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It didn’t take long Kat Dennings a Tim Allen to build a real life bond similar to his Shifting Gears father-daughter duo.
“It clicked pretty quickly. We had lunch after I accepted the role and I immediately felt like I could trust him for some reason,” Dennings, 38, shared exclusively in the latest edition of Us Weekly. “And it opened up very quickly for me. So I was like, ‘Okay, this guy is like let me in.'”
Dennings went on to explain that she and Allen’s “immediate” connection has only has strengthened.
“For some reason it worked fairly straight away – maybe because I’ve grown up watching it for so much of my life, but it worked. It felt very organic,” he recalled. “And as (filming) has progressed, our scenes are so funny, if I do say so myself. The debates are my favorite scenes to play because I’m not afraid. Neither of us is afraid. We’re going for it and it’s so much fun.”
Shifting Gearswhich premieres Wednesday, January 8 on ABC, follows widowed father Matt (Allen) and his estranged daughter, Riley (Dennings), as they find themselves living with each other and work to repair their relationship. The sitcom notes Dennings’ return to multi-camera comedy almost a decade after playing Max on the hit CBS show 2 Broke Women from 2011 to 2017.
“I felt scared at first because it had been so long. I felt like I had forgotten everything. Then as soon as we started the first take, it was like I had never left. It was so crazy,” Dennings shared. “I worked myself out for it. I was really in my head about it. Then it felt so organic. I feel like I never stopped doing multi-step work. I love it, I really do.”
Tim Allen and Kat Dennings
Disney/Mike TaingBehind the scenes, Shifting Gears reuniting Dennings with a show runner Michelle Naderwho previously worked with her on 2 Broke Women and Hulu’s Dollface. The Easter eggs don’t stop there too, with a guest appearance from old costar Dollface Dennings Brenda’s song – and that’s just the beginning.
“Brenda is one of my best friends in real life because we met on Dolly and then Michelle is ours Shifting Gears show runner. And Brenda and I always talked about doing multicam together. We would joke like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great though? So she did (a guest spot) because we want to hang out,” Dennings said, teasing the upcoming episode. “I can’t reveal too many guest stars but there will be people coming up who are really amazing. I think Michelle instilled a few special little references in me throughout the whole series.”
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As well as Dennings and Allen, 71, Shifting Gears also stars Seann William Scott, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Maxwell Simkins a Barrett Margolis. Before the season even premiered, the fans were noting the potential chemistry between Dennings and Scott’s characters.
“What I think personally – because it’s one of my favorite things, too – is that I want to extend it,” he told us of the possible fictional romance. “The best relationships on screen are when they stretch it out for many, many, many seasons because then the payoff is so satisfying. Hopefully – if we are lucky enough to go several seasons – it will take that long. “
Reflecting on her time on the set of Shifting Gears so far, Dennings called filming a “magical situation,” adding, “I was having a conversation with a friend and I wasn’t sure what to do next. She was like, ‘Well if you could describe your dream project, what would it be?’ I was like, ‘I’d love to do a sitcom again.’ I have just described this exact scenario. Then the next day, I got the call about this.”
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He concluded: “It was shocking. I’m still freaked out about it because I feel like I wished for it and there it was. So that’s how it happened. And I grew up watching (Tim’s show) Home Improvement so I was really excited about the idea of being his daughter. It’s been so great and I feel very lucky.”
For more from Dennings about her next sitcom episode, pick up the new edition of Us Weeklyon stands now.
Shifting Gears premieres on ABC Wednesday, January 8, at 8 pm ET before streaming the next day on Hulu.
