NEED TO KNOW
Work is easy for Jackie Tohn when she’s got Timothy Simons by her side.
The pair, who play husband and wife on Nobody Wants This, spoke to PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly on the red carpet at the 77th Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, where they raved about the hit Netflix show and each other.
“Esther loves Sasha so much,” says Tohn, 45, referring to their respective characters. “I love [Timothy] so much, and he’s so easy to be delicious with that I’m hoping that comes through — that Esther has her stuff, but she also comes home to her man and her daughters, and she takes care of business. And she’s kind of a great girl.”
Tohn is also surprised at criticism for her character: the sister-in-law of Noah (Adam Brody), who breaks up with her best friend Rebecca (Emily Arlook) and goes on to date Joanne (Kristen Bell).
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“Don’t come for my homegirl, first of all,” she jokes. “Everyone’s all mad about how Esther’s acting and I’m like, ‘[Noah] was with my girl, they were about to get engaged, and now he has this rando? I don’t care for her!’ ”
Tohn continues, “I guess part of me was like, ‘You don’t like a lot of women if you don’t like Esther.’ She’s true to her friendships.”
Both Tohn and Simons, 47, are so thankful for the success of the show, which is nominated for three Emmys including Outstanding Comedy Series.
“I love the people I work with; the cast and crew are incredible, and something like this, you can’t plan for it, you can’t shoot for it,” Simons says on PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly Red Carpet Live. “So [the Emmys are] just a wonderful … icing, rather than the cake.”
“Not a great metaphor — I’m doing what I can,” he jokes.
Adam Rose/Netflix
Nobody Wants This follows Joanne and Noah, a podcaster and a rabbi who form an unlikely romantic bond that upends their respective social and familial circles.
Bell, 45, is up for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, while Brody, 45, is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Addressing Nobody Wants This’ runaway success, Tohn tells PEOPLE and EW at the Emmys, “When we were making this show, we were loving it and loving each other and then we were like, ‘Here you go, world. Hope anyone likes it.’ ”
“And then for it to have a response like this … people always ask, ‘Did you guys know you were cooking up [a hit]?’ And we’re like, ‘No, are you joking? We went to work and hoped people would watch it.’ So it’s exciting.
Nobody Wants This season 1 is streaming on Netflix, while season 2 is slated for release on Oct. 23.
See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
