EXCLUSIVE: Zoë Chao & Jesse Williams Talk Their Scene Stealing Characters in Netflix’s Your Place or Mine

Zoë Chao and Jesse Williams star in Netflix’s new romcom, Your Place or Mine. Though they don’t play the movie’s lead, they leave quite the impact.

We got the chance to hear from the two regarding their characters, New York City, books, and so much more. Check out what they had to say below.

Jesse you play literary editor Theo in the movie. Are you a lover of books like Theo is?

Williams: “I am an avid reader. I was definitely a reader of fiction until I kind of converted. I stopped reading fiction, became obsessed with non-fiction for the last, maybe, 10, 15 years. So I’ve kind of been returning to that recently. I did teach, so I love books. Books changed my life particularly in high school. Actually, during this process, Aline [Brosh McKenna] was awesome enough; she got me a vintage, signed copy of one of my favorite books ever, which is Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, which is just an absolute treasure. So yeah, books are absolutely a transformative mark in my life or a fork in the road where things could have gone very differently.”

Zoë your character was one of my favorite parts of the movie. What made you want to play this character?

Chao: “I fell in love with Minka as soon as I read the script. Aline [Brosh McKenna] had made such a surprising, lovable, weirdo on page. And then Sophie De Rakoff brought all these amazing clothes. And then, boom, the character was there. I love Minka because, though you don’t know what she does, there’s, like, a very calculated mystique about her. She is not a sinister person. She’s actually a very positive person. And the ultimate hype-sister and wing woman that you need in this life. And I like that she’s full of contradictions.”

Minka knows the ins and outs of New York City, would you say you have that same knowledge?

Chao: “No. I do live here, but I heavily rely on Google Maps. And actually all my friends who live here think it’s really LOL.”

Williams: “You still don’t know your way around?”

Chao : “I still don’t know my way around.”

Williams: “It’s a grid.”

Chao: “Yeah. Okay, Jesse. Yeah, just forever a learner. And I love the city.”

Would you say you’re a good hype-woman then?

Chao: “I do think I’m a good hype-woman. Like, I do really love my friends. And there’s, like, nothing more fun than just singing someone’s praises. Could do that day in and day out. I could sing praises about New York, all the things I like, but I can’t tell you where we are now for example.”

Jesse, there are going to be a number of fans out there who will wish that Theo had ended up with Debbie. At any point did you hope the two would end up together?

Williams: “No, I don’t think so because I think early on, I realized that it’s not really about Theo. It’s about what’s true for Debbie. And that’s one of the lessons in this. She surrounds herself with people, intentionally or not, she finds it with people who want what’s best for her and want to pull her forward. We say that adage people around you are a reflection of you. Choose your friends wisely. And if you notice, the characters around her always have her best intentions in mind. Even Theo, even though it feels like a random meeting, he still sees something in her and puts energy towards her realizing her greater self. So, you know, sometimes people are in your life for, what do they say, a season? You know? Like, he’s there. He’s available. But her decision ultimately it wasn’t because of a failing of Theo’s.”

Your Place or Mine will be released globally on Netflix on February 10.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity