Latest news with #GoodGirls'
New York Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Retta reveals details about 'Parks and Rec' cast group chat
The 'Parks and Recreation' cast will always be family. Retta, who played Donna Meagle on the hit NBC sitcom, exclusively told The Post that the cast is still in touch — and often. 'We have a group text where everyone shares graduations, birthdays, running into old crew members, because everyone ends up working with the crew from the original show, and so whenever we're with somebody else from the crew, we send pictures,' she said. 9 Retta in Season 4 of 'Parks and Recreation.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, Jim O'Heir, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Retta, Rob Lowe in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection Retta, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Paul Schneider and Jim O'Heir starred in the mockumentary series about a fictional Indiana town's Parks Department. After seven seasons, the series ended in Feb. 2015. Retta, who spoke to The Post about the new season of HGTV's 'Ugliest House in America,' confirmed that she would 'of course' do a 'Parks and Recreation' reunion project. 9 Retta speaks at the 'Hit Man' screening in New York in June 2024. Getty Images for Netflix The 'Good Girls' alum also revealed that she watched Scott's hit Apple TV+ drama series 'Severance.' 'I just finished it yesterday,' she told The Post. Nearly the entire 'Parks' cast has spoken about their infamous group chat since the show ended. 9 Retta, Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Retta in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection On Monday, Offerman, 54, revealed that the cast was texting 'all day' about co-star Jonathan Joss' tragic death. Joss, who played Chief Ken Hotate, was shot and killed Sunday night at his property in San Antonio, Texas, following an alleged dispute with his neighbor. 'We're just heartbroken,' Offferman said in a statement to People. 9 Jonathan Joss in 'Parks and Rec.' NBC 9 Nick Offerman in 'Parks and Rec.' Mitchell Haaseth/NBC In November, O'Heir, who played Jerry Gergich, said on NPR's 'Book of the Day' podcast about the group chat, 'It's generally, like, Retta is the queen of history, and Retta will just post some random thing that happened.' 'She goes, 'This was 10 years ago today,' and then we all just go on a rant about whatever that was about,'' the 63-year-old shared. O'Heir added: 'It's just personal. It's people who, to this day, are good friends, and we love each other.' 9 Rashida Jones, Amy Poehler, Retta in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection Last July, Jones, 49, confirmed on 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen' that the text chain was 'very active.' Meanwhile, Scott, 52, said in a 2022 interview with Access Hollywood, 'Everybody's in pretty close contact. It's a tight group.' Earlier this year, Jones told GoldDerby that she's 'ready any time' to join a 'Parks and Recreation' revival. 9 Amy Poehler, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Retta, Aziz Ansari in 'Parks and Recreation' Season 6. ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Oh man, I hope sometime soon,' said Jones, who played Ann Perkins. 'I know [creator] Mike Schur was like, 'There has to be a reason for us to do it. We can't just do it.' But I would love that.' Schur, for his part, addressed the possibility of a revival with Variety in 2019. 'I don't feel like we left anything on the table. I would never ever say never,' Schur stated. 'The chance to do it again, should it arise, would be incredible, but we would only do it if we all felt like there was something compelling us to do it.' 'If one single person said no, we wouldn't do it,' he added.
