PaleyFest 2026: The "Nobody Wants This" cast discusses vulnerability, sibling dynamics, and Season 3

The Paley Center for Media hosted their PaleyFest in Los Angeles, where they interview the stars and creators of major TV shows. On April 8th, they celebrated Nobody Wants This, a Netflix show that explores modern relationships, identity, and emotional vulnerability. Held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, this event features the actors Kristen Bell (Joanne), Adam Brody (Noah), Justine Lupe (Morgan), Timothy Simons (Sasha), Jackie Tohn (Esther), creator Erin Foster and writers Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan.

The moderator Perri Nemiroff asked about finding the balance between giving fans what they already love from Season 1 but also finding new elements to explore in a relationship in Season 2. Erin stated that it was really important for the writers' room to tell a real story of romance.

"You're not always in the honeymoon stage, and that's okay, because falling in love is a type of love, but then staying in love is also a really meaningful kind of love."

The writers talked about how proud they were of showcasing a healthy relationship where both partners are willing to bet on each other and appreciate each other.

"I think we do have a little bit of responsibility knowing that young people are watching our shows and asking themselves, what does a relationship look like? What does marriage look like? What does a fight between two people look like? I do think we're setting a good example."

Later on, they discussed highlights from the actors during the filming of Season 2. Justine praised Kristen's acting during a scene where Joanne and Noah are about to break up. Joanne is explaining to him how she's feeling, and she's on the verge of crying but trying really hard not to cry.

"I just know that feeling so well, and I can't recall another time where I saw an actor capture that feeling of trying to get through talking without crying, but it is so bad we just want to cry. I just thought it was an amazing moment, an amazing performance."

Kristen discussed the difficulties of acting those kinds of scenes. She explains that emotional outbursts for her are easy; she calls it emotional math.

"I think I have a lot of emotions sitting there that I can access."

Meanwhile, conveying a sentiment like being on the verge of tears is harder. It already feels very raw when it's happening in real life and you're in front of someone, but when you're shooting, you're in front of a camera and a whole crew.

"I have to do it in front of the camera while looking at Adam and push it all at him. Adam is really nice to me during those scenes too. It's not a bad environment to open up there."

Adam and Kristen also talked about the dynamics at play when they shot their breakup scene:

"We were really trying to chart very specifically how many times we interacted and who had the power in each of those dynamics."

They then touched on the moment, after their breakup, where Joanne and Noah go to a party and have to act as if everything is okay:

"I just remember discussing that a lot and then trying to have it be a real back and forth, so it wasn't like they were both rejecting each other. It wasn't like they were both trying to come back together either."

Erin Foster went on to highlighted the great sibling dynamic between Kristen and Justine. She explains that siblings have a shorthand that is really hard to portray. Foster loved the sister fight in Season 1. She said she didn't write that scene, but she praises the writer for really getting the sister dynamic.

"I was just so happy with how they tapped into that energy, because they're not sisters, and you really feel the shorthand of anger and protection of each other at the same time."

Kristen added that Justine created something where every time Joanne touched or even brushed up against Morgan, she would scream.

"It just progressed into any time I touched her, it was devastating for her physically."

Kristen loved the commitment Justine had to that bit. It worked every single time.

Perri referred to a previous interview where Justine said she had never been given as much trust as a supporting character on TV as she was given in Nobody Wants This. Justine said that it means the world to her to have gotten such an opportunity, and she thanks the writers for writing such a beautiful character.

"It's the most fun, and it's all over the place. She's colorful and she's unrivaled. It's a dream."

Justine is grateful for having had the opportunity to watch some of the best actors in the game give such incredible performances, but now that she's had this role, she's not willing to take it for granted.

"In terms of living up to that expectation, there have been moments where there's been anxiety, nerves, and worry because I want to live up to what I've been given and take advantage of it. I have been relying a lot on these guys and just turning to them, turning to the writers, and trusting my team."

The bathroom scene between Morgan and Bina, Noah's mother, was brought up, and Justine was asked how it was working with Tovah Feldshuh and navigating the emotion that this scene needed. Justine describes the scene as "two women who wear masks all the time to hide their vulnerability, taking off their masks with each other and showing themselves." Justine also said she enjoyed working with Tovah:

"She just comes in, and she knows what the fuck she wants to do, and she's generous about putting her choices out on the table."

The conversation shifted towards the final moment in Season 2, where Joanne realizes she's been Jewish the whole time, thanks to Esther's speech. Jackie spoke about what it was like having her character provide that revelation to Joanne.

"Joanne's enemy in the beginning being the person that helps her realize she is already Jewish in her bones was a very beautiful coming-together moment. I was so moved by it. The response that I got from everybody, but particularly so many cool Jewish women of our similar age, they tell me just how profound that scene was for them and how much it hit home."

Erin talked about the process of writing that scene:

"We understood that what she says in that moment would be scrutinized or held on a pedestal, because you're describing what it's like to tell someone they're already Jewish."

She explains the real-life parallels that she has with Joanne's journey regarding converting to Judaism.

"It's not this religious thing. It's much more of a feeling. And that is the thing that helped me feel comfortable being Jewish: I didn't really have to do anything differently. I was already there. I think that Joanne is overcomplicating it."

Finally, the group discussed the newcoming Season 3. When asked how they would define this season, Bruce just said champagne. Erin added,

"In season 2, we really got into Noah and Joanne's struggle. But now we're thinking about Season 3 and it's champagne."

They also mentioned the newly announced list of guest stars for the new season but didn't provide any information about their characters. These guest stars include Andrew Rannells, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Sarah Silverman, Avan Jogia, Erin Foster, Poorna Jagannathan, Sadie Sandler, Stephanie Koenig, and Steven Weber.