After news broke last month about Olivia Munn landing a role in an NBC sitcom pilot, we couldn't help but wonder if it weas related to her cryptic remarks in our latest cover story. So, since that's our girl and we're cool de la like that, we hit her up to see what the deal was. Straight from the geek goddess' mouth to your eyes...
Complex: So Perfect Couples is listed as a single-camera show that follows three different relationships. Sounds like fans of Modern Family will love it.
Olivia Munn: I actually haven't had TV since July because I've been moving around and then renovating, so I've never seen Modern Family. But I can tell you that our show is very similar to another hit show. The first episode opens with a plane crash, Greg Grunberg in a tree on an island, and us realizing that we're all...MISPLACED!
Complex: How did the audition process work?
Olivia Munn: I actually had a commitment that put me in the Caribbean, so I couldn't go in and read for NBC execs. Instead, I met with the executive producers, the casting director, and the director Andy Ackerman; they put me on tape so they could show the execs. An hour after I arrived in Anguilla, I got the call that I'd booked it.
Complex: Were you nervous?
Olivia Munn: Well, I had a breakfast with the executive producers, Scott Silveri and John Pollack, who told me they wrote the role with me in mind. And I do a lot of preparation before auditions—I find that the more prepared I am, the less nerves come up. Also, it makes it a lot less stressful when you know everyone in the room has just one goal: to make a great show. So, we played around and fine-tuned the character and scenes and they welcomed improv, which is really important, I think.
Complex: What was the best thing you improv-ed?
Olivia Munn: An orgasm in bed. Oh, sorry, you meant the show. Riiiight.
Complex: Are you the token minority on the show?
Olivia Munn: YES! Asian Powah FTW!
Complex: Your character is described as "WASPy"—how are you finding your inner WASP?
Olivia Munn: Leigh is WASPy, but not stuck up. She loves designer clothes because they're beautiful and they're pieces of art, not because they stand for something. There's a big difference.
Complex: Who plays your partner on the show? How did that relationship work between you?
Olivia Munn: Hayes MacArthur, who's an incredibly funny—and incredibly tall—man. We just had lunch for the first time yesterday; we don't shoot 'til the end of April.
Complex: How does she define a perfect relationship? And how does that differ from your real-life definition?
Olivia Munn: The combination of all three couples would make for a pretty perfect couple. Our show is single-camera, which picks up on real life a lot more than the standard multi-cam sitcom. So, how does it differ from real life? Our goal is to capture moments and situations that are just like real life. To me that's the only way to make it funny—make it relatable.
Complex: Nice sidestep! What does you landing the pilot mean for G4?
Olivia Munn: I think it's important for me to stay on G4 even if Perfect Couples gets picked up. I love Attack of the Show, the whole team, and the fans. Trust me, it's a priority of mine to try my best to make everything work.
Complex: IMDB lists your Iron Man 2 role as "Melina Vostokoff / Iron Maiden"...
Olivia Munn: Jon Favreau made that joke at Comic-Con when I was interviewing him because it's just a cameo. If I was Iron Maiden, there'd be a big press release. I can't say what I'm doing at all, because I signed away my life to Marvel if I say anything—but I think I'm allowed to say that everyone seemed to love my catering!
Complex: Did you like your role more before or after the rewrite?
Olivia Munn: This is a trick question, right? If I got to walk past Robert Downey Jr.'s trailer and hand him a bottled water, I would've been ecstatic! I'm a huge geek, and to have anything more than a passing glance in Iron Man 2 is a dream come true. I don't need anything big, just a chance to fulfill a little part of my nerd fantasy. If you made me pick, my first role had more improv and was a lot of fun, but for my second one I got to pick a Marvel Comics character. It's pretty dope that from here on out, I'm that Marvel character.
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