Seth Yanklewitz: The Man Who Cast New Girl
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They messing around.

Okay, roomies, we are calling a loft meeting. Today we are joined by the genius, my dear friend, the man who helped change my entire life, and the one who helped put the cast of New Girl together, Mr. Seth Yankovic. Please welcome to the show.

Hi, how are you? What's happening? Thank you. I should have shaved for you. I'm embarrassed now. No, I like it. Should have gotten cleaned up. I like this scruff. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi. Well, hello. It's been a while since we've seen each other face to face. I know, but I think about you all the time. And I talk about you all the time. So back at you. I know. So we were just texting. Before we dive into all the New Girl story and how this cast came together and everything, you told me that the other day, that you share a story about me.

With other people. So what's the story? So every time I teach like young actors or graduating classes of colleges, or if I give a talk at like the SAG foundation, you know, a major question that everyone talks about is like, how do you remember actors or when actors come in? Like, do you remember them? And I always say our story, which is, um,

you know, Jewel, my old casting partner, Jewel Bestrop and I were doing a pilot for 20th for NBC called Nevermind Nirvana, which was the third time the show was trying to get made. Um, and I think you were represented by Gersh at the time. I was. Yeah. Okay. And, uh,

We auditioned you and instantaneously I was like, holy cow, I'm obsessed. And as I fall in love with actors, you were one. And we tested you for the show in like the old testing where it was like five people sitting in a lobby, signing their contracts, staring at each other. Yeah. With like a lot of dialogue to do in a room over and over and over. And unfortunately it didn't go your way. But two years later...

I got a pilot called New Girl. And there was a character by the name of Cece, which was written as a high fashion supermodel.

And like, you know, high fashion, high fashion. And and I auditioned like a bunch of girls that were considered high fashion. And the truth is nobody could do the part. Nobody. And it was it was only like it wasn't like a huge amount of girls because it's not like we could pull so many in. And, you know, I auditioned a bunch of the Victoria's Secret models because at that point they had like the biggest audiences.

I know. Can I just interject? Because it was really funny is that, you know, I was down in Chile shooting this YouTube red show with Bryan Singer called H Plus with a little known actress called Katrina Balfe.

who was a Victoria's Secrets model. And we both were down there. And she was like, because I was like, oh my gosh, I just auditioned for this show. Oh, it would be so perfect. I love it so much. I connect to it so much. And she had just auditioned for it. Katrina did. Yeah. And I was like, well, you're obviously getting it. You're like a real life supermodel girl. I was like, oh, it's all over for me. So yeah, she was one of the people, one of the supermodels that went up for it.

So as the auditioning went, and as the cast came together slowly, I realized none of those girls would have been able to stand up comedically to what we were building. And I remembered, I was like, oh my God, there's this girl. And in my brain, it goes like, oh my God, there was this actress during this pilot I was doing. I have to find her.

she's Canadian. I had to get all the pieces together. And I called Gersh, and again, they were like, oh, she's in another country filming. And I was like, what do we do? And I was like, I'm moving fast. And as that was happening, I was talking to Liz Merriweather and Catherine Pope and Dave, and I was like, guys, is there any way we could make this character like

a commercial model, like someone a little more attainable rather than like, you know, high fashion. I was like, because if so, I have like the most amazing girl. I'm telling you, she's going to get the job. And they were like, it doesn't. Yes, of course. Like, it doesn't matter. Like, we'll do whatever because we need to find her. And so.

And I guess you did a self-tape, right? Which I thought was amazing. And I was like, we need to test her. And they were like, she's literally flying in on this day. Like, she will not be... And, like, if I remember, you, like, flew in...

and came right to the studio or something close to that. - I flew in, went straight from LAX to Fox into that weird little building that looks like a Swiss chalet. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was my office. - And in the bathroom, I was trying to get the sand out of my hair because the last scene I shot, I was,

You know, like it's supposed to be set in India. We were in the deserts in Chile and Katrina Balfe is driving away with my baby and I'm screaming and crying. And I literally went from that set. They raced me to catch the flight. So like my eyes are puffy, like from all this crying, I've got sand in my hair. I think it was like an Asari. And so I literally just ran straight in to the bathroom to change. And I remember feeling a little starstruck because standing in the bathroom with was Christina Milian.

