Three Key Takeaways:
- Tim Allen’s new role in Shifting Gears involves an emotionally intense scene where his character, a widowed father, shares a moment of grief with his daughter, played by Kat Dennings. Both Allen and Dennings dreaded filming the scene because of its emotional depth.
- The scene was so raw that it caused both actors to tear up for real, as Dennings explained that their shared grief in the moment felt genuine and was a moving experience for them both.
- Despite the challenging emotional scenes, Dennings praised Tim Allen for his exceptional acting skills, noting that he is deeply present in the moment and helps create a supportive environment for emotional performances. She also expressed her excitement about working with a TV icon like Allen.
Tim Allen had done just about everything in his career in entertainment.
He’s had his ups and downs along the way.
And Tim Allen dreaded one scary situation that caused him to break down.
Tim Allen’s Shifting Gears co-star reveals one hard scene to film
Comedian Tim Allen is back on TV in the new ABC sitcom Shifting Gears.
He plays Matt Parker, a widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop whose estranged daughter Riley and her two kids move back in with him.
Actress Kat Dennings, who plays Riley Parker, revealed that there was a scene that both of them were dreading filming during an appearance on the Not Gonna Lie podcast.
Allen and Dennings’ characters have a moment of shared grief over the loss of their wife and mom in the first episode.
“We were both dreading it,” Dennings said. “We were like, ‘Oh God, we have to cry. What is this?’ It’s like, I looked at him and I started crying, he looked at me and he started crying. It was real.”
“In the first episode, we both got emotional and it was real,” Dennings added.
Allen previously said that he was attracted to the part because it dealt with some heavier issues that sitcoms typically skip.
Dennings said that Shifting Gears is “a really interesting experience because we are dealing with grief and real issues.”
Tim Allen shows off his acting chops
Dennings compared the experience of filming the show in front of a studio audience to theater.
“It feels kind of crazy to be raw and emotional in front of an audience like that,” Dennings stated. “And it’s this incredible combination of theater and burlesque or something like that. But as soon as I look into Tim Allen’s little face, I’m in there.”
She credited Allen’s acting ability and talent for helping her with the emotional scenes.
“I forget about everything else because … he’s a very present actor, and he’s really feeling these things,” Dennings explained. “I mean, I really haven’t experienced that a huge amount because, like me, people are thinking about their next line or whatever they’re doing.”
“He’s so in the moment, and he’s such an amazing actor, and he will just be there with you,” Dennings added.
She was thrilled to be able to work with someone as talented as Allen.
“Everybody is really amazing that just makes the funny parts even funnier and such a relief to do. It’s just been a very good, organic-feeling show to me, which is new, it’s a new experience for me,” Dennings said.
Dennings became famous playing a 20-something single waitress on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls.
The 38-year-old got to play a mother for the first time.
“I didn’t really know what to do career-wise,” Dennings admitted. “I’m 38. I’m in this area where I could play mom, but me? I’m 12, how could I play a mother? That’s crazy. Obviously, the math maths. I was excited about the idea of doing something that I’ve never done before and playing this side of my life.”
The chance to get work with Allen was what sold her on taking the part.
“This is Tim Allen’s next sitcom. He’s an icon of television, so I was like I can’t really pass up this opportunity, this would be really fun. And it is,” Dennings said.
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