Aaron Sorkin gave notes at the very first table read for Mindy Kaling’s new show, The Mindy Project, because she invited him to. They’re friends. It’s fine. Calm down. At the FOX press tour party Monday night, Kaling told Vulture they got to know each other a few years ago when Sorkin sent her a bottle of Champagne after watching an episode of The Office she had written. She then watched and loved The Social Network. “I thought it was amazing and I sent him a note and then we just kind of met up and talked,†she said. “We have very similar personalities even though we’re very different. He’s a great guy and he came to the table read and he gave great notes. I mean, it was a little distracting because he was there, but it was wonderful. He loves romantic comedies, too. The Newsroom is full-on romantic comedy. Two weeks ago, the episode was just about the different love lives of people on the show.â€
So what was his feedback? “He was mostly positive. You know, he works with Chris Messina on The Newsroom so he’s very familiar with him, and he was giving me some notes on how to write to Chris’s strengths, and that was very useful,†she said. “Chris is so much of a dude. He’s a very serious guy and takes acting very seriously, but he has great comic timing. Our energies are so different. I feel like he’s this Easter Island statue and I’m like a lightning bug that’s flying in his face a lot. But it’s a fun dynamic.â€