Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Even though Gabrielle Ruiz claims “It hasn’t ended!” when it comes to the life-changing adventure (for her, and for us as viewers) that is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, she did have a few moments to stop by the Decider office and chat ahead of the cast’s shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City this week. “It’s been this frustrating, emotional rollercoaster of saying goodbye to Rachel [Bloom] and everyone,” Ruiz explained. “We wrapped shooting in February, we wrapped filming the live special in March, we wrapped the show the same week as Rachel’s birthday and she got a new pool and a new deck so we had a third party, and now Radio City. I’m trying to savor that.”
And in between all those goodbyes, Ruiz found the time to catch up on the TV shows her busy schedule kept her from, starting with Hulu’s The Act, which she describes as “definitely cringe-worthy,” while also noting that “the casting is spectacular.”
Also on her watch list? “I’m in the middle of Season 4 of Game of Thrones. I’m one of those people,” Ruiz stated. Umm…doesn’t she know the big finale is coming up — and quick? “Okay, let me defend myself,” she started. “I am a purist when it comes to reading books. I believe in reading books before you see the show.” Ah that explains it, and when Ruiz was living in New York before putting in four seasons at Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, she would dedicate her 35-minute subway ride to the George R. R. Martin books. Except then she moved to LA and picking up the books and trying to remember what was going on proved to be rather difficult. So Ruiz did what any sensible human would: “This is the year I decided to buy the audiobook of book four and listen to the damn thing in the car.” She better do a lot of driving before the finale this weekend though…
As far as Ruiz’s other answers to our Are You Still Watching? quiz, well, it’s fair to say she passed. We can’t blame her for wanting to watch any and all Meryl Streep roles, as she noted, “Every time you see her you just know it’s going to be great,” also admitting that when it comes to the upcoming Big Little Lies Season 2 on HBO, “I just saw the trailer and squealed!”
And when she needs to chill out, Ruiz turns to the trusty reruns of The Office which she estimates she’s watched about “a million” times. “My husband is from Scranton, PA, so that was another bonding moment for us when we met. A purist again, I only watch the Michael Scott seasons. When he left I couldn’t do it.”
In particular, Ruiz said, “I do enjoy the season when Pam and Jim are broken up because Jenna Fischer has her breakdown moment, that’s one of my favorite scenes.” Another scene that gets her every time? Of course when Jim finally asks Pam out on a date. Duh!
We can all appreciate what Fischer did on that comedy, but when it comes to her own accomplishments, Ruiz knows exactly what makes her proudest. “I was first a dancer, so after my first Broadway show In The Heights, a lot of my feedback from auditions was that ‘her acting isn’t strong.’ So it was such a big deal to me to figure that out. Accomplishment wise, when Valencia cries in season three over Rebecca’s suicide attempt (Episode 6, “Josh is Irrelevant”), for me to be able to do that for three hours, I could not have done that six years ago, because my acting chops were third out of the triple-threat. I am very proud of myself and grateful for the whole team who are so caring. And the fact that Valencia was only a two episodes guest star and became a series regular. The universe just cashed in and it changed my life.”
In a smaller yet still significant way, the universe also cashed in when it came to her wedding registry. Ruiz and her husband put a Crate & Barrel popcorn maker on their gift registry “and someone actually got it for us!” Though she credits her husband for being on homemade popcorn duties, she also calls on her Texan roots to explain that she likes to mix the snack with pickles.
So with two shows at Radio City this week, will that finally be the real end of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? Still unlikely, as Ruiz confesses the cast’s group chat is always poppin’. She names Rachel Bloom and Michael McMillian as the most frequent texters of the group, without a doubt. “Once they go into their bits, everyone stands down. Get out of the way.”
It’s usually in that time that Ruiz hits up her co-star in a separate text to check in about…how they’re holding up. “Donna Lynne [Champlin] and I always have this confidential conversation off the group text about how we stress out that we are the least funny in the group text. No one clicks ‘haha’ on our jokes.”
Though Ruiz will likely have less time for the group text now that she’s been cast in a podcast pilot that just got picked up. While details are under wraps right now, Ruiz said, “I’m super excited to get into the voiceover world.” And even though the universe has delivered on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and that popcorn maker, she’s ready to welcome another hopefully future opportunity with open arms. “To put it out there, I want to be a super villain.”
