Mindy Kaling is ready to hit the gym.
I had an idea for just the general structure of the family and the characters.
I said, Charlie is this anything?
Credit: Jordin Althaus/NBC
And it made him laugh, so we started talking about it just asMindywas ending.
We were like, Should we try and see if this could be a pilot?
And from there, thats how everything started.
Was that a conscious choice?
But theres actually a lot of creative overlap that I did not anticipate in writing about those two characters.
Michaels attitude towards life and sense of entitlement really reminds me of Mindy Lahiri.
Your character, Priya, is a guest star.
But the world of the show is better without her around.
Shes unglamorous and doesnt have the confidence that Mindy Lahiri had.
For instance, when I was on maternity leave, I was able to edit.
Its really fun to be able to share those responsibilities because you dont have to stress as much.
it’s possible for you to actually enjoy it a lot more.
I can enjoy it, rather than dreading certain parts of the job.
The Mindy Projectwas very much a blend of rom-com and workplace sitcom.
Youve written before about how much you love to try out different exercise fads.
Maybe on a subconscious level thats what it was.
Im not known for like my hard body (laughs).
Like onMindy, basically the characters were all rich doctors.
We thought this would be a more inclusive environment, and this body image stuff is so funny.
We get a ton of comedy out of the trainers and their relationships with their clients on the show.
Would you work out there?No, because I like really bougie classes.
When I go to workout, I want to feel like a princess in the environment.
Its like [TheOffices]Dunder Mifflin would I get my paper there?
Im not sure I would, personally, but I see the people in their office as very funny.
Championspremieres Thursday, March 8, at 9:30 p.m.
