Ike Barinholtz and Mindy Kaling: A Match Made in Twitter Heaven [Exclusive Video]
"The Mindy Project's" hilarious Ike Barinholtz — who plays kooky nurse Morgan Tookers on the Fox comedy (he's also a writer on the show) — didn't land the eccentric role the old-fashioned way. In fact, it was a techie meeting of the minds between him and the show's creator and star, Mindy Kaling.
[Photos: Mindy Kaling's Red Carpet Style]
Kaling tweeted about him, he tweeted back, and one thing led to another, Barinholtz told Yahoo's "Sidebar" host Ben Lyons. The rest is history (well, at least since 2012, when the series premiered).
"We actually talk in person now," Barinholtz joked. "I'm waiting for the day for our relationship to sour, and we go back to only talking on Twitter, and then not at all."
Devotees of the sitcom, which kicked off Season 2 on Sept. 17, hope that's never the case!
Fun fact: Barinholtz first auditioned for the role of arrogant ob/gyn Danny Castellano, played by handsome New Yorker Chris Messina. While Barinholtz probably could have pulled off the "New Yorky" role, most would agree that the casting is spot-on as is. In fact, the role of Tookers was created for Barinholtz. Now that's a testament to how much Kaling wanted the comedian onboard.
Speaking of handsome, Barinholtz revealed that he often gets mistaken for a Wahlberg (we see the resemblance!), but not Mark or Donnie.
[Related: James Franco Joins 'The Mindy Project']
"Someone will be like, 'Are you a Wahlberg? You're not quite as handsome as Mark, and you're not quite as cool as Donnie. Are you like Chuck Wahlberg, the third Wahlberg who runs like a plumbing supply?'" Barinholtz told Lyons. "And I tell them, 'Yes.'" (Note: The real Wahlberg family is huge, with way more than three brothers.)
So he's not a Wahlberg; that doesn't mean Barinholtz doesn't run with an awesome crew of his own! We're talking about comedy A-listers Jason Sudeikis, Seth Meyers, and Jordan Peele. But is there any friendly competition between the members of the tight-knit gang?
[Related: Fox Fails to Land Noms in Major Emmys Categories]
"You're really happy when they do really well, but there's a part of you that's like, 'Good for him! He got that big part in a movie! That's good, that's good.' But you're happy for your friends when they do well," Barinholtz confessed with only a tinge of teasing bitterness.
Now that Barinholtz is growing up (at least in some ways; he and wife Erica Hanson welcomed their first child in June), what advice does he have for his younger self? "Wake up earlier! You know, I used to sleep till noon. All that time — that's like six years I've wasted by laying in bed like a lump."
Now there's some sage advice.
"The Mindy Project" airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox.
