00:00I called the office and Larry David picked up.
00:03I'm chained, smoking, in my car, with this tape.
00:09I run it to ABC, like, here's the tape.
00:12Half an hour later, the executive producer called me and said,
00:15welcome to the show.
00:16My husband, at work, I am telling you, he's the GOAT.
00:20The only time we fight at work is sometimes about the music,
00:25because I have a little bit of cooler taste than he does.
00:27Were you jealous that Zach Braff got to choose the theme song for Scrubs?
00:33Krista Miller, it is such a pleasure to have you here.
00:35How are you doing today?
00:36Thank you. I am so well, and I'm so happy to see you,
00:39since we only had a brief five minutes in Los Angeles.
00:43In Los Angeles, where I was obviously flown by the studio.
00:46Obviously.
00:47And it did not happen over Zoom, that's not for sure.
00:50Thank God, I was watching this thinking, I wish Paul was my therapist.
00:53Oh, my goodness.
00:53We chatted very briefly over Zoom for Shrinking Season 3,
00:56which I do want to get to.
00:58But you've had such an incredible career.
01:01Am I right in thinking that you started out wanting to be more of a dramatic actress?
01:04Yes.
01:05And then you appeared on Seinfeld twice.
01:08Yes.
01:08It's astonishing to me that someone who is such a natural comedy actress
01:13and has such amazing comedic timing,
01:15sort of, I can't believe that there was a path where you were going to explore more dramatic acting.
01:20Oh, my God.
01:21I was, I used to walk in New York, listening to music,
01:26imagining all these drama movies that I was going to be starring in.
01:30But then I started taking classes at Groundlings, which is an improv troupe.
01:35And I was like, this is quite fun.
01:38And my first job when I got to L.A. was doing an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel
01:44-Air.
01:44Have you decided?
01:45Drop dead.
01:46Excellent choice.
01:48Will was so nice.
01:51And they kept adding me to scenes.
01:53I had one scene and they added me to like four scenes.
01:55And I was like, why, this is the most fun job.
02:01Yeah.
02:01Doing a sitcom and you have a regular schedule.
02:03And then because I did that job, then I booked Seinfeld.
02:07You know, I went down that path.
02:10Right, okay.
02:10When you were on Seinfeld, was there something that was,
02:12because like, you're so funny in those two episodes.
02:15Was that a turning point in your mind when you were like,
02:19actually, yeah, I'm funny and I like doing this sort of acting.
02:23I had so much fun.
02:25And you know, when you're starting out in acting and you're trying and you're working
02:28and you're getting rejected all the time,
02:30it's like to then work and be good at something and also working with those,
02:35with people like all those people make you funnier, you know, and then you learn.
02:40And Drew Carey, it was because of Seinfeld.
02:45ABC said to the executive producer, he wanted me after we did the test.
02:50I was still in my outfit from when I did the network test.
02:53And they said, she's a little green.
02:55Like she hasn't done a lot.
02:57And I had just done the Seinfeld that hadn't been out yet.
02:59And they were very secretive.
03:01And I called the office.
03:03This is me.
03:04I called the office and Larry David picked up.
03:07And I mean, I'd just been working with him.
03:09And I said, Larry, I know you're not allowed.
03:11I promise I'll bring it right back.
03:13But please, can I have just for ABC to look at?
03:16I'm really going to get this show.
03:17If you let me bring this tape.
03:20Like the raw footage?
03:21The raw footage.
03:22So all my stuff without it being cut.
03:24And he was like laughing.
03:25He just started laughing.
03:26He goes, come get it and you bring it back.
03:28I said, OK, so ABC was over there in the valley.
03:33ABC is over there.
03:35It was like that scene in broadcast news.
03:37I used to smoke back then.
03:38I'm chain smoking in my car with this tape.
03:44I run it to ABC like, here's the tape.
03:48And then half an hour later, the executive producer called me
03:52and said, welcome to the show.
03:53You know what?
03:54You guys need to stop ordering your sex toys over the internet.
03:57I have to ask you about your husband.
04:00Yes.
04:00And also longstanding creative partner, Bill Lawrence.
