to be this
really collaborative experience.
- 'Cause Elizabeth Meriwether is very collaborative.
- Yeah, they really are, J. J. is too.
And the second I sat down with them
it really was like, oh, this is such a great,
and not for nothing, women-led team
who really let me have so much input
on what I do, say, wear,
with the direction of my character,
the music she likes, the jokes I get to say and choose.
So yeah, it's just fun.
- Going off what specifically did you have
about how you saw Angie?
- Like I said,
I think there is part of her within me,
which is actually the great thing
about watching any ensemble show for me.
It's like every ensemble I've ever watched I'm like,
yeah, are you a Charlotte or a Samantha or whatever?
- Which one are you?
- I feel like, I guess I'm not any of them specifically,
but what I was going to say is that you're kind of,
on screen it's interesting to watch people be more defined.
But I think everyone can probably see themselves,
I see myself in everybody or them in me.
I mean, I don't know.
I don't want to say too much but a little bit of Samantha.
But yeah, I think Angie, she is very defined, very specific.
Like I said, she's tough and she's kind of a hard-ass.
I mean, she's actually a total hard-ass. (laughs)
I do relate to her in that way to some extent
because I know that chasing a career
and having to sort of go head to head against men
in your work place
and taking care of a kid and trying to be there for them,
all that seems relatable to some extent
probably for every woman, especially mothers.
Yeah, the other side of her is this vulnerable facet
that I probably just naturally have more.
I think I probably cry more than she does.
But that's why it's fun to play her, she's more tough.
Get in here, bitch.
Welcome to girls night!
- This is girls night?
(duct tape ripping) - It is now.
- Now, with any bond with a parent and their child,
obviously it's special,
but with the show, I mean, I grew up with a single mom,
so Angie and Graham's relationship was really touching.
Obviously the show's hilarious
but I get emotional sometimes watching it.
- Oh really? Good.
- Can you talk about why was it important
to show the dynamic of single parents?
- Well, I think that it's cool, it's even the title--
- It's comforting. - It's comforting.
I think it's definitely something that we're broadcasting
that this is what the show is about
and it's not something that's been done before,
surprisingly,
because that is what at least half of this world is.
It's people who have been divorced
or their relationships having worked out
and they're raising their kid
either half the time or all on their own.
So I think that exploring that has been interesting.
Hopefully we're doing it justice.
'Cause we do like to explore how insanely hard it is
and I know as a mom but not a single mom
that it is the hardest job in the entire world,
and I can't even imagine not having help,
somebody to go to for the good things and the bad things
and to just be like, I need a shower, or take the baby.
It must be absolutely insane.
And the fact that Angie has done it
and found an amazing group of friends.
And of course we try to lighten it
and make it relatable and fun.
And I think the other part of it
that is interesting is the fact that they are single
so it's like a wishful element.
There might be some romance.
It's like a swipe on Tinder but on a sitcom.
- That's (mumbles).
- Yeah. (laughs)
And the kids are also very much in the foreground,
which I appreciate.
And I talked early on to the producers and writers
about that whenever you watch a sitcom
it's like the moms have perfect hair and makeup
and their wardrobe.
And someone knocks on the door and I'm always wondering,
where the hell are their dogs barking
and their kid screaming?
They're very much in the foreground,
they have their own storylines.
And of course they're speaking very adult-like
(laughs) in a lot of these scenarios
'cause they're just funny, they're comedians themselves.
It's very sweet.
A lot of our storylines do end up being very sweet,
specially Graham and Angie I think.
He in real life is very much like that.
He is spunky 'cause he's a little kid actor
so he's a little more aware,
but he's just the sweetest kid
and I'm really lucky that I get to be his mom.
- For you and Taran,
what is the key to get this onscreen chemistry right?
- I think it's something you can't really make up
or put your finger on.
I think very early on it was obvious to I think both us,
certainly to me,
that we work well together,
that we can certainly be friends outside of work.
He, unusually, does not have,
or at least doesn't lead with his ego,
he's really just about making the show and the scene better
and helping me and sort of pushing me forward
and making me feel comfortable,
and that's when I feel I'm at my best,
when I feel relaxed.
And he's just a very supportive in-tune person.
And a lot of the shenanigans that you see onscreen
is just an extension of what we're doing,
and a lot of inside jokes
that have just somehow made it onto film. (laughs)
- Are you a Slayer fan like Angie?
- No, I'm not, I'm not at all.
I don't know why I said that originally
to everybody in the room.
I was like, you know what'd be cool?
If Angie was really into Slayer.
And they were like, "Yeah, that'd be cool."
And then they've really run with it
and I had to sing a Slayer song and--
- Belt it out.
- Yeah, do headbanging and injure myself.
- That was my version of headbanging.
- Yeah, don't do it.
Don't do it, it's really bad for you, physically.
It's not good.
And yeah, the name of the song,
the episode is Raining Blood,
which is my favorite episode.
It's really funny and good and there's a goat.
I have a three-year-old who is also singing Raining Blood
because she had to hear so much.
And she's like, "Play that scary music."
I'm like, okay, I guess that's what you're into.
But no, it's not that I'm not a fan,
I just can't chill to it,
which is probably not what you're supposed to do.
- You're not supposed to, no.
You're supposed to head-bang and hurt yourself, basically.
What's really fun is we get to learn more about her past
and her odd-ball quirks,
and we see that in the finale.
