Max Greenfield Workout and New Girl Interview | January 2013

We SoulCycle With Max Greenfield and Get His Take on New Girl's "Awesome" Surprise Kiss

January 30, 2013

Source: Getty

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It shouldn't be too surprising that New Girl star Max Greenfield, who plays the frequently shirtless Schmidt, keeps up on his fitness. After all, no matter how great an actor you are, you can't fake a six-pack. So today, we jumped at the chance to join a charity spinning class at LA's SoulCycle — hosted by Glamour magazine and benefitting Milk + Bookies — with Max as the instructor. After a punishing 45 minutes fueled by Max's own playlist — and a break to catch our breath and towel off — we chatted with Schmidt himself about going half-naked on camera, the strangest workouts he's tried, and last night's big moment between Jess and Nick on New Girl.

PopSugar: There are so many weird, trendy workouts in LA. Have you tried anything really weird in the past?
Max Greenfield: I haven't tried Zumba or anything, but there was this yoga class I did in Brentwood, that was all like a yoga class to spin music, so they'd put on loud dance music — but it was a yoga class. It was totally ironic, but it was kind of awesome.
Tell me a little bit about staying in shape. How many of Schmidt's shirtless scenes are your idea and how many are Liz's [Meriwether, New Girl's creator]?
MG: Zero are my idea. We have to do 24 episodes, so the idea that I have to stay in really good shape for that long? It's really impossible. So I just ask that I get a week's notice. I'm like, just give me a week. I hate it when it's sprung on me, because all of a sudden, you're at craft services, and eating your 40th chocolate-covered almond, and Liz comes up and goes, "Hey, we've gotta do this reshoot of you in bed with Hannah, and you guys are both totally naked." That literally happened to me the other day.
So does that mean we're going to see you guys in bed together soon?
MG: Potentiallly, yes.
OK, what about this kiss between Nick and Jess last night? When did you guys in the cast all find out that was going to go down?
MG: Wasn't that awesome? It was really cool. It was really good for the show. It was one of those, like, big moments. It wasn't in the table-read draft, and then all of a sudden it found its way in . . . and I think for us, it was like, OK, good, about time!
When are you going to do another GOOP? Do you know what it's going to be about?
MG: I don't know. I gotta find a good topic or experience I can write about. I don't want to do them too often, but I do love doing them. I have a really good time with them.
I also want to know: when are you going to host Saturday Night Live? I think we need to start a letter-writing campaign for this.
MG: I don't know. I can't even think about it. I would love nothing more. I'd quit afterward. But no, it would be so much fun, but it is a difficult thing to wrap my head around.

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by Lindsay Miller 0

PopSugar: There are so many weird, trendy workouts in LA. Have you tried anything really weird in the past?
Max Greenfield: I haven't tried Zumba or anything, but there was this yoga class I did in Brentwood, that was all like a yoga class to spin music, so they'd put on loud dance music — but it was a yoga class. It was totally ironic, but it was kind of awesome.
Tell me a little bit about staying in shape. How many of Schmidt's shirtless scenes are your idea and how many are Liz's [Meriwether, New Girl's creator]?
MG: Zero are my idea. We have to do 24 episodes, so the idea that I have to stay in really good shape for that long? It's really impossible. So I just ask that I get a week's notice. I'm like, just give me a week. I hate it when it's sprung on me, because all of a sudden, you're at craft services, and eating your 40th chocolate-covered almond, and Liz comes up and goes, "Hey, we've gotta do this reshoot of you in bed with Hannah, and you guys are both totally naked." That literally happened to me the other day.
So does that mean we're going to see you guys in bed together soon?
MG: Potentiallly, yes.
OK, what about this kiss between Nick and Jess last night? When did you guys in the cast all find out that was going to go down?
MG: Wasn't that awesome? It was really cool. It was really good for the show. It was one of those, like, big moments. It wasn't in the table-read draft, and then all of a sudden it found its way in . . . and I think for us, it was like, OK, good, about time!
When are you going to do another GOOP? Do you know what it's going to be about?
MG: I don't know. I gotta find a good topic or experience I can write about. I don't want to do them too often, but I do love doing them. I have a really good time with them.
I also want to know: when are you going to host Saturday Night Live? I think we need to start a letter-writing campaign for this.
MG: I don't know. I can't even think about it. I would love nothing more. I'd quit afterward. But no, it would be so much fun, but it is a difficult thing to wrap my head around.