Cristin Milioti Says Her Worst HIMYM Fan Encounters Are Never Face-to-Face

Cristin Milioti's first starring role on primetime was a doozy: she played The Mother of How I Met Your Mother. Since winning over (at least a good amount of) the hearts of HIMYM fans, she's taking on a new romantic comedy, NBC's Fall series, A to Z. She'll be starring alongside Ben Feldman — who talked about his dramatic exit from Mad Men — on the upcoming show that may or may not appeal to fans of HIMYM. I caught up with her at the 2014 Summer TCA to talk about A to Z and what kind of encounters she's had since becoming The Mother.

NBC

POPSUGAR: TV fans know you as The Mother from How I Met Your Mother. Do you think A to Z appeals to that same audience?
Cristin Milioti: It's a very different show, in many ways, but I think it has the same warmth and the same relatability, and also, it's quite funny. It's definitely a different thing, but it's very warmhearted.

PS: As opposed to How I Met Your Mother, which is . . .
CM: Ice-cold. No, that's what they have in common! They're both very warm.

PS: Do you know how this season will end?
CM: No, we went out to dinner last night, and we were all asking (creator) Ben Queen. I was trying to get things out of him, like, "What happens in episode four?" And he was all coy! But I like not knowing.

PS: Is there any part of you going, "Oh gosh, another role where I don't know where it's going"?
CM: I love it. It's very lifelike. You don't ever know what's going to happen in a relationship, and I don't want to make the mistake of playing to the end. So I like to not know.

PS: Do you have any real-life relationship experiences you could write into the show?
CM: It's been a very long time since I've dated, and I've never dated online. I'm not familiar with the law — basically it's a real stretch. They are trying to pick from our lives though, a little.

PS: Going back to How I Met Your Mother, what have been your best and worst fan encounters from your time on the show?
CM: I'd say 99.9 percent of them have been the best. They've been so lovely, which means so much, because that show has such a dedicated fan base. I'm trying to think of the worst . . . but they're never to my face. Sometimes I get people who come up and say, "You're The Mother," and then just . . . [Milioti gives a death glare]. I wouldn't say that's a bad interaction, but really, everyone I meet is so lovely. Front page