Palm Springs, a comedy movie currently streaming on Hulu, was produced by the comedy trio The Lonely Island and stars actors Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. Reminiscent of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, in which the main character, played by Bill Murray, has to relive the same day countless times in a row. Milioti, who plays the character, Sarah, in Palm Springs, says her character wasn’t “desirable” in the typical sense. However, this attracted her to the movie role even more.
[Spoiler alert for the Hulu movie Palm Springs.]
‘Palm Springs’ cast member Cristin Milioti on played Sarah
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Palm Springs stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti (who play Nyles and Sarah, respectively), discussed their character arcs.
“They have both done some really unfortunate, shady things,” Milioti explained. However, the actress found that to be “one of the most refreshing things about these characters.”
Especially for female characters in movies, the How I Met Your Mother alum found her Palm Springs role to be extra intriguing.
“Certainly, as a woman to be able to play a human being, the full spectrum of a human being,” Milioti told Vanity Fair. “Sarah has a lot going on, and a lot of what’s going on with her is not necessarily ‘desirable.’” Her complexity is what makes the character so compelling — and complete.
“… part of the commitment of seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly, and seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly for themselves,” the Palm Springs star shared.
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The Hulu movie portrayed two flawed characters
But Nyles is by no means perfect, either. At one point in Palm Springs, Samberg’s character admits to Sarah that he previously lied. After faking whether or not the two had been intimate in the past, he admits to her that they indeed have hooked up while stuck in the time loop.
“In the immediate aftermath of that revelation, the film grapples with how admitting the mistake forces him to reconsider not just his relationship with Sarah but life itself,” Vanity Fair reported.
Samberg told the publication more about that reveal in Palm Springs. In fact, it wasn’t even in the original film script:
I will say this about the scene, in particular: We added something for my character in that scene that wasn’t in the script, and it ended up being really key, in my opinion, which was making the distinction between a time when he thought there was never going to be a consequence, and this new space that he’s in. And understanding, now that he actually had something to care about, he had massive regret, which I would say is something that in a movie about time loops is acceptable. Not necessarily in real life. It’s a tricky line to walk, but I do feel like it helped our cause a lot.
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Milioti had another take on Palm Springs — that the movie “was an existential comedy.” Playing characters with deep-seated issues — who are forced to face these issues head-on, day after day, made it all the more impactful.
“These two people also have to come to terms with their own stuff, and can’t keep running from these things they don’t want to sit in,” Milioti explained.