Kathryn Hahn and Quentin Plair Break Down Their Messed Up Relationship on ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’

Hulu‘s new series Tiny Beautiful Things is inspired by the real-life story of author and “Dear Sugar” columnist Cheryl Strayed. However, in this fictional version of Strayed’s life, she never went on her legendary Pacific Crest Trail hike. “Clare” (Kathryn Hahn) never grappled with the pain of her mother’s death and it derailed her personal life in the extreme.

Spoilers for all eight episodes of Tiny Beautiful Things on Hulu, but one huge difference between Strayed’s life and Clare’s is that Strayed produced Tiny Beautiful Things with her long-time husband while Clare is dumped by her spouse towards the end of the series. Throughout Tiny Beautiful Things, Clare and Danny (Quentin Plair) are attempting to work through their issues in therapy, but it’s not working. Clare refuses to share important things — like what she’s writing — with Danny and he’s constantly flirting with their marriage counselor Mel (Tijuana Ricks) in the middle of sessions!

The breakdown of Clare’s marriage doesn’t ultimately break her, but it still inspires many questions. Decider spoke with Kathryn Hahn and Quentin Plair about Clare and Danny’s relationship after the Tiny Beautiful Things panel at the Television Critics Association Winter 2023 Press Tour. We dug into what the heck Danny was doing flirting with their therapist, why Clare didn’t reveal she was “Dear Sugar,” and how Tiny Beautiful Things compares to Hahn’s work in the MCU…

DECIDER: So, I’ve seen all eight episodes —

QUENTIN PLAIR: Alright.

KATHRYN HAHN: Thank you.

And I have to be honest, get this off my chest: I don’t like the therapist character. Because I feel like —

KH: That’s not what I thought you were going to say

QP: That’s not at all. 

I’m sure the actress is lovely.

KH: She is.

But I’m just curious how aware of that were you, I know it comes up early that Clare thinks the therapist is flirting with her husband. 

KH: Turns out!

How did you guys play that and develop that over the course of the series?

QP: Okay, I’m taking this one? You know, it’s actually interesting that’s one of the things that me and Liz [Tigelaar] had real conversation about because I wanted to be very particular and intentional about that. Because there was something when it was written on the page where I was like, “Oh, how fucked up is that that the husband’s sitting here in front of his wife, flirting with the therapist? This just feels like I’m breaking all kinds of rules.” But you know, I think one of the beautiful things about the show is that it’s a mess and it just comes in a real place. So maybe some individual goes to talk to another person that’s an individual that has a specific job that is therapist, and is just attracted to that person, and maybe it’s a connection over things that they’re missing in the relationship are finally being seen or finally being heard. Maybe that attraction is literally just the attraction to being heard when you haven’t been heard for a while. So I did, I wrestled with that for a while and how I was gonna do that, and I feel like I ended up at a place where I was just like, “Say what you have to say and let it happen.” For me personally it was always about Clare first. It was always about Clare and about Rae, and just about my love for her, but yes, sometimes someone else actually hears you a little better than the person that’s been hearing the same shit for 16 years and is not hearing.

KH: And also we — sorry to interrupt — I think that the show does a pretty great job of keeping it pretty… 

QP: Loose.

KH: Yeah, loose as to…

What her intentions are?

KH: Yeah, intentions. To give the therapist a break. Do I, Clare, have my feelings? Yes.

So the therapist is the one that sends Danny the “Dear Sugar” article and I was actually dumbstruck that Danny uses “Dear Sugar” to break up with Clare. Does Clare ever want to use this moment to actually declare that she is the author of that piece? Why doesn’t she say so? And would Danny feel differently about Clare had he known that she wrote that piece? 

KH: Well, that’s very interesting because if I think in that particular — I mean, not to speak to that moment — but you know, I would be definitely showing my true self if I were to say if I were the author of that. So, it’s all a beautiful mess at that point isn’t it? Not knowing where that’s going to lead.

QP: This actually just came up for me, you asking and seeing her reaction, my initial thought that just came to mind was like, “Oh, you’re writing again.” That would’ve been my reaction because so many times, I reference, “Hey, what are you writing down?” And having it pushed off and having it pushed off. I think had Danny known [Clare was “Dear Sugar”] or had that come out in that conversation, it would have just kind of furthered that disconnect. I’ve been sitting here asking for however long, and you’re writing something that I now know is very good, and you haven’t told me about it. I think once you’re down a path, once you’re down a railway, the train’s gotta keep going. So being that that was the mindset that I was on, it would just be—

KH: Yeah, you’ve already decided.

QP: It would just be fulfilling that even more. It’s like, “Wow you can’t even tell me you’re writing.” 

Kathryn, you mentioned during the TCA panel that this kind of genre where it’s either a sob or a laugh is kind of the juiciest, most delicious for you. Does that make it more juicy than playing say, Agatha Harkness [in WandaVision]?

KH: Agatha is exactly the same genre. It’s just a little bit larger of a scale, but that’s exactly the same, all the same.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.