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Tina Fey: Tituss Burgess Sang Pinot Noir ‘On the Spot,’ Which Is Why He’s Awesome, Obviously

Tituss Burgess. Photo: Jason LaVeris/Getty

On Sunday afternoon, the cast and crew of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt assembled for a For Your Consideration panel at the Silver Screen Theater in Los Angeles — that is, everyone except for Tituss Burgess, who couldn’t fly in because he was sick. That said, conversation still led to Burgess’s character, Titus Andromedon, a part written specifically with him in mind (which he still had to audition for). One audience member asked about the story behind “Pinot Noir,†Andromedon’s song he filmed in Jacqueline’s (Jane Krakowski’s) apartment. “Are we going to have any more songs like that?†asked the audience member.

“I’m sure we’ll have more songs,†said Tina Fey. “Carol, you can attest to how slapdash that was. It was made up on the spot.†(Confirming what Burgess told us back in March.) Carol Kane, who plays Lillian, the landlady on the show, said, “Yes, it was the instincts that Tituss had.†Fey said, “I’m pretty sure it was at the table read. Tituss saw it in the script and said, ‘What’s this?’ And Jeff [Richmond] said, ‘Just sing whatever.’†And thus, a star was born.

Tituss Burgess Sang ‘Pinot Noir’ ‘On the Spot’