Not everyone wants Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons to hook up with Nobody Wants This

There’s not really a will-they-won’t-they vibe for the central couple on Netflix Nobody wants this. When Kristen Bell‘s agnostic shiksa podcaster that Joanne falls in love with Adam BrodyAccording to the handsome Rabbi Noah, the question is not whether they will get together, but how they will make their interfaith relationship work. But another couple on the show has a trickier dynamic: Noah’s eccentric older brother Sasha (Timothy Simons), who helps run the family business, and Joanne’s free-spirited younger sibling Morgan (Justine Lupe), who co-hosts a sex and dating podcast with her sister.

“You have no energy at all as a husband, which is scary,” Morgan tells Sasha, shortly after meeting him and learning that he is married to a woman named Esther (Jackie Tohn). But eventually they bond over being the respective black sheep of their family, although Sasha doesn’t understand why Morgan is one, as she’s “cool as hell”, always has “a witty comeback” and looks “like a total smoke show’. As Joanne and Noah’s relationship blossoms, their siblings grow closer, a bond that Sasha keeps hidden from his wife. “It might be a little weird, but I like talking to you, is that so bad?” he asks Morgan in the finale, shortly before Esther discovers their lyrics.

The chemistry between Morgan and Sasha, which at times feels more palpable than that of the main couple, leaves viewers feeling confused but compelled. Creator of the series Erin Foster has said that season two of the hit series is welcome Girls executive producers Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan as new showrunners, “their weird ‘Is it romantic?’ thing.” But that hasn’t stopped fans from calling for a spinoff, making fancam videos and, in some cases, even advocating for the characters to cheat.

In a conversation with Vanity fairit’s quickly clear that Simons and Lupe’s lively on-screen banter mirrors their off-screen relationship. Lupe joins the Zoom first and worries about her informal setup, just as Simons appears on screen under even more relaxed circumstances. “Eating yogurt in front of the Northern Lights is so sick,” says Lupe, as she takes a photo of Simons on her phone. “With a fork!” Simons points out and adds with a big grin: “Your boy is doing very well.” Lupe says, “I was sitting here feeling self-conscious about the fact that I’m wearing a baseball cap, and then you take your whole situation one step further to make me feel a little better.”

Below are the not so secret weapons Nobody wants this about possible romance between their characters (“Maybe the lack of clarity is somewhat the point”), election anxiety and the unifying appeal of their show: “People are damn desperate for Adam Brody to cover their face and kiss them.”

Vanity Scholarship: It’s so nice to talk to both of you together. Morgan and Sasha were my favorite characters on the show.

Justine Lupe: Will that even be in the article?

Timothy Simons: Obviously I don’t update Vanity fair. I have no power, but I feel like that should be the headline.

Lupe: I agree.

I will inform my editor of your input. Before we dive in Nobody wants thisas two actors who were part of shows with very iconic election episodes – as Willa on Succession and Jonah further Veep-How high Is your own election anxiety right now?

Lupe: Quite high.

Simons: Quite high. I will say that the episode was called “America Decides,” the episode where someone actually set fire to a vote storage center – and that was actually what moved the election. Succession. That’s definitely been on my mind lately and is making me a little nervous.

Lupe: I know. The whole backstory of what’s happening in the news cycle and the way Connor’s whole subplot plays out, it was all so depressing. I remember having so much fun during the shoot, and then when I saw it in the context of the show, it really rattled me and gave me a stomach ache watching that episode.