Where she's working at a music festival,
she meets Graham's father, Derek,
played by your husband, Adam Brody.
How excited were you to have him join the show
for the finale?
- Yeah, it's a wonderful, great, lovely thing.
He's my best friend and I want to work with him on everything
and I think he's the best in everything.
And having him come on to set,
I had been there for like eight months
and I went there every day and was like,
bye, I'm going to work--
- It's like meeting your family.
- Yeah, my other family.
- The other family, yeah.
- My second family.
And yeah, he's really good.
I was not at all worried
if he would completely do amazing at that part.
Which it kind of tows the line.
It's this guy
who's walked out on his girlfriend who's pregnant,
so you don't really know what his intentions were.
Maybe he's not the best guy. - I won't give too much away
but it was funny watching Taran kind of, you know.
- Get angry? - Yeah.
I guess I can spoil it.
Beat him up a little bit.
'Cause Will's so nice so it's, I don't know.
- Yeah, yeah.
I think he got hurt, I mean, actually got hurt.
- Oh he did?
What happened?
- I think maybe his jaw or something, I don't know.
Maybe it's a spoiler--
- [Brian] So your second family beat up your real family?
- Yeah.
- What a mess.
Were there other ideas
of how he might be kind of fit into the show?
Were there other character ideas?
- We'd had done a couple movies together
and worked together before.
And then when I was doing the last show I was on,
that was sort of the direction they were taking.
They were like, "You know, maybe we'll have him on."
And sadly that never came to pass,
the show ended. - Making History?
- Yeah.
And then this came around and I was like,
oh, maybe he could be on the show.
And they were like,
"Okay, we'll keep that in the backs of our minds
"when something comes around that seems right."
Yeah, J. J. was telling me,
we're out here at the TCAs and she was like,
"You know, it would be great, we're going to bring in Derek.
"We've talked about him all season."
He's this very legendary mysterious person
who I'm like, he's a garbage human,
I don't want to talk about him,
but I have a lot of pent-up rage and abandonment issues.
I'm talking about Angie, not myself.
(Brian laughs)
And then I was like, who's going to be the guy?
And she's like, "Well, my dream is Adam Brody."
And so of course he was just like,
"Yeah, of course, I'll do it."
- Now, with him being Graham's father,
do you see him coming back for season two
and see that story go further?
- I think so, I think so, yeah.
We kind of left on a cliff-hanger.
Again, we're completely spoiling the finale--
- Make sure you still watch it, though.
- It is a cliff-hanger.
And not exactly knowing where we stand.
I don't think we totally wrap it up.
But it brings Will and Angie closer.
Will played by Taran.
And I don't know if it's going to be
a good thing or a bad thing
that Derek is somewhat back in her life,
or she at least knows where he is and what he's up to.
Maybe she still has feelings
or maybe she doesn't and just hates him.
- What's exciting (mumbles) working in comedy?
- I'm just hoping fingers crossed that the show comes back
so that I can really continue to explore
and just really have fun.
I have so much fun doing this show.
Like I said, I love playing Angie,
I think she's sort of a dream role for me
to be able to mix
so many different facets of a person together.
She's so grounded and well-written
and I'm really lucky to do that and to call that my job.
And beyond that,
yeah, I would love to continue to do comedy.
It's definitely a wonderful way of life,
to go to work and laugh and tell jokes and have fun.
- One thing I wanted to ask you,
we were first introduced to you obviously on Gossip Girl,
do you ever look back
and recognize the comedic elements to that show?
'Cause a lot of it was driven by Blair and her one-liners.
- Yeah, sure, yeah.
Just the cadence and the way it was written
was I think easy to find funny moments.
And certain actors on that,
specifically I would say Zuzanna Szadkowski--
- Who you're really close with?
- Yeah.
She's super funny in real life.
- Blair (mumbles).
- Yeah.
And Margaret Colin who played Blair's mom,
she's very funny.
I feel like those specific relationships
where there was so much history and short hand,
I think those were the scenes that I had the most fun with.
- That's awesome.
You were also recently on The Orville.
How was that, performing and singing on the show?
- Oh yeah, there was some music too.
- Angie needs to sing in the show, yeah.
- Well, no, I think that that character on the The Orville,
she's a singer, (laughs) and Angie's not.
And I like that, I like that she is not a singer,
she's not good.
- Now, for season two of Single Parents,
which we hope we get.
- This is a plug, this is why I'm here. (laughs)
- This is exactly why you're here.
What do you want to see?
What else do you want to see happen?
- Well, I think we sort of planted the seeds
of maybe there could be feelings
between Angie and another character.
I think it may be obvious to some people.
The two people I think it's the least obvious to
is Angie and this person. (laughs)
Where they're just sort of like, what, what, what?
They kind of have feelings for each other
but they're friends, it's complicated.
We'll probably bring music in as well,
that is something we've had here and there on the show.
And I think exploring Angie's relationship with Graham
and Graham's dad I think would be really fascinating
because Graham is all at once
a little mama's boy and a Casanova,
which maybe Casanovas are all little mama's boys,
I don't know.
- He brought a bunch of cologne to--
- Yeah, yeah, exactly.
He's kind of like becoming a man
and I think Angie has to come to terms with that.
- Thank you so much for being here.
Seriously, this was great, so good talking with you.
Make sure to watch the Single Parents finale tonight
on ABC.
(logo whooshing)