Exclusive SUPERSTORE Interview with America Ferrera

As part of NBC’s new midseason shows in 2016 (Mondays 8/7c), SUPERSTORE follows the employees of a multi-super-sized megastore called “Cloud 9.”

The cast includes America Ferrera, Mark McKinney, Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nichole Bloom and Nico Santos.

Read our exclusive interview with Producer and co-protagonist Ferrera (Amy), and watch the full pilot below.

Do you have to be more creative when you set a show in a very mundane place like a store?

I think it is more challenging for the writers, but it is where the opportunities lie. We are not plot-driven superhero stories. It is so exciting for an actor to focus on characters and relationships, trying to find the comedy in their interactions, versus resolving a mystery. TV has done that well, but in our current landscape shows like ours have become rare.

When you have a new show, do you start thinking about your character’s potential development in future seasons?

We had all kinds of conversations. The main reason that I wanted to be a producer was to be part of conversations that determine the direction of the show and the character: How much do we want to say in the first season? How much do we want to save for the second one? What is the overarching story? What would the final episode look like if we last ten seasons? On the set we are constantly toying with ideas. That’s the fun of television, that you can spend time with a character and a world to fully explore it. Hopefully, we will have many hours to create around these characters.

Talking about the cast, did you guys have time to know each other well before shooting?

The chemistry of a cast really matters and affects what comes off the screen. Specially with comedy because it depends on the interaction among the characters. Everything gets better the more the actors get to know each other. Everybody recognizes how special the show is. We have a great time together.

How much has helped to shoot in such a realistic set?

We shot the pilot inside a functioning K-Mart. It was awesome because it gave us the sense of scale of these types of stores. Then we had an amazing production designer built a store on two huge sound stages in Los Angeles. It feels like the real deal. So the bummer is that if I need something, like toilet paper, I cannot take it from the set. Those are the rules.

The show also plays with assumptions about the people that work in these kinds of stores, racial stereotypes, and more.

That was the main draw for me: The opportunity to put a name and a face to people that we interact with but we usually just gloss over. We never get to know those who work in customer service or similar positions. We wanted to challenge all assumptions regarding social class, ethnicity and race. Using humor as a great way to start conversations.

Which of these characters you wouldn’t be able to work with in real life?

I think Dina, the assistant manager. She would be really, really hard to swallow in real life. She and Amy don’t necessary love each other. Amy does an OK job putting up with her, but I would have a big problem with her.

Amy is hopeful and invested in what she is doing, but she seems to have a lot of potential.

She is very bright and talented. The questions are “What brought her here? What are her circumstances that keep her here, 10 years later?” It gives us the opportunity to dive into her life story and see each of the individuals that work here as a person.

Are you looking forward to directing an episode?

I would love to direct an episode in the future. It would be challenging but fun, specially with a cast and a crew that feel like family. With my production company I hope to get the chance to develop more shows and explores more opportunities as well.

Watch SUPERSTORE Mondays 8/7c on NBC.

America Ferrara (“Ugly Betty”) and Ben Feldman (“Mad Men,” “A to Z”) star in a hilarious workplace comedy (from the producer of “The Office”) about a unique family of employees at a super-sized megastore. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.