Murray Bartlett Gushes Over Working With Jennifer Coolidge

Prepare to spot Kumail Nanjiani like you've ne'er seen him before.

In the upcoming Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales—which is based connected existent events and premieres Nov. 22—the Eternals prima transforms into Somen "Steve" Banerjee, an Indian migrant who created the now-famous Chippendales creation group, alongside Murray Bartlett's Nick de Noia. It's a relation that changed the mode Nanjiani thinks astir masculinity, arsenic Banerjee is a character who is uncomfortable with vulnerability.

"I deliberation a batch of men are disconnected from their interior lives and person a hard clip admitting their emotions, adjacent labeling what they're feeling," Nanjiani told E! News successful an exclusive interview. "I deliberation that past tin travel retired successful aggressive, adjacent convulsive ways, if you're not processing the grief you're feeling, if you're not processing your sadness, oregon your fear."

This knowing of a "certain benignant of masculinity," Nanjiani said, informed his show of the sometimes discomforting character, who, successful existent life, pleaded blameworthy to conspiracy to perpetrate extortion and execution successful 1993. He added, "He's a feline who was wholly chopped disconnected from his interior life, from his emotions. He's precise frightened of what helium is, and helium doesn't similar himself."

To represent this feeling on-screen, Nanjiani said he imagined Banerjee would determination similar RoboCop—just "not arsenic cool," according to the actor. 

However, this stiff, robotic question had an adverse effect connected Nanjiani, who formed a tight, achy knot nether his enarthrosis during filming. "Certainly successful circumstantial scenes, it would wounded much and more," helium shared. "I was like, that's wherever Steve lives. I can't get escaped of this knot until I wrap."

In contrast, Bartlett's character Nick, a world-renowned choreographer who took the Chippendales connected tour, is assured and comfy successful his ain skin.  "Kumail was talking astir Steve hating himself," Bartlett said. "I deliberation Nick loves himself, but has an interior beingness that he's hiding from everybody."

Bartlett said that Nick's quality to suppress his insecurities puts his quality astatine likelihood with Steve, explaining, "I deliberation it's a small infuriating to Steve due to the fact that he's truly disconnected from his body. And you tin spot he's precise stiff, whereas Nick is precise fluid and comfy with movement."

This treatment of masculinity and insecurity sounds precise intense, but Bartlett and Nanjiani said the bid is simply a scintillating exploration of the true transgression communicative down Chippendales. Specifically, Bartlett described it arsenic an "unexpected existent transgression communicative connected steroids."

Whether you're looking to spot shirtless men oregon you're funny successful deception, Nanjiani said it's got thing for everyone. "That's what's large astir it," helium explained. "It's astir each these big, heavy, acheronian things, but it's besides conscionable a truly amusive show."

The archetypal 2 episodes of Welcome to Chippendales premiere Nov. 22 connected Hulu.