Interview: Cristin Milioti Opens Up About Her 'Existential Comedy' PALM SPRINGS

On Friday, July 10, Hulu will debut its new film, Palm Springs, starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, Peter Gallagher, J.K. Simmons, Meredith Hagner, Camila Mendes, and Tyler Hoechlin.

In Palm Springs, when carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg) and reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milioti) have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.

We spoke with Cristin Milioti about what it was like making this film and starring alongside Andy Samberg the rest of the cast! Read the interview below!

How did you get involved with the film Palm Springs?

I was brought in to meet with Andy and Becky Sloviter, who is our incredible producer. I had a general with Party Over Here, which is their production company as The Lonely Island. I was brought in to meet as an actor and then also possibly as a writer. It was to come in and see what could we collaborate on, and we were supposed to meet for half an hour and it ended up being like a three hour long meeting where the three of us talked about everything under the sun. And I left there sort of being like, "Oh, what a great afternoon." A couple days later I got an email with the script of Palm Springs being like, "Hey, would you be interested in this? Take a look, how do you feel about this script?" and I read it really flipped for it. I just loved it. I'd never read anything like it. And I was just like, "Yes, I'm in," but then nothing happened for a really long time, so I assumed that it was gone. And then they called me and, were like "Do you want to do this?" and I was like, "Yes," it was that simple.

What made this time loop story different to the ones we've seen in the past?

We, as a culture, in pop culture, we've like we we've visited this sort of mechanism time and time again, the mechanism of like a time loop. When I read this script, it was like a page turner where I was like, "Wow, I really can't figure out where this is going." And I think that the way the movie is edited too, and the way it comes together, it really does keep you on your toes. It was so exciting to be a part of something like that.

What was it like getting to work with Andy Samberg, Peter Gallagher and J.K. Simmons and the rest of the cast?

It was a blast, an absolute blast. I've been a big fan of Andy's for a long time, and working with him was wonderful. I felt so grateful to have a partner like that, I really felt like we were in sync every step of the way. We both really like brought it, because we shot that movie so fast, so you'd have to just like throw yourself in full tilt because we just didn't have the time. And then everyone else was a blast. Peter Gallagher is so much fun. I wish I'd gotten to spend more time with everyone because all of the wedding scenes were shot in one week, but everyone was a blast. It was such a great group of people, and I think that that shows on screen.

This film has so many layers to it, so even though the story at the core is a relationship, it can't really be labeled a romantic comedy, can it?

Yeah, I've always referred to it as an existential comedy, even though I know there's romance in it. I'm reticent to use the term "romantic comedy" because people have a certain idea of what that is, and one of the things I love so much about this movie is it flips that idea on its head.

You have deep roots in the Broadway community, and so I wanted to ask what changes hope to see from the theater industry went it reopens?

I think one of the most positive aspects and the silver lining to this time in our history of like having to sit still with ourselves and having an inability to turn away and to drown ourselves with distractions, is that we have seen how rampant injustice is in our government system, in our schools, in our law enforcement, but also in the arts. There have been all of these articles about the systemic racism in the theater, and people have sort of known about it for a while, but not really wanted to like look it in the face and, but after reading the accounts of it by black artists, I'm horrified. A change absolutely has to happen, a real change. In our society, we are always looking for the easy fix, like the band-aid like that, but actually what this is going to require is deep, hard work, and it's not going to be solved in one day or one production. We really have to sit with ourselves, have the tough conversations and also look at our part in it as white artists. I am galvanized and hopeful that there will be a real change, because that's our job as artists, we're not corporations, and unfortunately a lot of commercial theater is run by corporations and we have to battle that. But, I'm very hopeful. I think these conversations are long overdue, but I'm very hopeful that real change can start.

Cristin Milioti is an actress known for her roles on stage and off. On Broadway she starred in Once, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Coram Boy and her Off-Broadway include Once, The Little Foxes, Stunningm That Face, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Retributionists, and Crooked. She is also known for her television roles including playing The Mother in "How I Met Your Mother" and for appearances on "30 Rock," "Nurse Jackie," "The Good Wife," and "The Sopranos." On the big screen, she can be seen The Wolf of Wall Street, Year of the Carnivore, Sleepwalk With Me, The Brass Teapot, and Bert and Arnie's Guide to Friendship.