The Mindy Project: Cast and Creators Live at PALEYFEST 2013

“The Mindy Project” at PALEYFEST on March 8, 2013. Mindy Kaling’s Dr. Mindy Lahiri is a woman too keenly intelligent and accomplished to accept the promises of romantic comedies at face value. Dr. Lahiri is a fresh of-the-moment comic female character, and the supporting ensemble is shaping up as an equally compelling collection of deeply flawed, stealthily endearing foils.This William S. Paley Television Festival live event honors “The Mindy Project,” the comedy series about the life and loves of Dr. Mindy Lahiri, Ob-Gyn.Rob Moynihan (Los Angeles correspondent, TV Guide Magazine) moderates the following panelists: executive producer Matt Warburton; series creator/executive producer/cast member Mindy Kaling (Mindy Lahiri); and cast members Chris Messina (Danny Castellano), Ike Barinholtz (Morgan Tookers), Beth Grant (Beverly Janoszewski), Ed Weeks (Jeremy Reed), and Zoe Jarman (Betsy Putch).The panelists touch on such topics as: how Kaling’s eight years on “The Office” was like “going to college twice”; Messina’s noteworthy dramatic roles and his doubts about switching to comedy; and Kaling’s early play “Matt & Ben” about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, in which she played Affleck.Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: Kaling’s experiences in learning to be “a leader”; how her Indian heritage affects her character and the show; and her comedic influences from TV shows as well as her “funny friends.”