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dads even more irresistible to their feline friends. You see, Temptations cat treats are so irresistible. How irresistible are they? They're so irresistible that they make it easy for cat dads to build a lasting bond with their cat and the perfect way to show their love and affection. From athletes to musicians to gamers to scholars to Emmy Award winners and everyone in between, the Temptations brand knows that proud cat dads are living amongst us. And it's time. Oh, it's high time. They got

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Oh, no. And then I was like, but it was with Zoe and Liz and Catherine. And I was like, this feels crazy. And so I came in the room and I remember sitting down and trying to take everything in. And we did a little bit of small talk while they were getting things set up. And I remember I made Zoe laugh.

Yeah. I just remember that moment of like her genuinely. And we just became instant friends because we just got each other in this moment and we were so opposite, but we got each other. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And it was, I think, like pretty much yours from that moment on. We just had to like go through the paces. But I always tell the story like, obviously, we remember actors like we don't just bring you in one time. And so, yeah.

you know, that's, that's my, my Hannah, like is proof is proof to you actors that we remember you no matter what. And we do want you to get jobs. So yeah, you are often, often used in my storytelling. Sure. I will put an asterisk on that though. I think

Great casting directors do that. And you, to me, are just that example. Because I tell that story all the time. Because I went in for that pilot season, and it was for Outsourced, and it was for Nevermind Nirvana. And word kind of spread, right? They were like, there's this new girl.

Yeah. Yeah.

Seth remembered and he saw my potential. He just didn't see who I was on the surface. He could see me in this mainstream American cast.

Right. And could see that they could make it fit and work and not be about my ethnicity, not me about that. It was just like funny. And I, it's, it changed my life. And because of that, and this is why I always say representation truly does matter. Yeah. Like Liz doing that and trusting you and kind of kicking that door open has had a real domino effect on who we see on our TV screens now. It was powerful. Yeah.

I mean, Liz and Catherine and Jake and Brett and Dave, like they really, you know, the same thing happened with the coach role. You know, the coach role in the pilot was originally written as a heavyset Jewish guy. No way. Yeah. And I said to them, oh, yeah. And I said to them, like, guys, if we want to get on the air, this is Fox. We need diversity in this cast.

And they were like, well, which role do you think? And I was like, to me, it makes the most sense for coach to be diverse. And they all thought about it. And obviously, like, it wasn't just me. Like, they had to come up with it and figure out how to write to it. And so they were like, okay, start seeing diversity. And the funny thing is...

when people came in, all of the diverse guys, they were like reading the part as like a heavyset Jewish guy. And so like, it wasn't working at all. And I kept going like, why are these funny people not funny? Like, why is this not working? And I went to Liz and I was like, could you just like read

rewrite the like character description for me. So they, they don't think it's like a chubby Jewish guy or a heavy said Jewish guy. And then, and I brought people back and like, and so that's how, then I got to Lamorne basically because, because the funny thing about Lamorne was I was watching TV and he was in a string of Vegas tourism commercials.

playing a limo driver who was, yeah, he was doing, he would play like himself and then he would play like the person in the back of the limo, but he was really the driver. It was so weird. And I was like, who is this guy? And I like hunted him down and he was with Naomi Odenkirk. And she was like, yeah, he's like, we just started representing him or something. And I was like, I need him to come into an audition for this new show for me. He's amazing.

And that's how he, that's how I got to Lamar. This is also one of your superpowers. Like, I feel like you're always looking. I feel like you're always looking. You can spot the potential. And here's the other thing too. I always tell about the story about how I got the CC character is that you tell the truth.

right? You don't sugarcoat things. You actually tell the truth. Because when I did that, that test, that chemistry read with Zoe right off the plane, and then I was coming in to do studio and network, which you're in a room full of people. I'd also just like never really done that. So it was very overwhelming. I remember getting a call from my agent. It was like, Seth just called. You're going in. He's asking, can you please just like brush your hair and put on like a dress? Can you look cuter? Can you figure it out? And it was, thank

Goodness. Yeah, I think a lot of people are just kind of like, well, let's see what she does. And it's like, no, you need guidance. You need information. We're actors. We need direct direction. And you gave that gift. It's very different from any other experience I've ever had. And I always somehow just managed to like follow the map back to you.

Well, you know, I look, I've been lucky enough where I've worked as an independent casting director and a studio exec or a network exec. And so I'm on both sides of the conversation. And and look, it is my job.

