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Was it only just now?
Well, thats a shame.
Engage in the culture once in a while.
(Unless there are holes involved.
She has abigtrypophobia problem.)
On a recent phone call, Hunter indulged Vulture with a conversation about whyMr.
Mayorfinally convinced her to do a sitcom, the shows spectacular Chrissy Teigen cameo, and her hateable wig.
Her economy astounds me.
Particularly in situational comedy where that isnt necessarily part of the equation.
Shes able to do that and be incredibly silly at the same time.
Its kind of spooky, completely believable, and also this is a moment of trauma Arpi is sharing.
Its just funny as hell.
I honestly cant even remember which ones.
But this is different.
Its Tina and Robert [Carlock].
Its just a whole other genre, really.
Their humor, while being incredibly silly, is also sophisticated.
I think the layers of jokes in the show have a sophistication that all sitcoms obviously dont have.
They beg to be watched more than once.
Tina is a rock star.
And then I read the script and I felt that Arpi was pretty unforgettable.
You dont know quite where shes coming from.
She seems to hold it quite seriously but its always changing.
I like that theres a sense of the unknown about her.
Theres a sense of danger with her unexpectedness.
Other characters find her off-putting or a little unsettling.
I love that about her.
Shes such a delightful enigma.
Theres a free-floating enigmatic quality to her that I find attractive.
I wanted her to be a completely original creation.
Nobody alive is an inspiration who I would point to.
I tend to take bits and pieces from life.
Thats why I miss living in New York, its a place of intense observation.
Stuff like that I always feel is incredible food for me, especially when Im exploring a character.
Those are my inspirations.
But they are anonymous!
In the pilot, Arpi is teased very early on for having a terrible haircut.
Can you tell me how that beautifully asymmetrical wig was chosen?I loved that line about her hair.
The sentiment that her haircut is hated.
I really liked the idea of that cut a center part with shaggy layers.
For a while we thought about cutting my own hair, and then I chickened out.
I was like,Oh no, I really dont want to live with that cut.
How would you define the relationship between Arpi and Ted Dansons Neil?
Whenever were doing anything its just fun to be with him.
Thats who Tedis.Hes a mensch.
Hes a great guy.
But to your question, Neil figures into Arpis life much more than Arpis in his.
Hes always around in her head, and I dont think shes that way to Neil.
She has much more at stake in her position and in her philosophy of life.
Being in city government is imperative and an essential part of her.
Its not imperative and isnotan essential part of Neil.
Does she want to be mayor?
She tried to be mayor at least twice and failed.
I think theres a competition that Neil may or may not even know about.
But theres also a real, true collaborative sense with Arpi.
When you work in government and its a true love of hers theres a real collaborative spirit.
Theres a lot of team spirit with good government.
Rather than trying to annihilate Neil, shes trying to enlighten him.
Their relationship isnt simple.
How many times did you get to push Chrissy Teigen down?Several.
And she was so cool about it.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her and pushing her down.
She was so up for it and told me there was no way I could hurt her.
She still had a crash pad.
I thought she was outrageously funny in the episode.
That girl is a hoot, and she moves the ball forward.
Shes willing to put herself out there and she does.
In terms of her social-media presence, shes made so many things permissible to get out there.
I was thrilled to work with her.
To keep that tradition going withMr.
Mayor, whats yours?Gosh, at the top of the head I cant think of any.
Im terrible with anecdotes.
I dont know if Ive got one.
Okay, whats yourworstTed Danson story?Id come up blank there too!
What you see is what you get with Ted.
Hes exactly who youd imagine him to be.
Hes playful and childlike.
Hes loving and kind.
Hes just a lot of fun.
you better be a real technical know-how to really be funny.
Ted has all of that going on.
