Summary

Collider’s Joe Schmidt talks with Mythic Quest’s Jessie Ennis and Naomi Ekperigin for Season 4.

The AppleTV+ series explores the wild dynamics of the video game industry in an office sitcom starring Rob McElhenney, Danny Pudi, and Charlotte Nicdao.

In this interview, Ekperigin and Ennis discuss their characters’ growth and new adventures in Season 4, stunt work, and exciting crossover endeavors, particularly for Ennis’ character Jo.

It’s not easy to be a scene-stealer in a cast full of scene-stealers, but somehow, Jessie Ennis and Naomi Ekperigin manage to pull off the impossible. With their fan-favorite Mythic Quest characters Carol and Jo (respectively) fleshing out their characters and performances in ways the audience—and the actors, frankly—didn’t quite expect. Bringing in huge laughs and nuance, Carol and Jo both have enormous turns coming in the series’ upcoming fourth season.
AppleTV+’s Mythic Quest follows the interoffice politics and drama behind video game production. Led by game creator Ian Grimm (played by series co-creator Rob McElhenney) and Poppy, co-creative director of Mythic Quest (played by Charlotte Nicdao). Ekperigan’s Carol, once the head of HR, has been promoted and given a bit more rope around the office. Ennis’ Jo has recently been recruited by Imani Hakim’s Dana to join her competing company. The series also stars Danny Pudi (Community) and Ashly Burch (Fortnite).
Ahead of Season 4, Collider’s Joe Schmidt had the opportunity to speak to Ekperigin and Ennis about their work on Mythic Quest. During their conversation, they discuss the skilled storytelling of showrunners McElhenney and Ganz, the joy of revealing “messy, messy” Carol wreaking havoc around the office, and, of course, Ennis details the nuance of playing a sympathetic sociopath. Check out the full interview in the video above or you can read the transcript below.
“Carol’s Off the Rails” in Season 4

“She just makes a lot of messy, messy mistakes.”

Image via Apple TV+

COLLIDER: Naomi, I’ve got to start with you because it is great to see Carol get messy this season. You play a character who is constantly trying to control the chaos. What was that like to see Carol create some chaos, and how was that for you?
NAOMI EKPERIGIN: When I read that first script, I said, “Carol’s off the rails. She’s off the rails.” She is not the girl we knew, and that was very fun and very exciting, because I think that it’s very relatable to be trying to keep your personal life out of your work life. But when you’re at work all the time, you can’t help it, and so next thing you know, you make mistakes in the workplace.
JESSIE ENNIS: And she does. She just makes a lot of messy, messy mistakes.
It’s a lot of fun because the characters that you get to interact with are not typically characters that you would expect. So that part of Mythic Quest, of just being able to bounce off of these type of actors, is that just a dream come true every day going to work and being able to play off of all these different kinds of comedic talents?
EKPERIGIN: Absolutely. It’s so fun. Carol’s in different little triangles this season, and it was so fun to get to know these new actors and also in such crazy iterations of our relationship. So yes, Joe, the dream!
And how true to life is it, the, for lack of a better word, bitch session that we all do with coworkers? Was that a little bit of getting some personal demons out there?
EKPERIGIN: [Laughs] We were not bringing the real because I’ll tell you this, if I’m having a real bitch sesh, we’re off-site. You do not do that on the premises. You do that away.
ENNIS: I loved that episode. It was very fun. Unfortunately, I really agree with one of the things that my character says, which is, “Where’s the shame? Where is the shame?”
EKPERIGIN: That’s true. What happened to it?
ENNIS: The Catholic Church had it figured out. Let’s put the phones down and stop recording ourselves getting ready in the morning. I don’t need to see you before you’re ready. But then she also says a lot of things that I disagree with, and I just get into character for those parts.
Jo Is Bringing Her Full Resume to the Office in Season 4

“There have been a lot of fun challenges for me to tackle.”

I agree with you on the shame part. I say that to myself and my children like 10 times a day. Jessie, you play a character that reminds us even sociopaths have feelings, too, and it was so great to see your character on this journey that has kind of pushed her in challenging and exciting ways, and some surprising directions. What has been the best part of that this season for you?
ENNIS: Honestly, I was thrilled when I read the episode “Villains Feast,” when Jo plans a murder mystery for everyone to experience. There’s another party that she plans. I always find it really funny when Jo’s in charge how there seems to be an unlimited budget, and so I have some assumption that she has, like, David’s pin number, and so she’s just draining his account. But yeah, there have been a lot of fun challenges for me to tackle this season. I got to do horseback riding training, I got to have a dialect coach, I got to speak French in an episode. So, there’s just fun little things that I certainly didn’t expect to do on a half-hour office comedy.
EKPERIGIN: She’s bringing in all the special skills on that resume, you know what I mean? It’s not just the bottom. It’s not at the bottom, okay? She’s giving us French, okay? She’s parlez-vouzing.
I hope you learn how to swim. That was a really fun plot point that kind of comes up. It’s very integral to your character.
ENNIS: I was a lifeguard. There was a funny moment when we were shooting that scene where they had a stunt coordinator there who wanted to really talk to me because that’s me that does that thing that we’re not going to talk about in too many specifics, but they were like, “Okay, we need to talk to you about this thing you’re about to do.” And I sat there very respectfully listening to them, and they’re like, “Do you have any experience in the water?” And I was like, “I grew up in Los Angeles, and I was actually a lifeguard there.” They were like, “Why did you let me talk for so long?” I was like, “I think we’re going to be fine. I can swim.”
One of the coolest things about Mythic Quest is how the production really brings everyone in as a team, where everyone gets different opportunities to grow beyond just being in front of the camera. Naomi, last year you wrote a very hilarious episode. Jessie, do you have any interest in branching out beyond just being the world’s greatest assistant/sociopath?
EKPERIGIN: Yeah, absolutely. If we get another season, I would love to direct an episode. It was so fun to see our other cast members do it. It’s such a collaborative and supportive environment that it’s, like, the most safe place to do something like that.
That’s awesome. That’s super cool.
“Mark Your Cals” and “Gird Your Loins” for These Season 4 Episodes

“Characters do some things you do not see coming.”