And it is our job to get you guys jobs. I only want to get actors jobs. So why not help to the best of my ability to get an actor a job? And if it means like,

saying gently, brush your hair, wear a dress. But the other thing was, you know, again, you had just come off a plane and Cece was meant to be a model. And so like we had to judge her off, right? But it was also, I was so fresh into that studio network world. Yeah. I didn't know. And you really gave this opportunity to a lot of us and have continued to do so that

don't have that experience that don't know kind of how you're supposed to show up or what you know what the rules kind of are the unwritten rules so many so helpful though and making sure that that I always say it's kind of like as an actor you know what you want to do right hopefully you have that sense within yourself that's what makes a great actor I was like but then

you're put in these situations, even like with Zoom auditions now, where it's so alien and strange. It's like someone saying, you know that thing you do really, really well? We can see the potential in you. You've never juggled before, right? Cool. Can you do that while you're juggling? Yeah. And you go like, what if I'm a bad juggler?

And now I don't get a job because I juggle badly. And that's where I'm like, that's the gift. You go like, let me pull you aside and I'm going to teach you how to juggle. Real quick. So they can see what a great act, what I see. Yeah. Anyway, you're just one of the best. I truly...

I have such a special place in my heart for you. You know that. Cause I tell you that you truly did something not only just for me, but you did it for the community and you continue to do it. We'll get to deli boys in a minute, but let's talk about finding, because everybody asks me that, how did they find Max? How did they find Jake? So Jake had done a Liz Merriweather's movie.

that had just come out, but no one really knew who he was. And so he came in and auditioned, you know, and then quickly we were like, oh my God, he's amazing. I think we put him right to a chem read with Zoe. I don't think, I don't think like I pre-read him, if I recall. And if I did pre-read him, it was just because we had never met him. And yeah,

But I think he went right to, like, a chem read with Zoe. And then we immediately tested him. So Jake was number two. Wow. To be cast. And then Max is a different story. Like, I had known Max...

really I mean obviously I saw him on Ugly Betty I knew who his wife was at the time she was in casting as well but um I used to see Max like around town and he was such an amazing person and so like energetic and positive and funny and I had never really auditioned him I don't know why but um

I had this like spidey sense that like he could have this character in him. And, you know, Liz and Dave and Brett were there. They were very tough just because they more than most writers or showrunners were very knowledgeable of comedic actors. And Liz was very knowledgeable of all the UCB people, you know, and so they were very hardworking.

not hard on me, but like they basically pre-approved my producer sessions. And Jake has in two and, and, and I slipped Max into the third producer session because they just didn't know who he was. It wasn't that they didn't want him. They just didn't know him. And so I like literally slipped him in it like secret. And he came in and his first, like,

One of like the best first auditions ever. I just got goosebumps. I know. And Jake Hasden was in New York. So he wasn't in the session. So we, we had to send tapes to Jake to watch overnight. And we got, I think we got like, Liz got a voicemail if I'm correct or Catherine, which they played the next day at the top of our session where Jake was like, whoever this max kid is like is unbelievable. Like,

Like Jake immediately and Liz too. And Brett and Dave, like they were all on board, but like Jake left a message to somebody. I can't remember who saying like, Holy crap, that guy. And that's how the max thing started. And yeah. And you know, people, maybe they do know now, but like back then his wife worked at Fox and she removed herself from the,

covering the job because she was my exec at the network. But she took herself off the project because once Max

Like once I said we wanted to test him, the network took her off and she covered it from afar. But really, she didn't cover it much anymore until after he got the job from 20th. But we kept it very secret because we didn't want anyone's sort of feelings to be, you know, changed or what have you. So it was all done like super kosher between 20th casting and me.

And, yeah. And that's sort of like, you know, look, did I know Max had the full Schmidt in him that he created? Maybe not, but I had a spidey sense that he had something different than what was on paper. I mean, Schmidt on paper was way, like, for lack of a better word, douchier than he eventually played it. Max played it with such a heart. Right.

You know that like and I think that's why he became such a fan fave, because had he just been like, you know, a polo collar up wearing khaki khaki guy. The character wouldn't have been so beloved. But he just brought such a I mean, he it was all him. It was all him. He did that, you know.

