What do you get when you pair an unassuming, earnest Brit and a pompous, blowhard American?
Nick, did you then write this with David in mind?
We knew we wanted to build on that dynamic.
Peacock
Fortunately, he said yes.
David, this is the first sitcom youve starred on sinceFriends.
Were you intentionally staying away and why was this the one to bring you back to the medium?
DAVID SCHWIMMER:No.
The idea of working with him on camera, and really being able to play and improvise more together.
Combined with this character who I thought was a blowhard and a really fun departure to play.
Did that arise out of either of your own personal experiences?
I’ve actually never been to America, which is bonkers really.
There’s this presumption of excellence about America and the kind of ignorance that accompanies that.
Many Americans have not been out of the United States.
Many Americans don’t own a passport.
I liked the idea of playing a guy who just assumes and presumes his way is the best way.
He knows it’s not the only way but surely it’s the best.
Jerry is pretty insufferable.
Ross is not that bad?"
SCHWIMMER:Oh, I don’t think that way.
I don’t really look backward and think about is this character going to make Ross feel different.
It didn’t really even cross my mind because they’re so different.
Did you guys trade tips?
David, we’ve seen you here in the States excel at physical comedy for a long time.
What is the key to it?
SCHWIMMER:Stretching [Laughs].
Nick and I are both huge fans of physical comedy.
As a kid, I grew up obsessed with Monty Python.
I would attempt to mimic every silly walk there was.
We both love it and appreciate it.
Nick is incredible at it.
We just enjoy watching each other go at it.
It’s so joyful; it’s just such a treat.
By their very nature, we dont really know a lot about how national security organizations work.
What was your research like for this?
Going back to World War II.
Naturally, they are a lot more closed door and they keep what they do largely hidden.
I found that quite invigorating as a writer because it meant that you could slightly stretch the truth.
You had a little bit of artistic license to play with people’s expectations.
There’s a couple of documentaries on YouTube but there’s not a huge amount.
A lot of our questions were more what does the canteen serve?
We were never really fussed about the bigger questions.
We can write about the cyber terrorism relatively easily.
Toward the end of the season, you have a wedding scenario.
Were people on set perhaps ribbing you about saying the wrong name?
SCHWIMMER:[Laughs] No.
SCHWIMMER:We were all so hot and so dehydrated.
It was easily 95 degrees on the soundstage with no ventilation so we were out of our minds.
SCHWIMMER:I love the pub culture in Britain.
It spills outside, and it’s this lovely, friendly, open vibe.
MOHAMMED:I’m a big classical music fan.
I love Aaron Copeland and Barber and loads of American early 20th-century music.
What’s in store for season 2?
You end on a fairly significant cliffhanger.
MOHAMMED:Without telling you how it goes, that does get dealt with.
We’ll definitely be seeing more of Mary, which is exciting.
I’m really excited about season 2.
But we don’t want to say too much about that.
