From Elena of Avalor to Elena of Westmont Village in Your Friends and Neighbors, Aimee Carrero is not to be messed with.
That’s a fact that becomes saliently clear in Episode 4 of the new Apple TV+ dramedy, which also stars Jon Hamm, Olivia Munn, and Amanda Peet. Slight spoilers ahead!
Sitting down with DECIDER to chat about her unsuspecting character in the series, the actress — who plays the housekeeper for Nick (Mark Tallman) and Mel (Peet) in the show — opened up about what led her to the project and why her character is going to surprise everyone.
“It’s easy to make a lot of assumptions and maybe a lesser writer would play into a lot of stereotypes. But I knew that that wasn’t going to be her journey,” Carrero said. “I love nothing more than subverting a stereotype.”
The show follows Coop (Hamm), a former hedge fund manager who is recently divorced and recently fired, who resorts to stealing from his uber-rich neighbors to make ends meet. Well, maybe he’s focused on a little more than just getting by, he is going after Birkins and $250,000 watches in these houses after all.
In the most recent episode, after cocking a gun at Coop while catching him breaking and entering, Elena shares a drink with him and lets him off the hook only after he agrees to bring her into his business. It’s the kind of turn fans wouldn’t expect for the character — a quiet and respectful employee — but one that made complete sense for Carrero.
Later in the episode, Elena also declares that after years of working for people with more money than they’ll ever need and less care for others than they should have, she has realized that you don’t get what you work for, you get what you are able to negotiate. Juicy stuff.
“I want to be in things I wanna watch, you know?” Carrero said of what made her accept the role. “That’s the number one criteria. And I knew [series creator] Jonathan Tropper’s work from before so I was already a fan.”
For the actress, it also doesn’t hurt that the show toes the line between drama and comedy, something she knows all too well thanks to her own work in shows and movies like The Offer and The Menu. She told DECIDER that even when it’s unintentional, she tends to find the funny.
“When I first started auditioning, I remember having an audition for that show Heroes back in the day. And it was supposed to be like a very dramatic scene where she’s being hazed at a sorority. I remember I went in and it was a callback and everybody was laughing and they were just carrying on and I called my agent, I was like, ‘It’s in the bag.’ Then she calls me back in 20 minutes and she goes, ‘They thought it was hilarious, but it’s not a comedy,’” she explained.
“No matter what, I think I gravitate towards the comedy of things and I always try to find it,” Carrero added. “Maybe I just can’t help myself.”
Hopefully, her character will continue to find the comedy in Season 1, especially as things only get more dangerous for Coop’s enterprise. At some point, there will also be a major confrontation for Elena since the show’s trailer sees her screaming at someone on a city street.
Fans will just have to wait and see what the rest of the season — and the already confirmed Season 2 — has in store for her.
The first four episodes of Your Friends and Neighbors are currently streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes release Fridays.
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