Making the new Netflix specialUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverendwas a joy for series starJane Krakowski, who was thrilled to reunite with not just her fellow castmates fromTina FeyandRobert Carlock’s recently concluded comedy, but some new faces as well.
But, as she reveals in this video interview with Collider, the challenges of makingKimmy Vs. the Reverendwere no joke. According to Krakowski, the extremely complicated script for the interactive special meant that at any given time, she was pretty sure that “there were only one or two people on set who knew what was happening.” Plus, the number of pages being shot each day would be greatly underestimated by production, because of all the different permutations that had to be filmed.
However (with some help from her son) she’s had a great time getting to play with Netflix’s interactive technology and discover not just the scenes she shot for the special, but those she never even knew were being filmed. “Yeah, it was complicated but our show is so perfect for it and our writers are so perfect for it,” she says.
She also reveals that one scene which might be hard to find (unless you’ve read our primer on the interactive special’s Easter eggs) features a cameo by Fey — but only an auditory one. In a fantasy sequence, Jacqueline is singing an original song, and “[Fey] did the scratch vocal for that to show me how to sing it in French.” When Krakowski heard it, though, she told the producers to just keep Fey’s original version, “because it’s hilarious to have me lip-syncing to her.”
Has she heard anything about a30 Rockreunion? Not at this point, though she’s definitely open to reuniting with her castmates from the Emmy-winning NBC sitcom, and also understands why these reunion specials shot during the COVID-19 era, includingthe recentParks and Recreationspecial episodeandthe upcomingCommunitytable read, are so popular with viewers: “We’re in such a different world that… you’re longing to see the old characters you knew before we were in this position.”
However, she does hope that ifKimmy Vs. the Reverendis popular, it will lead to additional stand-alone adventures that might reunite the cast. “I’d like to think that it could become a habit if enough people watch it,” she says. “Let’s do the Christmas special, let’s go for it.”
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs. the Reverendis streaming now on Netflix.
