The sitcom New Girl has fans all over the world, but did you know one super-famous fan specially requested to guest star on the show? Star Jake Johnson recently talked about when the late rock icon Prince appeared on the sitcom, and how he helped two main characters get together.
Johnson Said Super-Fan Prince ‘Wanted To Live In The Reality Of The Show’
“Prince really liked New Girl… so he wanted to do the show,” Johnson shared on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The rockstar loved the show so much that he actually reached out to the show to ask if he could be in an episode.
Johnson also talked about Prince’s quirky mannerisms while onset. “I saw him looking at me and he said to Zooey [Deschanel], ‘I would like to meet Nick now,’” the actor laughed, referring to the character he played on the show.
“He was as nice as it gets,” Johnson continued. “He wanted to live in the reality of the show, and he wanted Nick and Jess [Johnson and Deschanel’s characters] to be together, so he said he’ll do the show if he can help them get together, and he got to live the fantasy.”
“He wanted Nick and Jess together and we wanted Prince… he was the best,” the actor concluded. This wasn’t Prince’s only request during his time on the show. The musician had input on everything from fellow guest stars to set design.
How Prince Had The Kardashians Removed From The Episode
According to show creator Elizabeth Meriwether, “He wanted to choose the name of the non-speaking chef character, the chef’s wardrobe, the paintings on the walls, the linens in the bedroom set, his wardrobe, Zooey’s wardrobe, the music, the pancakes, the hairstyles … he had a piece of art, a poem written out in the shape of an egg, flown from Minnesota to hang on the wall of the set. His vision of the episode was all-encompassing, but I never felt overpowered. He always asked what I thought. It was like he was asking me to rise up to meet him.”
Deschanel has also discussed some of the rocker’s demands, including bumping the Kardashians from the episode. While appearing on Conan, she said, “I’m not sure exactly how the celebrities were chosen, but someone was friends with some of the Kardashians and had made a phone call, and they had kindly come on to shoot a little cameo part where they were at Prince’s party, which I didn’t really know about because it kept changing.”
“I get there the day Prince is supposed to arrive, and I’m studying my lines, and one of the P.A.s comes in, and she says, ‘I need all of the [scripts].’ She takes mine from me and takes everybody else’s, and [she] takes everyone’s call sheets,” she continued. “I’m like, ‘What is going on?’ I walk outside, and she has, like, a bonfire. She’s burning all the scripts and the call sheets.”
Prince was apparently not a fan of the Kardashians and did not want them to appear in his episode of New Girl. While some might slam the singer for his diva-like behavior, Prince’s episode is beloved among fans of the show, and it’s clear the cast and crew of New Girl loved working with him.
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