Alexis Carra – Mixology

Q) We got to learn about how Jessica portrays herself online in comparison to her reality.

A) She tries to create a little bit of a persona, which I think is funny because I think a lot of people do that in life. They aren’t really confident in who they already are. So, I kind of love at the end of that episode she goes back up to Ron and says, “Let’s start over again.” I just love that reductive moment.

Q) We’ve gotten to see a number of sides to Jessica. Which is your favorite?

A) I love the side where she is sassy and honest. I like it when she’s not trying to be something other than what she actually is. That’s one of the things I love about our show. It’s funny and different characters provide those moments, like Andrew Santino’s character. I think those moments at the heart of the show are what I love about it. There is a lot of heart.

Q) We know Jessica is a single mom from New Jersey. How do you connect with the character?

A) I connect with her because I think she’s somebody who has such a big heart. Even though I don’t have two kids of my own, I used to be a person who would go out and feel validated by getting attention from men. That’s a feeling that I think a lot of women can connect to. I think Jessica starts to see (as the series unfolds) in certain ways that it ultimately isn’t going to be the thing that fulfills her. She doesn’t really have a lot of time in her life to date. I say it in the scene with Kacey, “I just want a guy to say to me, ‘You look nice tonight. I like your dress.'” Then, Ron ends up saying that to me. I think that’s one of the things that as I’ve gotten older, that’s not really what fulfills me as much. I think Jessica isn’t there yet. She’s on that journey, but she isn’t there yet because the night isn’t over yet.

Q) What do you think it is about a bar setting that makes people feel like they are on an even social playing field?

A) I think it’s because everybody feels like…it’s almost like being on a movie set. You’re escaping your life for the few hours you are at the bar. I’m not a big drinker in real life, but I do love to have a glass of wine. I’ll have one drink when I go out and even that one drink takes the edge off from reality. Sometimes I felt like I would go into a bar and kind of acting like a character because I never thought I’d actually find love at a bar. What’s funny is some of my friends have met people at bars. My boyfriend’s brother and sister-in-law met at a bar. Everybody is going there with the idea of, “Let me see who I can get to look at me.” And there is a little bit of a fantasy. What “Mixology” shows is that people really just want to connect. I love how at the episode it shows who is really connecting with who. They just want to feel like they are getting attention and heard. Everyone feels like it is a bit of an escape.

Q) We would love to see more of her backstory of how she came to be a single mom.

A) He was a deadbeat dad. She ended up with two kids. She has a big heart and she loves her kids. She is going to do whatever it takes to be a good mom, but it’s just not easy.

Q) Since the show takes place over one night, do you think that’s what sets it apart from other singles themed shows?

A) I feel like there are no other shows that are centered around late twenties to early thirties night life. It’s got that edginess of “Sex In The City” and it’s got some of the humor from The Hangover. No other show has that. It’s really like you’re watching a film. I think that’s what sets it apart. It’s how it is structured, the concept of it, because it keeps you wanting to know what happens next. That’s also why it works because there are so many characters and there are so many different storylines that there are so many different stories to tell. We’re not a sitcom that takes place at home and then a local bar. It doesn’t have that sitcom feel because of the structure.

Q) You have great chemistry with Adam Campbell. Was it instant between the two of you or did it take some time to develop?

A) It was like instant! All of us had such chemistry since the pilot. I think that’s something that came natural to the cast. The writing is so great that the cast feels like we don’t have to do much. It’s very easy to make that writing easy because it’s funny and the timing is just so perfectly built in. Then, we have great directors that are really wonderful at seeing those comedic moments and giving us a little guidance. Every day on set was constantly laughing. It was so fun to shoot!

Q) We heard you get a little bit of room to improvise. Tell us about it.

A) Actually, we all had a lot of room to improv. We all got to do a few takes that were alternate takes and Jon Lucas (our mostly on-set producer) who would have a few minutes to collaborate on the scene. They would always give us a few takes to take a run at it. How it is edited is one thing, but it did give us different flavors. A couple of times they did use our improvs in the edits. All the stuff of me with the naked selfie, that was all just me. We made it. That was really fun! There was a little bit of improv in the love triangle scene with Liv, Ron and I. Honestly, the truth is the writing sounds like improv because it’s so good and the timing was already so great. A lot of times, the improv was there just to find new behavior and then they would sort of use the cuts where it gave the editors different looks to cut to because the reactions were all really different.

Q) There is a bit of a rivalry that seems to be building up between Liv and Jessica. Can you tease a little bit about what we’ll get to see coming up?

A) Liv is trying to get me to move on and it is sort of unresolved. Obviously, Ron catches me looking at his phone, but then we leave together. Liv gives us that look. She has her eye on it. You’ll see in the next few episodes that the love triangle comes to a head.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and viewers of the show?

A) I would love for the fans to keep guessing who is going to end up with who. I’d love for them to put their guesses on social media. I would love to hear what they think is going to happen. I will say that to keep watching otherwise you’ll be disappointed. You have to watch the whole season to know what happens!