04:02Yeah, my collaborator.
04:03So you met Bill at a party.
04:06Yeah.
04:06Introduced by none other than Alan Ruck.
04:09Alan Ruck.
04:10Already like an incredible Hollywood origin story.
04:12I'm obsessed.
04:13What was your first impression of Bill when you met him?
04:16Let me just tell you this.
04:16I was dating someone that I was ready to break up with, OK?
04:21And I wasn't like myself with him.
04:24I had to be a different version of me.
04:26I walked in and Bill stood up, six foot three, with electric blue eyes, dreamy.
04:35And I, in my head immediately, I go, Krista.
04:39And I was getting ready to break up with my boyfriend.
04:42But I was like, there are these people in the world that are handsome.
04:46And he was very funny.
04:48Yeah.
04:49And immediately flirty and lovely.
04:51After that, he said, can I get your number?
04:53And I said, you know, I haven't broken up.
04:55I am going to.
04:57But, you know, like in a month.
04:59Yeah.
05:00If you can track me down.
05:01And then he called me and said, you better be single.
05:04And I said, I am.
05:05And he goes, I'm going to fly out to LA and take you to dinner.
05:07But the annoying thing is, I just want to tell you the annoying thing, Eliza.
05:10So I always say, we were watching it about love at first sight.
05:13And I was like, we had love at first sight.
05:15And Bill goes, and I go, he goes, I didn't want to marry an actress.
05:19And I was like, it was love at first sight.
05:21I came and you stood up and I looked, it was so cute.
05:23And you asked for, you tracked me down.
05:25And he goes, it was lust at first sight for me.
05:28Bill.
05:28No.
05:29When did you find this out?
05:31He says it all the time.
05:32Marriage is a dead institution.
05:35It hasn't worked for me.
05:36I find it such a fascinating dynamic that you and your spouse are also,
05:41you know, creative collaborators and you've worked on so many projects together.
05:44I imagine like you must have creative disagreements as everybody does at work.
05:51What's it then like going home with that person?
05:53My husband at work, I am telling you, he's the GOAT.
05:58The only time we fight at work is sometimes about the music because I have a little bit
06:03of cooler taste than he does.
06:05And because on, on shrinking and scrubs, I like to use, um, new music cause I love launching
06:11new artists.
06:12You know, TV is the new radio.
06:14And what I do is I make the playlist, like for shrinking, I'm already making the playlist
06:19and built in LA.
06:20All you have to do is all you do is drive.
06:22So I put the new music of shrinking that I want or scrubs in the car.
06:31Yeah.
06:32And I'm playing him.
06:32I keep playing him for him.
06:34So by the time he hears it, he thinks it's on the radio.
06:38Ah, very smart.
06:39Right?
06:39Okay.
06:39It's not on the radio.
06:41No, but you've planted the seeds.
06:42It's on my radio.
06:43I've planted the seeds.
06:43Like I know this.
06:44I like that song.
06:45But this is fascinating to understand because obviously you've worked together on,
06:49I mean, to name a few, Scrubs, Cougar Town, Now Shrinking, that's a, that's a lot of,
06:54that's, I mean, it's a long creative partnership and it's a lot of characters that he's written,
06:59I imagine for you, but I don't know, like, can you talk to us a bit about the creative process
07:06of how he writes your characters specifically?
07:09Is there collaboration with it?
07:10In his head, he can do it.
07:12He formulates strengths, what he wants to lean into.
07:17How, based on you.
07:19Yeah.
07:20Because we all facets of ourselves that we bring out and Bill obviously knows all my facets.
07:25But on Shrinking, it had started out, Brett was writing kind of a dark comedy about psychiatry
07:33and that, and it was more dark.
07:37And he had written a part, Krista, written it for me.
07:40And then, then they decided to do it together, to bring the light and the dark together.
07:45So I think he wrote me in a different way that I've ever played.
07:49And then I just was super lucky because in the second episode of the first season,
07:56I had a throwaway line and it really triggered me.
08:00Just thinking about it makes me feel emotional.
08:02It triggered me and I was emotional.
