Mindy Kaling Talks Michael Scott-Type Character on 'Not Suitable for Work' (Exclusive)

“Not Suitable for Work” creator Mindy Kaling and stars Ella Hunt, Avantika Vandanapu, Will Angus, Jack Martin, and Nicholas Duvernay are dishing on the new series, which follows five work-obsessed twenty-somethings living in Manhattan.

“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with the cast, with Mindy sharing the inspiration for the new series.

Mindy said, “I remember that time of my life so vividly, moving to New York City, being in my early 20s, where you just want to hurry up and rush to the part of your life where people believe in you and you have money and clout… I remember it so vividly, feeling underestimated and wanting something really badly, but it was completely out of reach."

Ella plays AJ, who she described as “a hard worker, talented, aspirational.” She went on, “I think she gets totally swept off her feet by the city in a way that she doesn’t expect.” 

Avantika plays a stylist assistant, Abby, who's starting from the bottom in the fashion world.

She admitted she could never do Abby's job, noting, “I’m very sort of in awe of that world and I think [assistants] work really, really hard and it is kind of an underrepresented side of the industry.”

Mindy chimed in, “40% of the show is her cowering under like 40 bags.”

In all seriousness, Mindy emphasized, “Fashion runs on the backbreaking work of about like 2,000 people in their 20s, who are like toiling and sewing and ironing and getting screamed at… You haven’t made it until you’ve been screamed at.”

Jack plays Josh, who's a nepo baby. Referencing “Succession,” Jack said, “He’s a little Kendall Roy coded to me. I think there’s a lot of similar dynamics where it’s when you’re in a position like that, you both really don’t want to be labeled as benefiting from that but you also really want to benefit from it."

Mindy praised Jack’s portrayal of Josh, saying, “He can be so insufferable, Josh, but Jack really grounds him because he loves his two best friends so much," referencing Will and Nicholas' characters.

Mindy also spoke about Will’s character Davis, who she said has similarities to Michael Scott in "The Office."

She recalled how Michael "had a big personality but just really wanted to be loved," adding, "We were like, 'Does Michael cry every episode?' Like, he's always in a meltdown and crying."

She continued, "I find that every similar to Davis, where he just wants to be loved, and he's such a big comedy character but he just — you don't cry every episode, but you're kind of emotional. He's an emo guy. He's very in touch with his emotions."

Nicholas plays Kel, a med student who really wants to be an actor.

He said, “It’s kind of cathartic to play an actor who’s a struggling actor while also having the privilege to be on a TV show with all these wonderful people. You kind of get to relive that experience with like a hint of hope for the character, but knowing that it does get better."

He shared, "I've worked all kind of odd jobs — I mean, like, baking muffins overnight at a bakery, graveyard shift, you know, Uber Eats."

When asked if her characters are based on real people, Kaling answered, “When I create a show, I think the most important thing is that I can see myself and like obviously there’ll be like one character that people like, ‘Oh, you must be this character,’ but I think the most important thing is that every single character has like a big part of my own personality.”

As for how she juggles all her projects with motherhood, Mindy joked, "I need the money. I need that money, do you know what I mean?"