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I'm hungry. Yeah, that's when dinner dread sets in. What are you going to make tonight? How can such a simple question be so hard to answer? Well, it doesn't have to be because a delicious family pleasing meal from Stouffer's is only a ding away. So if your dinner plans are derailed, don't worry. Just turn to a delicious solution from Stouffer's, a meal that will always leave everyone happy, especially you. Maybe

Maybe some chicken enchiladas. Spaghetti with meat sauce is always a winner. Or how about some cheesy chicken and broccoli pasta bake? Yes, please. When the clock strikes dinner, think Stouffer's. Shop now for family favorites.

Some stands for "so others mighty," and I am a grateful beneficiary. That's how I started my journey of recovery. Fifteen years later, I'm gainfully employed. I've moved from homelessness to a safe and secure place to owning my own home today. If these walls could talk, they would say safety. JPMorgan Chase Community Development Banking understands that the buildings we invest in are more than just four walls. They are you. They are us.

They are Washington, D.C. The Temptations brand, America's number one cat treat brand, is on a mission to show the world just how irresistible cat dads truly are and make 2025 the year of the cat dad. And let me tell you something, it's about damn time. Being a cat dad is a huge green flag. Cat dads are some of the most tempting things

caring, and compassionate men of all. You know, two out of three Gen Z adults believe that cat dads make better bows, too. The Temptations brand knows there is nothing like the bond between a cat dad and their cat, and the brand's variety of irresistible treats make cat

dads even more irresistible to their feline friends. You see, Temptations cat treats are so irresistible. How irresistible are they? They're so irresistible that they make it easy for cat dads to build a lasting bond with their cat and the perfect way to show their love and affection. From athletes to musicians to gamers to scholars to Emmy Award winners and everyone in between, the Temptations brand knows that proud cat dads are living amongst us. And it's time. Oh, it's high time they got their

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I will say, like, I feel like with Macs,

because I think about the chemistry with Max and I go, I think so much of it came from just his kindness that you talk about that everybody knows. Because Max, I guess, had auditioned for like seven pilots or something at that point. I'm sure. He had really tried many times, many times, where for me, this was kind of like my first real big kick at the can. Yeah. And so showing up on set to shoot the pilot, I mean, I was doing everything for the first time. Yeah. And we were supposed to have this kind of dynamic.

And he was so kind and helpful. And he knew that no matter what choice I was going to make in the scene, he was just going to yes it and elevate it. And which came across as this like chemistry. But it was really him just being an incredible friend and caretaking someone that was like brand new and heavily seasoned.

Yeah. Yeah. And it was always that I had so much trust in him. And no matter what scene we did, that heart is Max's heart. Yeah. He's not going to let you fail. He's not going to let the scene fail. He's always going to make it funny. He's he just had that naturally in him as a person. And it came across. And because I did need that handholding in the beginning because I was trying to juggle. Of course. Act. He just took away the juggling. He's like, what if I do all the juggling?

Yeah. I'll help you with all this stuff so you don't have to think about it. Just do what you do. And he was so loving as a friend and I've never forgotten that either. He was so kind until I got my feet on the ground. And we talk about that a lot. Lamorne and I talk about like the kindness of the other actors because a lot of us were brand new. Yeah. Look, I mean, you guys were thrown into a solid group. Like it was a solid, working, knowledgeable, comedic group.

family. And, you know, and again, I say Liz, Brett and Dave were so powerful in terms of their knowledge of actors and comedy and script. And, and so like, it was high bar. It was a high bar. I just remembered as we were talking, Max and Jake were supposed to test for a Sony show and

And I, and like that test was on a Thursday. No, that test was on a Wednesday. This is the same pilot season. Same pilot season. Right. They were, it was a, it was a Sony show.

And that test was either on a, it was either on like a Wednesday or a Thursday. My test was either on like a Thursday or Friday. Like my test was the next day. And had they closed that test deal, I would have been in second position. So I called my casting partner, Jewel. And I'm like, if I move my test up and we close first, do I then get to own them in first position? She's like, yeah. So I called Liz Paulson at 20th and I was like, we have to move our test.

And we moved our tests so that I could. Get out. Yeah. I just remember that. I feel like it, maybe, I feel like the industry's changed. It's not really like that anymore. It's not. But I remember it was so quick. It was so fast. It was so quick. You had so many pilots who were going up for all these pilots. Yeah. And then, yeah, whoever gotcha. Yeah. Gotcha. Yeah. And that's how, that's how I did that. Wow, the strategy. Yeah.