Image via AppleTV+

What are you guys most excited for people to see this season? Is there a specific moment that you guys can kind of tease?
EKPERIGIN: I think there are a lot of big moments that are exciting because characters do some things you do not see coming in this season. I think everyone should be pretty excited for Episode 4. Mark your cals, gird your loins!
That’s the murder mystery episode that you’re referring to
EKPERIGIN: That’s the one.
ENNIS: I love that episode, but I also really love what happens with Carol this season, and I think audiences are going to be kind of surprised to get a peek into her apartment and to see Carol in some more intimate situations. My family and I, when we watched it, we were cracking up because we didn’t expect to see the show take this turn. And when you find out who the murderer is in the murder mystery, it’s a really wonderful end of the episode, and I think people will be thrilled when they see that.
Mythic Quest is known for these awesome flashback episodes that really separate itself and add a new set of context. What do you think makes that special as a part of a workplace sitcom that Mythic Quest is, and how that differentiates it from the pack?
ENNIS: I think we’re just different. It’s just so cool the tone that Megan Ganz and David [Hornsby] and Rob [McElhenney] all bring to this show. Like I said, I keep getting challenged to do things I never expected to do on a half-hour workplace comedy. Then when I watch the show, and we’re having these emotional one-off episodes with all new cast, and they’re just such skilled storytellers, it’s really a special thing to get to be a part of.
EKPERIGIN: I think it’s giving you what you would expect from a streamer. It’s really separating itself from a network workplace comedy by taking these moments to, as you said, give more context to dig deeper, to show how the people you like in the present were informed by previous experiences that most shows wouldn’t have the time to get into.
Awesome.
Jo Is Breaking Suspects In ‘Law & Order: Mythic Quest’

The pair scheme up some exciting crossover ideas.

Image via AppleTV+

Now, I’ve got to ask this because the DNA of Mythic Quest comes from a little bit of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the people that came over from there. They just had a big crossover and with a different sitcom that you felt was completely out of place in Abbott Elementary, so I wanted to ask you, what do you think would be the perfect crossover for Mythic Quest if you could crossover with any show?
ENNIS: It’d be cool to see Mythic Quest and Severance do something together. Or my personal favorite, Bad Sisters.
EKPERIGIN: You can get your accent work going! Get some accent work.
ENNIS: Let’s get another dialect coach in here. But yeah, I love Bad Sisters. I’m not sure how that could work, but I’ll figure it out.
Severance was the one that I was thinking, too. That’s the lowest hanging fruit. That’s so easy.
ENNIS: How rude. [Laughs]
Oh, sorry! I did not mean it like that. That was what I thought would be. I did not mean to insult you.
ENNIS: Sure! [Laughs]
Naomi, what do you think?
EKPERIGIN: I don’t know, the stakes are pretty high now. I definitely think Severance. Carol would love to be severed. Carol would like to have an ability to separate things. That’s what she would like. That’s what she needs. And also, can you imagine Carol giving Adam Scott a real talking to? But also, imagine Mythic Quest plus procedural. I’ll take any procedural. Get Jo on the case? Jo sniffing out the clues and breaking a suspect?
ENNIS: Monk?
EKPERIGIN: Too gentle. I’m thinking even like a Law & Order. I’m thinking a Special Victim.
ENNIS: Dun dun.
EKPERIGIN: You know what I’m saying? Imagine that!
So Jo and a walk-and-talk with someone just unloading boxes from the back of a delivery truck, like, “I don’t know what I saw.”
EKPERIGIN: Exactly! And then just stopping them and then getting them to just break. I would love that.
That’s a good one. Then who is a character that you want your character to interact with more? This is probably a behind the scenes question, like who is the costar that you’re like, “I need more scenes with that person?”
ENNIS: Every time I get to work with Naomi, I’m thrilled. We got a few more scenes this season than in previous seasons, which were all very fun and easy. We’re very easy to work with. We’re quick. Then, other than the person I’m sitting directly next to, Sue. I’m obsessed with Caitlin [McGee]. I love Sue. I think Sue and Jo have the weirdest chemistry. It’s so fun and I just love working with her.
EKPERIGIN: I think definitely Sue and Jo probably grew up in the same compound in a lot of ways, but just went in different directions with it. Any chance to be with Jo because you don’t know what’s going to happen. Jessie makes me laugh so hard in the scene. But also, Carol and Ian need to get together and have a conversation because I think Carol has helped David kind of get himself together a little bit, and you haven’t seen as much with Carol and Ian. Perhaps she’s going to have to sit him down one day and tell him some hard truths.
Mythic Quest Season 4 is available to stream on AppleTV+.

Mythic Quest

Release Date

February 7, 2020

Network

Apple TV+

Directors

Todd Biermann, Pete Chatmon, Megan Ganz, Angela Barnes, Steve Welch, Catriona McKenzie, LP, Danny Pudi, Heath Cullens

Writers

Katie McElhenney, Ashly Burch, John Howell Harris, Aparna Nancherla, Naomi Ekperigin, Kyle Mack, Keyonna Taylor, Randall Valdez-Castillo, Emma dePaulo Reid