Fall in Love With Four Weddings and a Funeral ’s Nikesh Patel—And His Dimples

Don't turn on Hulu's Four Weddings and a Funeral, now available for streaming, and expect to see a faithful remake of the 1994 British rom-com. This 2019 version from executive producer Mindy Kaling is a 10-episode series that's only inspired by the film—which means a new story, new characters, and a totally new point of view. There's one thing it has in common with the original, though: a "ridiculously attractive" cast, as lead Nikesh Patel describes them, looking for love and happiness.

"It tackles a lot of the questions I feel like people, myself included, hit in their 30s," Patel says of the series. "They're grappling with what really makes them happy, and what it means to find fulfillment with your friends and loved ones. It's a really exciting, modern take on a romantic comedy."

With rom-coms on the brain, we invited Patel to answer our Inappropriate Questions, Glamour's new column that asks all the cheeky, slightly off-kilter stuff best saved for a second (or better yet, third) date. Below, find out the most romantic thing he's ever done, why he won't watch Love Island, and the astrology website you need to check out.

Glamour: What’s something everyone seems to love but you dislike?

Nikesh Patel: I can tell you this as a Brit: Love Island. Everyone's obsessed with Love Island. Anything that you have to watch like this [covers his face with his hands] I can't do because life's too short. It gives me too much anxiety. I feel like loads of people I respect and admire watch Love Island, and I just have to make my peace with going, "It's not for me."

What’s a dating or relationship “rule” you think is B.S.?

Rules in general are B.S. I think it's very much about what works for the two of you. You've got to be careful when people say, "Oh, you know, this date means this" or "By this date you should have said or done this." It's probably my inner anarchist going, "Burn all rules!"

What’s the weirdest thing you do in your alone time?

Probably a direct consequence of being in this business and recently living on my own is that I talk to myself. It might be that I'm just allowing my inner monologue to pour out of my mouth, but I'll suddenly be like, "Uh, no one's listening." It is weird that I'm speaking to myself.

What’s the most surprising place you’ve hooked up with someone?

I would say…you know what, I'm going to swerve that one.

Moving on…. You have a full day to binge-watch whatever the hell you want. What do you pick?

Right now it would probably be Brooklyn Nine Nine on loop. It's got a bit of everything—it's very funny, and it's got a lot of heart as well.

What’s the sexiest thing about yourself?

Oh, God. Well, I'm rocking dimples so probably my smile. Otherwise, my sense of humor.

Have you ever ghosted someone?

Yeah, probably. I've been the ghoster and the ghostee. It's not great, is it? When I say I've ghosted someone…I have too much of a nagging sense of guilt, so I'll sort of ghost up to a point and then if they message again, I'll be like, "Oh yeah, how are things?" It's sort of the worst of both worlds because it's not an effective ghosting.

Screw, marry, kill: weed, pizza, a cocktail?

Okay, this is important. The hard part is which one do I kill? One important clarification: The pizza will be vegan.

You got it.

Marry pizza. Screw weed. Kill the cocktail. I feel like weed is something that's okay to have a fling with but not a lifelong commitment. And of the remaining two, I'd probably be happier in my sense of self being committed to pizza rather than cocktails. It's easier to run pizza off, I think.

What’s your hangover cure?

If I can bear it, some fresh air and exercise. Hot yoga is good, but you've got to be ready for it because you can literally taste what was in your system being exercised from your body. But if you could survive that—and drink lots of water—then that's a pretty good cure.

What’s your favorite movie or TV love scene?

I've been talking about rom-coms a lot, and I think one of my favorites is The Princess Bride. We get to give a little nod to it in Four Weddings and a Funeral. It's really easy to think that film is so many different things—it's a comedy, it's a fantasy film—but actually, Cary Elwes and Robin Wright play their parts with so much commitment that you watch them going, "Oh, God, they've got to get together, otherwise something bad has happened."

Who was your first celebrity crush?

There was a girl band called Eternal in the U.K., and I really fancied Louise Nurding. This is going to alienate your U.S. readership. She's just really hot. [Laughs.]

Do you believe in astrology?

For fun. There's a fun website called Primal Astrology, which I found while I was doing a job. It's a really good icebreaker with a cast because it goes into these really long profiles with your animal. It says, like, "This is what you'll achieve in your career and your love life" and all those kind of things. I think I'm an elephant, according to Primal Astrology. But it's fun because some people will be like, "Oh, that's so true!" And then some people get really defensive because you read something and they say, "No, I'm not like that at all." My approach to astrology is that if it affirms something I already feel. I'll be like, "Yeah, that's pretty good." And if I disagree with that completely, I think it's rubbish.

What’s your type?

Oh, I don't think I have one, but being able to have a good conversation and laugh like idiots is really important.

What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?

I think it's the little things that are romantic. Like, I know when I'm into someone because you suddenly go to that sort of teenage place of trying to impress them all the time. I know we don't have mixtapes anymore, but it's that thing of thing, like, "I made you a playlist!" Or picking up on something they've said and then making a gift out of it or using it as the basis of a date.

Anna Moeslein is a senior editor at Glamour. Follow her on Instagram @annamoeslein.

Originally Appeared on Glamour