Sincerity in the City

Like countless dreamy-eyed actors, Ellie Kemper moved to New York City after college to launch her career.

On her very first day, a woman approached her on the sidewalk, touting a promotion at a hair salon. To partake, Kemper just needed to provide her credit card information. She gullibly obliged.

“She obviously smelled the Midwesterner on me,” says Kemper, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, with a wholesome demeanor, an irrepressible smile and an interest in theater and improv comedy (one of her high-school acting teachers was Jon Hamm). She continued training while attending Princeton.

While the sidewalk shakedown didn’t result in erroneous credit card charges, it did herald a string of wide-eyed naïf roles. Those include the cheerily optimistic receptionist, Erin Hannon, on NBC’s The Office; the clueless bridesmaid, Becca, in the film comedy hit, Bridesmaids; and now the unsophisticated Kimmy Schmidt in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, a new comedy series created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock that launches March 6 on Netflix.

The series opens with Kimmy being rescued from an underground bunker in Indiana, where a cult leader has kept her since abducting her in the eighth grade. On a whim, Kimmy decides to start life anew in New York City.

Clothed in her one outfit — hot-pink jeans and a banana-yellow cardigan — she initially exults in making puerile purchases like light-up sneakers and gummy candy. She thrills at technological developments like no-touch, sensor faucets. She sidles up to strangers, eager to connect. But her plucky, golly-gee-whiz style raises more eyebrows than anything else.

Shooting those scenes reminded Kemper of her own initial, awkward attempts to weave herself into the fabric of the city. Like when she would chirp friendly hellos to New Yorkers and they would react like she was daft.

“I learned you’re not supposed to look everyone in the eyes,” Kemper says. “So I definitely relate to Kimmy not getting it at first.”