‘Running Point’s Mindy Kaling Is Jokingly Jealous As Co-Creator Ike Barinholtz Delights In Playing Cousin Benny – Contenders TV

With Season 2 of Netflix‘s Running Point having come to a close, co-creators Mindy Kaling and Ike Barinholtz talked about the special pressures they personally feel creating an environment they want a chance to play in themselves.

“You really do feel, especially when you’re a writer/performer working behind the scenes, you’re like, I want to get in on that,” Kaling confessed during the show’s panel Sunday at Deadline’s Contenders TV.

“I was very jealous. They have an actor text chain and sometimes I see one of their phones, one will text the actor text chain and I’m very jealous I’m not on the actor text chain,” adds Barinholtz who received his first Emmy nomination for The Studio coinciding with production on the second season of Running Point. 

He did however get a chance to mingle on-camera with the Gordons and credits Mindy with the opportunity.“Mindy said ‘We should figure out a thing for you to do on the show.’ And in my mind I was like ‘Oh I’m the owner of a rival team and I have a three-episode arc and it’s a romantic thing between me and Kate Hudson’. And Mindy’s like ‘What if you were their cousin who’s a moron?” The DGA theater filled with laughter as Barinholtz continued, “It was one of the most fun characters I’ve ever played in my life. He walks around with a giant Ziplock bag full of Skittles.”

Though Barinholtz didn’t get the romantic storyline of his dreams with Kate Hudson, he did give her the shoulder rub of her nightmares. “There is a sensuality to [cousin Benny] he’s a lover, he wants to be loved, he wants to touch Kate Hudson. There’s a scene in episode 5 where I come up from behind Kate Hudson who plays my cousin and I put my arms on her and I’m like ‘How we doing?’ Before every take I would pour warm water on my hands, so I’d come over with just wet warm hands. There’s a take where she’s like ugghh!” Ike demonstrates with the most cringey of shoulder shrugs.

The second season was an instant hit, immediately taking the Netflix #1 spot. EP David Stassen saying though the show hasn’t been renewed yet, they’re “very hopeful” about a third season and they’re already putting together some “big picture ideas.”  Kaling citing the secret to their success is their Academy Award nominated star. “Kate is on a roll right now, Song Sung Blue was incredible she’s on a roll. The fact that we can get peak Kate, this is a woman who will bring you to tears in a breakup scene but then will also walk into a glass wall, happily. She does everything and it really to me is an incredible showcase for Kate Hudson who we are all obsessed with. She’s the reason.”

All ten episodes of season two are available to stream on Netflix.

Check back Monday for the panel video.