New York Post
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Retta still hasn't watched final episode of 'Good Girls'
Retta is still mourning 'Good Girls.' 'I still haven't watched the last episode,' the actress and comedian, 55, exclusively told The Post about her NBC comedy drama series that was canceled after four seasons in 2021. However, Retta said that she's thinking about watching the show from the beginning. Advertisement 6 Retta in 'Good Girls' on NBC. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images 'I think I may restart it. I don't know if I'll get through the last episode,' she shared, 'but I still haven't watched it.' Retta, who spoke to The Post about the new season of HGTV's 'Ugliest House in America' (premiering tonight), played struggling waitress Ruby Hill in 'Good Girls.' Advertisement The series followed three suburban moms (played by Retta, Christina Hendricks and Mae Whitman) who resort to robbery to solve their financial burdens. 6 Mae Whitman, Christina Hendricks and Retta in 'Good Girls.' NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images 6 Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Retta in 'Good Girls.' NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Despite its popularity with viewers, 'Good Girls' was canceled in June 2021, one month before the Season 4 finale aired. Advertisement At the time, TV Line reported that Retta, Hendricks and Whitman agreed to pay cuts for a potential shortened fifth season, but the plans allegedly fell through because of negotiations with their co-star Manny Montana. While on 'Live with Kelly and Ryan' in July 2022, Retta blamed an unnamed person for the show not coming back. 6 Retta in 'Good Girls' Season 2. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images 'We were very close to a fifth season, but one person ruined it for all of cast and crew and so it's not back,' she stated, adding that she was 'salty' about the situation. Advertisement Retta told The Post that she would do a 'Good Girls' reunion 'in a heartbeat.' 'I mean, we talk every other other day,' she said of her co-stars. 6 Retta, Mae Whitman in 'Good Girls' Season 3. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images The 'Parks and Recreation' alum is focused now on hosting 'Ugliest House in America.' In Season 6, Retta tours three ugly homes in the Midwest as they duke it out for the chance at a $150,000 makeover by designer Alison Victoria. 'They are uglier than ever,' she told The Post about the new houses. 'This season there was a lot of themed homes, like even from the outside. They were able to find homes that were a very particular type that you will not find.' 6 Retta at the Carpet Castle home, as seen on 'Ugliest House In America' Season 6. Warner Bros 'It's not like we looked at a lot of craftsman. We looked at lot of mid-century moderns. No, it was like, this one looks like The Flintstones,' she joked. 'It was pretty bananas.' Retta witnessed wells inside many of the homes this season, too. Advertisement 'I'm like, what? Why is there a well in the inside of the house?' she said. 'But sure enough, it just so happened that there were. And I can't say that I've ever known a home to have a well on the inside.' Season 6 of 'Ugliest House in America' premieres Monday, June 2 at 9 p.m. ET.
NBC News
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
In 'Grosse Pointe Garden Society' star Melissa Fumero is a messy socialite with secrets
Melissa Fumero rose to fame for her portrayal of the perfectionist, Type A police officer Amy Santiago on the long-running sitcom 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine.' But in the soapy new NBC drama 'Grosse Pointe Garden Society,' Fumero has been given a rare opportunity to let loose as a messy socialite hiding her own dark secrets. Created by 'Good Girls' executive producers Jenna Bans and Bill Krebs, the new series stars Fumero as Birdie Bradley, an entitled bestselling author who, after crashing her car while under the influence, is forced to complete court-mandated community service at a garden club in the tony enclave of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Six months after her arrival ruffles feathers among the clan of garden-loving suburbanites, Birdie and three other members — realtor Catherine (Aja Naomi King), aspiring car restoration business owner Brett (Ben Rappaport) and high school teacher Alice (AnnaSophia Robb) — find themselves conspiring to get away with murder on the night of the club's winter gala. The first season plays out across two timelines: the months leading up to the murder, and then the night when the mysterious death takes place (and its immediate aftermath). 'I was a little bit scared to read for Birdie just because she felt like such a big character that could easily be a caricature,' Fumero told NBC News. 'But then I just went for it, and now she might be one of my most favorite characters I've ever played.' It's evident how much fun Fumero has had chewing the scenery. While Birdie can come across as a little abrasive and out of touch, Fumero believes Birdie is a street-smart survivor who has realized she can use 'her looks, her sass and her energy' to attract the attention of wealthy men and build her brand. In the premiere, Birdie is attempting to repair her public image when she takes an interest in financially supporting the son she gave up for adoption in high school. 