15 “Nobody Wants This” Behind-The-Scenes Facts That You Might Not Know
Kristen Bell was the one who suggested the series cast Adam Brody in Nobody Wants This. The duo have been friends for years.
1. First, Nobody Wants This is actually based on series creator Erin Foster’s real-life relationship and marriage to music executive Simon Tikhman. In an interview with the LA Times, Erin said that during their first conversation “over juice at the gym,” Simon mentioned that anyone he marries “has to be Jewish.” Erin converted to Judaism for Simon.
2. Erin Foster initially wrote the series intending to play the leading role of Joanne. However, when Netflix bought the series, they suggested Kristen Bell for the lead. Erin said it was a “really easy decision” to give up starring in the show, telling the LA Times, she “was not desperate to be acting in something.”
3. Kristen Bell was the one who suggested that Adam Brody play Noah. She told the LA Times, “The second I read it, I was like, ‘Well, this is Brody, of course.'” The duo has previously worked together in Scream 4 and House of Lies. They’ve also been friends for years.
4. The original title for the series was Shiksa, a nod to what Joanne is referred to in the series. In an interview on Armchair Expert, Adam Brody said they changed the title because not enough people knew the word.
5. Adam Brody, who grew up Jewish but “barely got bar mitzvahed,” studied a lot before playing a rabbi in Nobody Wants This. He told the Hollywood Reporter that he “watched and listened to things like books, podcasts, movies, and documentaries” and even “dabbled” in attending a temple to prepare.
6. “The Ick” episode of Nobody Wants This is based on a real situation that happened with Erin Foster and her husband, Simon. When Simon met Erin’s mom for the first time, he brought a large bouquet of sunflowers to a restaurant where they were meeting. She told Vulture, “The flowers were so long, and they kept falling over. Sitting there, I was like, Well, if someone cares this much, then that feels like a weakness.“
7. When Joanne and Noah first meet at the party, and Noah struggles to open the bottle of wine, that is actually Adam Brody struggling. Kristen Bell told the LA Times, “Talk about lightning in a bottle. He was supposed to have been able to open it, flawlessly. He could not do it.”
8. Justine Lupe, who stars as Morgan, was pregnant while filming Nobody Wants This Season 1. In an Instagram caption celebrating the release of the show, Justine revealed she even hid her pregnancy from some of the cast and crew while filming. She said, “And a cast and crew who supported me from the moment my Gucci skirt ripped open in both the front and backsides on set at 2am when they had no idea I was pregnant and thought I was just rapidly falling apart…”
9. Jackie Tohn, who plays Esther, originally auditioned for the role of Rebecca, who was eventually played by Emily Arlook. Kristen Bell, who has been friends with Jackie IRL for a very long time, was the one who suggested she actually go out for the role of Esther.
10. The first scene Adam Brody filmed for the show was the scene in the restaurant where Noah and Joanne meet, and she’s unsure if she’ll stay for dinner.
11. The whole show was filmed on location in Los Angeles. So, in the lead-up to Noah and Joanne’s first kiss, they are actually walking down Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz.
12. Kristen Bell told MTV that she “wasn’t prepared” for Adam Brody to put his hands on her face during Noah and Joanne’s first kiss. The moment got such a reaction from the crew that for all of their subsequent kisses, Noah puts his hands on Joanne’s face.
13. The little moment when Noah sneaks in another kiss right before Joanne leaves wasn’t scripted; it was something Adam Brody and Kristen Bell added in while filming. Adam said it was “the most real” thing they did during the whole kiss scene.
14. Creator Erin Foster said Adam Brody “didn’t want” to tell Joanne to put her ice cream down during the scene because he felt Noah was “bossing her around,” while Erin explained that “it is hot. It’s so sexy.”
15. And finally, they filmed Noah and Joanne’s first kiss a few times, with Adam Brody and Kristen Bell even making the lead-up to the actual kiss even longer in a few takes.
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