Luke Grimes and wife Bianca Rodrigues Grimes at the 28th SAG Awards on Feb. 27, 2022, in Santa Monica, California.Photo:Amy Sussman/WireImage
Amy Sussman/WireImage
Luke Grimeswas a big fan ofEllie Kempereven before starring in the new movieHappiness for Beginnerswith her — and he has an especially soft spot in his heart for her breakout role.
In fact, the NBC mockumentary series — in which Kemper, 43, starred as lovable receptionist Erin Hannon from 2009 to 2013 — “is a big part” of both theYellowstonestar’s life and that of and his wife, Brazilian modelBianca Rodrigues Grimes.
“She moved to the States without knowing a word of English,” Grimes says. “And when I met her, she had only lived here for two years but she spoke beautiful, fluent English. I was like, ‘How did you learn it so fast?’ And she said, ‘I watchedThe Officewith subtitles.’ "
Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon inThe Officeseason 6.Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank
In their newNetflixfilm, Grimes plays Jake, a doctor with a secret struggle who connects with the recently divorced Kemper’s Helen while they’re both on a wilderness retreat.
And while the film is technicallya romantic comedy, it has its dramatic, emotional moments as well — and Grimes was excited to see Kemper sink her teeth into those.
“She’s just always brought this really beautiful energy — this kinetic energy, this effervescent thing — to the screen,” he says. “I read [Helen’s] part, and [Ellie]’s not the first person I would’ve thought of for it. I was like, ‘Oh, she’s doing something different.'”
“That was interesting to me,” he continues. “She’s always so happy-go-lucky in the things that she plays, [like]Kimmy Schmidt. And this one was a little bit of a departure from that. I was like, that’d be interesting, to see her tackle something a little more glum, someone a little more down on their luck and not so happy about their situation.”
Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes in Netflix’sHappiness for Beginners(2023).Barbara Nitke/NETFLIX
Barbara Nitke/NETFLIX
He also tells PEOPLE that he and wife Bianca “stayed in this apartment building with some of the cast” while they were filming.
“And Vicky [Wight], the director, was right across the hallway,” Grimes recalls. “But we brought our cats, which everyone thought was kind of weird.”
“We have these twoBengal cats that areour kids right now, and we can’t just leave them places because they’re weird and big, and they’re legitimate cats,” he explains. “So we had to take them to this tiny apartment where we were staying in.”
Asked whetherOfficefan Bianca got to meet Kemper, Grimes says that his wife “came to set a couple of times” while they were filming and did indeed.
“She got to meet everyone. We all hung out on the weekends and it was great,” he adds.
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Happiness for Beginnersis now streaming on Netflix.
source: people.com
