The
PARTNERSHIP
Death Becomes Hulu
thanks to Only Murders in the Building, a 10-episode comic mystery starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as three inhabitants of a New York City apartment complex who team up to investigate the death of a neighbor. Co-created by Martin and Jonathan Hoffman, the star-filled drama returns June 28 on the streamer, and now Gomez’s acerbic Mabel has become a murder suspect. Here, Gomez joins Martin (who plays Charles, an outmoded TV actor) and Short (his Oliver is a bankrupt Broadway producer) for a Zoom chat with Lynette Rice to riff about the dramedy’s successful first season, those intimate moments on screen, and what it’s like to work with each other. (Hint: it’s a constant knee slapper.) Your show is so important to Hulu, that you made an appearance at the Disney Upfront presentation in New York last month. How did that go? STEVE MARTIN: It’s a very non-showbusiness environment with noise and air fans and people who are on couches rather than chairs. It’s not quite an audience. Because you can’t hear the audience respond, you just persevere. It felt funny to us. SELENA GOMEZ: You just try a bunch of things until it doesn’t work. I used to do the upfronts all the time for my Disney show The Wizards of Waverly Place.
SHORT: Yes. Steve is the one. That’s the answer.
The second season was ordered only two when you originally pitched the idea were you imagining a limited run? Or were you seeing a series that would go on for many years? MARTIN: Well, you know, I’m very new to the television business, so I hadn’t even really thought about that. I didn’t even pitch myself in it. I just had an idea that I thought would be for different, older actors. Get three older actors and
now there’s Selena who… GOMEZ: …Came to ruin it all. MARTIN: I told Marty the idea and he said, “You know what? We are old, we could do it.” When I first thought of it, we weren’t that old. But now we are officially old. SHORT: I’m perceived as timeless.
Whose idea was it to hire Selena? MARTIN: I think it came from [executive producer] Dan Fogelman because, you know, it was three old guys and it’s such a clear thought to throw a young woman into the mix. I mean, it’s so obvious. And I said, Marty doesn’t qualify as a young woman… SHORT: …Anymore. Selena, what do you remember about the GOMEZ: They pitched me the idea and it led into a whole conversation about my actual obsession with true crime. I had just come back from CrimeCon when I had the call and it just felt like it was something I really wanted to do. They were all so lovely. And working with Steve and Marty would be a dream.
every reporter and viewer must have asked you what it was to work with these comedy legends. Now that everything is old hat, what did you really want to say about them? GOMEZ: Oh man. I wish I had something witty. I’m still learning from them. Actually, what I’ve learned from them is to be a little more snarky. I can tell that I have a little more bite. Marty will look at me and say, “I did that.” MARTIN: What’s interesting is how Selena’s character developed. It takes time to develop a character into a thing. Marty was always in place, and I was in place, but Selena’s character really evolved into this very special flavoring in the show.
The Only Murders in the Building cast, from left: Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.
The reception for the show has been so great. Who have been some of your more unexpected fans? GOMEZ: Meryl Streep came up to me and complimented the show. It was very sweet. Otherwise, I just have older guys with suede elbow patches who come up and go, “You did well on that show.” MARTIN: I got one the other day that really surprised me because I was in a mask, and I had on dark glasses. A guy said, “Hey, Steve Martin.” He said, “you look just like your character.” I had a hat from the show, and I looked exactly like myself from the show. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that an amazing story? MARTIN SHORT: I can’t think of anyone right now, but I can make one up in a few minutes. MARTIN: Actually, I think I said to you, “I’m surprised you are so good.”
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