Kate Hudson and Brenda Song sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk all about their new Netflix series 'Running Point.' They dish on their first time meeting at the table read, Hudson's relationship with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and more.
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00:00I mean, it's like, I'm doing a show with Kate Winston.
00:02Like, I have to be at, like...
00:05It just ups the ante.
00:07It was a lot of laughter.
00:10Yeah.
00:10A lot of really inappropriate jokes that did not make the cut.
00:14Sadly.
00:14That I wish did.
00:15Yeah.
00:16You are the president of the Waves.
00:18This is shocking.
00:18But on behalf of all women, don't ever make a mistake.
00:21What's bad for all of us?
00:24We're a family, sis.
00:25We got your back.
00:26No matter what people say.
00:27What are they saying?
00:28It's just the fact that you're a netball baby and you don't know what you're doing.
00:31Oh my God.
00:32Kate Hudson is starring in her first sitcom and it's giving big boss energy.
00:36Running Point on Netflix is a basketball comedy about a woman suddenly put in charge of the
00:41family business.
00:44Just too clean.
00:45Smudge them up or something.
00:47Comedy is something I love to do and it's very rare that you get all the pieces to make
00:55it right.
00:56And this was just such a great group of people.
00:59The series is from executive producer Mindy Kaling and also stars Justin Theroux and Brenda
01:04Song, who plays the team's chief of staff and the best friend we all need.
01:08Am I that bitch?
01:09Oh, you are the biggest bitch.
01:11I loved the chemistry between you two.
01:14When did you meet?
01:15Did you meet on the show or how did you develop that?
01:16At the table read.
01:18It was so much fun.
01:19You've got all these very talented actors who could be doing their own shows and so
01:23you had a lot of great input.
01:25It was like one of the best table reads ever.
01:27And everybody brought so much but that's where we met and we were like, oh how fun it's just
01:31going to be.
01:32It was so...
01:33We're the girls.
01:34Yeah.
01:35So much of it is on paper already because of Mindy, like Dave and our incredible writing
01:39staff.
01:40It was honestly really easy and effortless but it was simply because Kate walked in and
01:44she set the tone and the pace for everyone on the show and so it was really easy to sort
01:48of just like jump along and I was just like, every day I was like, I'm just happy to be
01:50here.
01:51Just happy to be here.
01:52Yeah, it was fun.
01:54She's really like my rock.
01:56And also the one who's like not in like a cheesy way.
01:59I'm like a...
02:00Get your shit together.
02:01Yeah.
02:02Yeah.
02:03Hudson's character, Isla Gordon, is loosely based on Jeannie Buss, current owner and president
02:08of the L.A. Lakers, who also serves as an executive producer on the show.
02:12She and Hudson have a relationship that goes way back.
02:15I met Jeannie when I was quite young, 14 years old, so like this idea that she really wanted
02:21to make a 30 minute comedy that's very irreverent about sort of the inside look at her life
02:29and has that kind of sense of humor and ability to just be able to have fun with it, for me
02:34felt like such an honor that she wanted me to play that.
02:39We both love sports.
02:40Yeah, we both love sports.
02:41I love basketball.
02:42I'm a crazy basketball nerd.
02:43Like I love stats.
02:44I love the full...
02:45I'm a huge Lakers fan.
02:46There's also a little bit of rom in this com.
02:48Hudson's character finds herself in the middle of a sort of love triangle between Max Greenfield,
02:53who plays her fiance, and Jay Ellis, who plays the team coach.
02:57Two guys with serious love interest experience.
02:59New Girl or with Insecure, did you watch any of those shows?
03:03Of course.
03:04Are you keen on Insecure?
03:05I got so excited.
03:06I couldn't believe my luck.
03:07I was like, oh my gosh, I've got like, you know, and they're so different and yet have
03:14like such great stability.
03:18I love Mindy and I.
03:19We talked about this and Mindy from the very beginning was like, this isn't...
03:23I don't want this to be about romance.
03:26This is about, you know, that is just one element of a full woman's life and her journey.
03:37But then what was created for my sort of love life and my own inner, Isla's inner questions
03:48and complications when it comes to love and romance, or even understanding how to love,
03:53that made it really fun, another fun thing for me to have conflict, internal conflict,
04:00as I'm trying to keep a team afloat.
04:03Everyone is horny for everyone they work with, but you don't do anything about it.
04:06Throughout the season, there are fun cameos to look out for.
04:09One in particular from Song's real-life hubby, Macaulay Culkin.
04:12Can I tell you, people have been asking, I was like, honestly, it was because he made
04:16a joke.
04:17He was on set and he made a joke about just, he was like being in this stance.
04:19He put, basically, he put himself in the show to be in this stance, just to play a fan as
04:24like an Easter egg for us.
04:25And there was actually a part that was written to be a heckler and I'm like, well, do you
04:29just want to do that?
04:30And it kind of just snowballed into this whole thing, but he just, honestly, he put himself
04:34in the show.
04:35There are so many funny heckles.
04:36Oh, he loved it.
04:38We are going to give the rest of the season everything we got and make a deep playoff
04:41run.
04:42Oh, yeah!
04:43Most people who live in comedy, it's like, you gotta get a lot of pieces together to
04:50make sure you walk that line.
04:51I feel like we made a really fun, watchable show.
04:55Netflix has just picked up Running Point for a second season.
04:58The series had a solid showing after its February 27th premiere, ranking third on the streamer's
05:03Top 10 English Language Series.
05:05For more on this show, head to THR.com.
05:08This is The Hollywood Reporter News.
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