Yeah. That was the first time I was like, ooh, I'm conniving. I was like, ooh, where did that come from? Worth it, though. I know, totally. Could you imagine if they weren't available? I mean, we all know, we'll tell the story of Lamorne and why he wasn't coach in the end, but it was just like, yeah, it would have been a whole different show. So fascinating. I have to get into it because so many people have asked us,

about the guest stars we had on this show. - Yeah.

I mean, are some of the most powerful actors, musicians, celebrities in the world. And everybody's like, why did they want to be on New Girl? What was the, you know, like for them to want to be on the show. So how, was it incoming calls? Did you guys chase, you know, chase Parker Posey? How did that work to get so many of those incredible people on our show? So first I'll say, you know, after the pilot, um,

I became an executive at Fox on the network side. So I then didn't cast the series. Anya Koloff and Michael Niccolo came in to cast the series, but I oversaw the show as the network exec. So...

I obviously had such like ownership over the show and, you know, so we did. We got a lot of incoming calls, a lot of incoming calls. Yeah, totally. I mean, certainly in the second half of the first season when everyone saw who because everybody waits to see, like, what is the show going to do? What's it going to be like? And I think that show got immediate critical acclaim.

Like it did. Right. So I think right away people wanted to be on it and it just, it grew and it never didn't grow. And then, you know, look, Zoe was an indie film queen. Like she came with mad cred, like a lot of credit. How did you get Zoe? That's so there. So, so we got hired for the job, um, you know, uh,

And we did a list. 20th asked us to do a list for the lead. And we came up with a list and we all agreed on Zoe and Sharon Klein.

did Sharon Klein and went and got her like, you know, she got to the manager and sent the script and the manager fell in love and gave it to Zoe. And it was one week. We delivered a list like on a Monday. And so we attached like literally by the end of the week, Zoe was attached like they were, they were making the deal. It happened very fast.

Wow. But Sharon Klein and Liz Paulson, you know, but Sharon went and got Zoe for us. Yeah. I remember when I got the chicks and dicks script. Yeah, that's right. That's right. The only person attached was Zoe. And I just remember it was such a weird feeling in my body because I was like,

How? Because it wasn't, you know, at that time, it wasn't like film stars, especially ones that were so cool and respected and authentically individual were doing television. They just weren't. It was a really shocking moment where, you know, like this show is going to be, it's a given. It's going to be huge. It was so special. The first day, the first day Zoe read with an actor, she,

We all like all the producers, all the studio. When we watched the tape, we were like, oh my God, she's amazing. Like, cause we just offered it to her. Like, right. But to then hear the words aloud, you're like,

Oh, my God, this was this is these are her words written out of like out of her soul. Do you know what I mean? And so that's when everyone like we literally were cheering almost like I can imagine because if you do these offers, it's like, you know, it was a very big offer only world. Like if you were doing these offers, even if it's like the greatest actress, I'm sure you do hold your breath a little bit.

until you get to see what they do with the role. And Zoe is Jess. Jess is Zoe. I mean, I always just felt she was talking and that's just how great she is as an actor, but also how perfectly cast she was. Okay, we're going to pause this conversation with the incredible Seth

the guiding light of this cast of New Girl and the man behind so many wonderful ensembles that you know and love on your TV. And pick it up next week for Podcast.

part two. That was The Mess Around, an iHeartMedia production. Our executive producer is Joelle Monique. Our senior producer is Abu Zafar. Bay Wang provided engineering and editing services. Additional production from Daniel Goodman, Wendy Heisler, and Kyle Chevron. Our theme song was written and composed by Ronald Jukebox Jackson. Catch you next time. Bye.

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The Temptations brand, America's number one cat treat brand, is on a mission to show the world just how irresistible cat dads truly are and make 2025 the year of the cat dad. Being a cat dad is a huge green flag. Cat dads are some of the most tempting, caring, and compassionate men of all. And dare I say, of all time. Two out of three Gen Z adults believe that cat dads make better bows, too.

The Temptations brand knows there's nothing like the bond between a cat dad and their cat. And the brand's variety of irresistible treats make cat dads even more irresistible to their feline friends. Trust me, I would know. I got a lot of feline friends. Cats lose their cool. Treat a cat in your life to Temptations treats and discover what makes cat dads irresistible at TemptationsTreats.com. This is an iHeart Podcast.