The playboy
Steven Wilde, played by Will Arnett
While it’s easy to label the two main characters, Arnett insists there will be plenty of opportunities for Steven to show his redeemable qualities — and Emmy to come off as less than pious. “We didn’t want them to be two-dimensional characters who were just standing for one thing. We wanted them to kind of both have sides to them,” Arnett says.
The humanitarian
Emmy Kadubic, played by Keri Russell
Not only are the main characters in Running Wilde seemingly complete opposites, this is a departure from the roles Russell, most notable as the star of the teen drama Felicity, usually takes.
“I just wanted to be interested, and it was interesting to me,” Russell explains why she wanted to try her hand at a sitcom. “I’ve been reading a lot of film scripts that just — they were more of the same, and the type of movies I really did want to make weren’t being green-lit.
This came my way, and it was just too good to pass up. And then I flew out and met (co-star Will Arnett and creator Mitch Hurwitz), and they were so wonderful. It was fresh and exciting, and I thought I’d try it.”
The creator’s two cents
“This is a true romantic comedy,”?says series creator Mitch Hurwitz, who previously worked with Arnett on Arrested Development. “(Will) really can play a wide range of things, but because he is so funny, and funny is such a striking quality, people tend to use that in movies.
“The fun for us in working with Will is finding those surprises and those dramatic moments, just like the fun with Keri is finding those moments where she’s more comedic, where she’s not the voice of reason. There’s a lot of fun to be had with playing against type for both of them.”