08:04And all the writers in the writers room, especially the women were like, and in my head too,
08:10went, that's Liz.
08:11What was the line?
08:12I said to Jessica, no, I overheard you and you said, you know, she's just a mom.
08:18I clicked into me because, you know, you're trying to find a character.
08:21When you first start a show, you're trying to find a character.
08:24You said it made you emotional on the day.
08:25What was it about it that resonated with you?
08:28After I'd finished Cougar Town, I, my husband was working so hard.
08:34I had three small children.
08:35I couldn't really, I just felt like I wanted to be with my children.
08:40I had been working straight for 23 years and I loved my children and I wanted to be with them.
08:44And I was just a mom.
08:46And it's hard when you like working, love working, love your job.
08:50I know that you've said in a lot of interviews that you're very different to Liz.
08:53Yeah.
08:54But like, was the, you know, you have grown up children, three grown up children.
08:58Is this something that resonated with you, the sort of empty nest thing?
09:02No, I was a little peace out to my kids because now I feel like I can do stuff and
09:06whatever.
09:06And also, listen, older children call me 400 times a day.
09:11More problems than smaller children, we play whack-a-mole.
09:14And you know, I know I say I'm very different than Liz, but I, I think a better way to
09:20phrase
09:20it is any actor, you pull out different facets and aspects of your character and personality
09:27and what you believe in and some are just not used as much.
09:31And so it's fun to bring out the ones that aren't, I don't wear my heart on my sleeve.
09:38The family knows him.
09:39Why don't you go home and post some s*** on Nextdoor and how the neighborhood's changed?
09:42If we can talk about Scrubs.
09:45Yes.
09:45Um, Scrubs is back.
09:47Scrubs is back.
09:47On our TV screens.
09:48What a magical time to be alive.
09:50I, I don't think you understand like the, the parasocial relationship that I have with
09:55you is real because I've grown up watching Scrubs, I mean, from when I was a teenager and
09:59not just once, but like, I think the whole series probably about six times through.
10:05So I know I'm watching it currently again for probably the seventh time.
10:09We, by the way, just know that, you know, everything in LA is shot in a set and Bill found
10:15an old hospital.
10:16We shot in a real hospital.
10:18The morgue was on the bottom floor.
10:20We'd shoot there.
10:21Then we'd shoot on the first, second, third were the dressing rooms.
10:25For the reboot.
10:26For the original.
10:26For the original one.
10:27It was a real hospital.
10:29Real hospital.
10:30People brought their dogs.
10:31It was the most fun.
10:33The chaos.
10:33Also, I am still best friends with Zach Braff.
10:37He directs shrinking.
10:39I mean, I just went up and did a Scrubs.
10:41Best friends with Sarah Chalk.
10:42We were just texting with her just now.
10:44Best friends with Johnny C, with Donald.
10:46Like, these are our family.
10:49And we had scenes with Johnny C and Zach and myself.
10:52We couldn't stop laughing.
10:56Look, I have to ask as well.
10:57Yeah.
10:58You work as music supervisor on Scrubs and shrinking.
11:01Were you jealous that Zach Braff got to choose the theme song for Scrubs?
11:06Um, I wasn't happy.
11:09Um, I also made a deal with Zach because I'm very, um, I have a certain way of working
11:15with, with shrinking.
11:16It's all from my bank.
11:17And this is the first show, Scrubs, because Zach and I have similar tasty music.
11:21He's a collaborator with me on my playlist.
11:24This is the first time this has happened.
11:26I have a collab.
11:27Zach gets to add music.
11:29How do you feel about that?
11:30I love Zach.
11:31Okay.
11:32You didn't answer my question.
11:33And I respect.
11:34Was I jealous or annoyed?
11:38Why would it be?
11:38I'm so lovely.
11:39I don't have those kinds of feelings.
11:42Oh my God, Krista.
11:43It's been such a pleasure to talk to you.
11:45Thank you so much.
11:45But only five minutes has gone by, Eliza.
11:47Only five minutes?
11:48It was five minutes.
11:50I know.
11:50And we're like here in my home where I live.
11:52So like, can't we just keep it going?
11:54We've already become besties.
Comments