The Office fans, gather ‘round. Mindy Kaling opened up about her onscreen reunion with costar Steve Carell on The Morning Show in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
The Mindy Project alum, who plays Audra, a TV anchor, on the hit Apple TV+ series, was elated to be reunited with the 40-Year-Old Virgin actor, 57. (The pair costarred on The Office, which ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013). “You know what’s weird, I was so excited to do this because [I was] seeing Steve and getting to act with him in a new role,” Kaling told Us while promoting Target’s New York City “Wonderland” pop-up in association with Toys for Tots.
“I was like, whoa, this is very different than [Carell’s The Office character] Michael Scott,” she added. “It’s such a great choice for him. And that’s why it’s such a great role for him because he never plays this kind of guy.” (Carell plays Mitch Kessler — a morning show anchor who is fired for sexual misconduct.)
The A Wrinkle In Time actress, who has a reoccurring role on the series, continued: “It’s such a glamorous show. As a 40-year-old woman, it’s hard to find a show where there are more than one female cast member that’s over 40 and their life isn’t just about being obsessed with their husband or being with their children. [The characters are] really ambitious and they get to wear great clothes and they have great monologue. So I love that show. I’d gladly come back.”
In-between scenes, Kaling, who is mom of Katherine, 2, gained some valuable insight into motherhood from Reese Witherspoon. “[Reese] has given me, since knowing her, given me a lot of really priceless advice. And most of it is about … if I’m tentative about making a big life decision or professional decision she’s really carpe diem. She’s like, ‘Just do it and don’t worry about it.’ I mean, she had her first kid when she was 22 or 23. And she’s now 43 and has such a career. And so many people would say like, ‘Oh, that’s bad for your career as an actor.’ And she just makes it work.”
With award season around the corner, Kaling is not surprised that Jennifer Aniston has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her work on The Morning Show. “I think I’ve seen every Jennifer Aniston movie. I saw that one about dogs, and I don’t even have a dog. I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll see Marley & Me.’ So there’s just something about her. She’s just such a star,” Kaling gushed. “She was so lovely to work with. I thought surely when we were shooting this that she’s so private and I didn’t think we would have a conversation, but she was unbelievably friendly and nice and I hope she wins [a Golden Globe].”
