Brenda Song Discusses The Impact Of Her Disney Channel Days And Working With Kate Hudson On “Running Point”

NOW: How did you first get involved in Netflix’s Running Point? And how was it working with Mindy Kaling?

I met with Mindy, Ike Barinholtz, and Dave Stassen, who are Mindy’s co-creators and the showrunners of the show. We did a Zoom meeting a couple of months before we started filming, and I didn’t really know much about the show. It was like an “Untitled Mindy Basketball Project.” I was like, first of all, basketball, which I’m a huge Lakers fan, huge basketball fan. And Mindy Kaling. I was already like, Yes. Like, should I say yes before — wait, do they really want me?!

And within five minutes of sitting down in this Zoom with them, I was just like, I want to work with them. They are such incredible collaborators. They’re so brilliant, so funny. And when I read this script, it was such a no-brainer. To be honest, I was like, Are you guys sure you want me to be a part of this project? Because this is such a dream project for me.

And it’s such a stellar ensemble cast, too.

Being able to work with this cast is incredible. Walking on set every day was such a privilege to be working with people that I just love, like working with, like, Justin Theroux, who is such an incredible actor and incredible writer, who just really challenges you on a different level. Also, Drew Tarver and Scotty MacArthur, who have big backgrounds in improv and stand up, and it’s so much fun. They just kept us on our toes. I never knew what was gonna come out of their mouths. 

Working in an environment where you felt really safe to play and to have fun. And, you know, Dave and Ike really gave us that creative freedom to really explore our characters and to just take it to the next level. They’re like, “We’ll pull you back if you need to, but just go for it.” It’s more rare than you think it is to be in a safe environment like that.