Natasha Lyonne and Charlie Barnett explain hidden meaning of Alan's mustache in Russian Doll season 2
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When audiences watch Russian Doll season 2, they're likely to notice a change to one of its leading stars.
Yes, Charlie Barnett's character Alan is now donning a mustache. And while at first glance it might seem like a simple change in his look, Barnett tells EW, like most things on the trippy dramedy, it has a deeper meaning — even though he didn't realize it initially.
"The mustache, in my mind, didn't have anything to it. It was just fun, and it was cool, and then it became a part of the character," he tells his costars Natasha Lyonne, Greta Lee, and Chloë Sevigny during EW's Around the Table series. "And now looking back and referencing, I'm like, 'Oh, I understand why it connects to his father and manhood and masculinity and him changing himself, taking a risk.'"
Netflix Charlie Barnett — and his mustache — as Alan Zaveri in 'Russian Doll' season 2.
According to Lyonne, who created the Netflix series alongside Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler, the mustache also points to one of the original ideas for the show that never panned out. "The origin of the mustache is, I think, Charlie, we've spoken about this before, but there was various points and blue sky days where there were going to be alpha, beta Alans and alpha, beta Nadias," she says. "And so originally, it was sort of this idea of, 'Okay, well, this will be mustache-Alan, and this is not-mustache-Alan. Sort of like in the finale of season 1, you have scarf-Alan and you have non-scarf-Alan, and you have pirate shirt-Nadia and not-pirate shirt-Nadia. So we were sort of playing with those ideas."
For more from Lyonne, Sevigny, Barnett, and Lee, including their hilarious behind-the-scenes memories (mosquito-infested set! Hitler jokes! confused extras!) and what the season's emotional finale meant to them, watch the video above.
And, be sure to read our full cover story featuring Lyonne and Charlie Barnett discussing Russian Doll season 2 here.
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