'She's been through a lot and she's fought to get where she is, and now it's become so enwrapped in her identity that she's terrified to lose any of it,' Fumero said. 'She's there with the book, the big house and the Chanel, and she's like, 'Who am I, and what do I even want in life?' I think we're meeting her at a really low moment in her life.' Like Birdie, Fumero has carved out her own place in the public spotlight. The younger of two children born to Cuban immigrants, Fumero grew up dancing and performing, and after being taken to watch her first Broadway musicals, she caught the acting bug when she was 9 or 10. Whereas some immigrant parents may set career goals for their children, Fumero said her mom and dad sacrificed whatever they could to support her — even if they may not have taken her acting aspirations seriously until she was accepted into the prestigious NYU drama program. It has only been in recent years that Fumero, now a mother of two, has begun to confront the same 'scary' feelings that her parents faced. 'I was really hoping for a nerdy academic child, and my children are so clearly drawn to creative things, which is exciting. But I get the panic now, especially knowing firsthand how hard this job can be,' Fumero said. 'But I also feel so lucky to get to do something that I love to do, and I want that for my kids. I'm so grateful that my parents raised me the way that they did. It's been a very great example for me of how to just love your child unconditionally.' From 'Brooklyn' to 'Grosse Pointe' Fumero's life changed forever when she was cast in 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine,' a groundbreaking sitcom lauded for its diverse cast, but without stereotypical storylines around the characters' ethnicity, skin color or sexual orientation. Calling the sitcom based in a police precinct 'the best chapter of my life,' Fumero tearfully recalled that in addition to working so hard on a little-known show that would later become part of the cultural zeitgeist, she and many of her cast mates became parents around the same time. In an emotional post after the death of her former co-star Andre Braugher, Fumero credited him for encouraging her not to feel guilty when asking to take a break from work to make time for her family. Fumero has even begun to rewatch parts of 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' with her 8-year-old son, who told her that older kids at his school were starting to ask if his mother was Amy. 'I was like, 'All right, he should probably know what this is before kids in his class are watching it,'' she laughed. 'He thinks it's amazing. He's obsessed with Andy [Samberg] and Terry [Crews].' Like on 'Brooklyn,' Fumero's new show 'Grosse Pointe' has taken a similar approach with Birdie to tackling race and ethnicity. 'I think it's important for her to be Latina — not just because I'm playing it, but I think it's a character we haven't necessarily seen before,' said Fumero, referring to her character being a wealthy, larger-than-life woman who is unafraid of saying what she thinks — and happens to be Latina. 'I am proud that the characters I play are not necessarily always leading with [their ethnicity],' Fumero said. 'Sometimes that's OK in the right time, place and context, but it's really important to show characters of all different backgrounds without having that be the center of their character.' But when they were first cast in 'Brooklyn' in 2013, Fumero and her co-star Stephanie Beatriz, who is of Colombian and Bolivian descent, were convinced that one of them would be fired, because there had seldom been a show with two leading Latinas. So before filming the pilot, even though they looked very different, Fumero and Beatriz agreed to style their hair differently. 'We didn't see each other as competition,' Fumero said. 'We were like, 'No, we're in this together. How do we keep both of us around?' And it was just like, 'Make sure we look really different, make sure our character's really different, make sure everything is distinct so they can't get rid of us.'' That initial bond has transformed into a lifelong friendship, with Fumero and Beatriz recently reuniting to launch a podcast called 'More Better.' 'I'm really grateful to have her as one of my closest friends and collaborators,' Fumero said. 'It's just another huge gift that 'Brooklyn' gave me.' Finding a sense of community has always remained at the center of Fumero's ethos. When she was 22, she worked with 'Jane the Virgin' star Gina Rodriguez — who later introduced her to Beatriz — on a film that never came out. The two would often commiserate about the stereotypical roles they were being asked to audition for. But through forging more meaningful connections with other Latinos in Hollywood, Fumero is taking a hands-on approach. 'We gotta try to get more things made, more things greenlit,' said Fumero. 'Just try to take some of that power in the industry back into our community.'
