Television August 19, 2021
Selena Gomez Talks New Crime Comedy While Steve Martin & Martin Short Can’t Stop Kidding Around
What do you get when you combine two comedy legends and one music superstar? A Hulu crime comedy series called “Only Murders in the Building,” starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as three true crime-obsessed strangers trying to solve a murder mystery.
“Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers caught up with the stars, saying, “Hey, guys, this is the trio that we never knew we needed.”
Steve quipped, “Neither did we,” while Martin insisted, “I did, I did.”
Selena plays a chic New Yorker trying to figure out the whodunit plot in her apartment building. Gomez explained, “She’s dry, sarcastic, doesn’t really care what people think.”
Martin and Steve are the neighbors trying to help her. Martin dished, “I play Oliver Putnam, who is a famous Broadway director.”
Steve said with a smile, “My character is very different from me and it’s a struggle for me to play because I’m playing an actor who is popular in the ’80s.” Jenn joked, “It’s a real departure!” Martin teased, “What a stretch.”
The series also marks Selena’s return to TV after years away. “Yeah, over a decade,” she said, adding, “I had a blast… They’re just wonderful and so kind and humble and professional… Honestly, all I did was laugh the entire time. All I did was laugh.”
Steve teased, “And all I did when Marty was talking was try to laugh.” Martin shot back, “And all I did when Steve was talking was fake laugh.”
Jenn asked them, “Now, the two of you have worked together for almost 40 years. Is there anything you don’t know about each other?”
Steve joked, “I don’t know a thing about Marty’s romantic life… Maybe because there’s nothing to know.”
They do know good music, though, confirming that they are fans of Selena. Steve said, “Absolutely.” Martin agreed, “Absolutely.” Steve said, “I mean, I've got it playing... I’ve got it here somewhere.”
Inquiring about Steve’s location during the Zoom call, Jenn asked, “Steve, are you in the gym right now? Are you going to be doing some bench presses after this?”
He replied, “Well, it kind of worked out that way. I was expecting the camera to kind of be able to...” Martin interjected, “Steve’s in Ripley’s Believe It or Not… under the category...the man with biggest gym who’s in the worst shape.”
Steve explained, “This is where my computer is and it’s part of my ad hoc gym. So you’re right, it could have been a better background… I was hoping that someone would say, ‘Take off your shirt and just pump some iron for us.’”
Martin said, “No, we want people to watch the show.”
And you can watch it August 31 on Hulu.