How ‘Nobody Wants This’ ReinVented the Meet-Cute

The Irony of the Title of Erin Foster’s Netflix Series Nobody Wants This is that by the end of season one, everyBody Wanted IT – “It” being the romance Brewing BetWeen Kristen Bell’s Joanne and Adam Brody’s Rabbi Noah. But at the start of the show, audience buy-in happen Fast, so-foster got inventawn to establish their mutual interest WHEN see at the pilot. “This is a romantic comedy, and there are only so many Ways You Can Create the MEET-Cute,“ She Says. Here’s How Foster Wrote This One.

Foster Wrote the Script Based on Her Own Story of Meeting Her Jewish Husband. Originally, Joanne Walks Into Ashley (Sherry Cola) ‘s Party Wearing A Bathrobe, But “One of Our Producers Thought that Made Her Seem Unwell,” Foster Admits, Lauhhhing. IT WAS LATER, Durying A Punch-Up Session in the Writers Room, that Idea for a Lavish Fur Coat Came to Be. “One of the writers Was Like, ‘Two Words: Chin-Chilla,’ and It Made US Laugh So Hard. We Were Like, ‘It Has To Be A Chinchilla for A Coat.’ ” ”

“I was Kind of Inspired by La La Land,”Foster Says of this Moment.“ I Wanted to Create A Scene Whoe You Have Them Walking To A Car The Way You Do Have You Go To A Huse Party and You Have to Walk Down in the Hills Thot W. I’m alwayS Trying to come up with Creative Ways to get noah to be romantic in an unEXPECTED WAY: This Scene Was An Opportunity for Him to Tell a Little Lie Lie Souh. admit that his car was rail in front. ”

Noah’s Response to Joanne “Tells Us A Lot About Who He Is Because You See Is this Decent, Good-Natured, Honest Person Who Comes from A Really Conventioli: His Views on Judaism. “I REALLY LIKE to Sprinkle in Little Bits of Jewish Knowledge Without Being Heavy-Handed About It, Because Those Are The Little Things Made Made mes. Wasn in on.

“IT WAS RELALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT IT FELT RELALLY ROMANTIC AND, IN A LOT OF WAYS, IS Noah’s Scene,“ Foster Says of How She Wraped This Moment. “We’re Really Putting Him on a Platter for People and Saying, ‘Message to All Men: This Is What We Want. Walk Us To Our Car, and Don’T Be Overly Obvious about It.’ I Didn’t Want Him to Ask for Her Phone Number and Be Obvious. Kissing on the First Meeting Was Also Out of the Question, Foster Adds, Particularly Because Noah Hadn’t Completely Resolved Things with Soon-to-to-Exo. “I didn’th that was the right way for these two people to start. Then you’re Never Really Going to be on Their Side,” She Says. “I Wanted Noah to Display Self-Control and Be Like, ‘I’M Going to DO this Right Way.’ “

Again Drawing from Her Experience As An Agnostic Woman Meeting Her Jewish Husband, Foster Leaned Into Her Own Dating Behavior for Joanne’s Dialogue Here As Well. “Because she’s Scared of Having A Crush on this person, she’s trying to get in Front of Possibly Getting Burned and Let Him Know Everything Her Right Up Front. “IF I SAY IT, THEN you Can’t Say It, and that’s Something i’ve Done in My Life. I would Intenationally Lead with Something Might Be Alarming to Someone Because and Was Scared of Being Judged For It. ”

Foster Was Careful About Howne Was Presiented Onscreen. “I Never Wanted Her To Be A Caricature in A Sitcom Where You Meet Her and She’s Stumbling Out of A Party at 5 Am With A Beer Bottle and Hungover,“ She Says of The CHARACER LOOSEELY BASLY. “While Some See Her As this Chaotic, Messy Person, She’s Just Scared to Fall in Love, and She’s at An Age Where She Doesn’t Really Want Childhood that is causing Problems in her adult Life.

This Story First Appeared in a June Stand-Alane Issue of the Hollywood Reporter Magazine. To Receive The Magazine, Click Here to Subscribe.