More Jackie Tohn, Please!
There are some roles that require complete transformation from an actor, and then there are some that feel more like second skin. For Nobody Wants This star Jackie Tohn, Esther Roklov is the latter. "Esther's dialogue falls freely from my face," the actress tells me with a chuckle. It's the end of two long press days, and before she slips into a sheer chocolate-brown The Row dress for the show's season 2 premiere, Tohn has one last interview—this one. Sitting casually on her hotel couch, legs tucked underneath her, she's just as you'd expect: warm, funny, and self-deprecating. Her energy is palpable.
Despite its title, everybody, in fact, wanted the Netflix series. Following its premiere last fall, the romantic comedy—which follows Joanne, an agnostic podcaster, and Noah, a newly single rabbi, who fall in love and are forced to navigate their very different lives and meddling families—quickly became a cultural touchpoint. Audiences were obsessed. The storytelling is fresh and wholly relatable, and its ensemble cast, led by Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, is beyond fantastic. Not to mention, the show's wardrobe, masterfully crafted by Negar Ali Kline, was widely searched on the internet, becoming a phenomenon in fashion circles.
But back to Tohn. The GLOW and The Boys actress was an immediate standout as Esther Roklov, Noah's hardened sister-in-law. Fiercely protective, her jabs biting yet quick-witted, she is both the foil to Noah and Joanne's love story and a source of brilliant comedy. We all know and love an Esther in our lives. What's exciting about season 2 is we get to see more of this multidimensional woman, and she's on a mission to break down some of her walls and prove she can actually be fun. Well, she's trying at least. What comes of it is an honest journey of self-discovery and a shocking admission in the final episode. Her arc this season is so good I wanted more of Esther (ahem, Tohn) on my screen.
A lesson learned early on by most actors in this business is just because you're perfect for a role doesn't always mean you get it, but to use Tohn's words, "thank frick" she did!
Nobody Wants This was a huge success. It was the return of the messy rom-com and the introduction of the hot rabbi. When did you first realize/know you had something really amazing here?
We had no idea ever at any point. It does have Kristen Bell and Adam Brody kissing, so there are things in this that are going to be universally loved. But also as an actor (and Tim and I have always talked about this), how many things we've done that we thought were maybe going to be the thing and either nobody saw it or some people saw it and it was critically acclaimed but it wasn't a hit, you just don't know. At this point in all of our careers and lives, you're setting yourself up for disaster if you're filming something and you're looking at each other high-fiving like, "We got it this time, you guys!" And then it comes out, and nobody watches it, and there's critic crickets.
We were as shocked as anyone. We loved the show we were making. We were so grateful to make it in L.A. We loved the scripts and the characters and arcs and the growth and all of it, and still, especially now with 400 networks and streaming and Tubi and Freevee, to break through is very hard. So it feels very magical that we were able to do that. The answer to the question is both—we definitely didn't know while we were shooting and getting the scripts and all of that, but the Netflix executives were really excited about it when they were watching season 1, and we were just excited that they loved it so much. But also, it's like when your mom is proud of your school play. Right, but is it good? They could be impartial, but it turns out it's just a really good show. Honestly, the short answer is we didn't know it was going to blow up until it blew up, and people were asking me questions in interviews like, "How does it feel to be part of a cultural juggernaut?" And I was like, "I'm part of a cultural juggernaut? That's cool as hell."
