It didn’t take long Kat Dennings and Tim Allen to build a real-life relationship similar to theirs Shifting gears a father-daughter duo.
“It clicked pretty quickly. We had lunch after I accepted the role and I immediately felt like I could trust him for some reason,” Dennings, 38, exclusively shared in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “And he opened up to me very quickly. So (I was) like, ‘Okay, this guy’s kind of letting me in.’
Dennings explained that she and Allen there is only an “instant” connection became stronger.
“For some reason it worked pretty straight away – maybe it’s because I grew up watching it for so much of my life, but it just worked. It felt very organic,” she recalls. “And as (filming) progresses, our scenes are so funny, if I may say so. Arguments are my favorite scenes to play because I have no fear. There is no fear for any of us. We just do it and it’s so much fun.”
Shifting gearswhich premieres Wednesday, January 8 on ABC, follows widowed father Matt (Allen) and his estranged daughter Riley (Dennings) as they find themselves living together and are working to restore their relationship. The sitcom marks Dennings a return to multi-camera comedy nearly a decade after playing Max on the hit CBS show 2 broke girls from 2011 to 2017
“At first I felt scared because it had been so long. I felt like I had forgotten everything. Then as soon as we started the first take, it was like I never left. It was so crazy,” Dennings shared. “I really worked on it. I was really in over my head about it. It felt so organic then. I feel like I’ve never stopped multicaming. I love it, I really do.”
Tim Allen and Kat Dennings
Disney/Mike Taingbehind the scenes Shifting gears reunited Dennings with showrunner Michel Naderwho had previously worked with her on 2 broke girls and on Hulu Doll face. The Easter eggs don’t stop there, too, with a guest appearance by former Dollface star Dennings Brenda Song – and that’s just the beginning.
“Brenda is one of my best friends in real life because we met A doll house and then Michelle is ours Shifting gears showrunner. And Brenda and I have always talked about doing multicam together. We’d joke like, “Wouldn’t that be great? So she did (a guest spot) because we just want to hang out,” Dennings said, teasing the upcoming episode. “I can’t reveal too many guest stars, but there will be people who are really amazing. I think Michelle has put in a few special little references for me throughout the series.
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In addition to Dennings and Allen, 71 Shifting gears also stars Sean William Scott, Darryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins and Barrett Margolis. Even before the season premiere, fans were raising potential chemistry between the characters of Dennings and Scott.
“What I think personally — because it’s one of my favorite things, too — is that I’m okay with going forward with it,” she told us of the potential fictional novel. “The best relationships on screen are when they stretch out over many, many, many seasons, because then the payoff is so satisfying. Hopefully – if we’re lucky enough to go many seasons – it will take that long.”
As I reflect on her time on set Shifting gears so far, Dennings has called the shoot a “magical situation,” adding, “I was talking to a friend and I wasn’t sure what to do next. She said, “Well, if you could just describe your dream project, what would it be?” I was like, “I’d love to do a series again.” I just described that exact scenario. Then the next day they called me about it.
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She concluded: “It was shocking. I’m still weird about it because I feel like I wished for it and here it is. So that’s how it happened. And I grew up watching (Tim’s show) Home Improvement, so I was very excited about being his daughter. It was just so fantastic and I feel so lucky.”
For more from Dennings on her next sitcom chapter, pick up the new issue of Us Weeklyalready on stands.
Shifting gears premieres on ABC on Wednesday, January 8 at 8:00 PM ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.
