Matt LeBlanc, Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan have admitted that keeping a straight face is the biggest challenge while filming their hit comedy Episodes. Greig, in particular, struggles to contain her laughter, often exacerbated by LeBlanc's mischievous antics.
Greig said: 'I can't tell him now when things are making me laugh, because he's really naughty with making it worse.' She described acting out the script as a minefield, where she must 'suck in her cheeks and think of England' to avoid laughing.
The show, which follows British writers Beverly and Sean (Greig and Mangan) as their Bafta-winning comedy is disastrously remade for US audiences, has earned LeBlanc a Golden Globe. The series itself has received two Globe and two Emmy nominations.
Despite initial nerves about working with LeBlanc, the trio now share a strong rapport. Mangan noted that the key to the show's success is the writing by David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, who drew on their own experiences in television to create a mix of 'bizarre, awkward situations' and 'emotional content'.
Greig highlighted the show's 'humanity, heart and humour', while LeBlanc added that audiences are intrigued by 'what goes on behind the magician's curtain' of the entertainment industry. The actors revealed a particularly cringeworthy scene in a sex therapist's office, where Greig had to speak in a Yoda voice while maintaining a poker face.
