Natasha Lyonne’s character in Russian Doll, Nadia Vulvokov, is constantly trying to come to terms with her past. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in creating the show, Lyonne looked to her own life for inspiration. Speaking to Krista Smith in a new episode of the podcast Skip Intro, Lyonne explains that the character of Alan, played by Charlie Barnett, is loosely based on ex-boyfriend Fred Armisen. 

“Fred was built into the DNA of Alan a little bit,” she says. “Fred and I are very much like an odd couple of, sort of like fire and water.”

She continues, “Nadia is always red, and Alan is always blue. If I had it my way, the windows would always be open, the music would always be blasting. There would always be ash from chain smoking flying and, like, just a lot of excitement in the moving vehicle. Fred is a very hermetically sealed dude. It’s like the windows are up. The volume is at a specific thing. The temperature is correct. The car is always crispy clean.”

The two dated for seven years and recently reunited when Lyonne hosted the season finale of Saturday Night Live in May. “I think it maybe was the happiest week of my life,” Lyonne said about prepping for the show, which also marked the exit of Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson. “I was so, so happy there, and I can’t believe Fred and Maya [Rudolph] came.” 

The importance of surrounding oneself with a chosen family is a central theme in Russian Doll, as is unflinching honesty. “The most we can give to each other is [to act as] witnesses,” Lyonne says. “Russian Doll is inherently a show about Can you face yourself in the mirror? In life, you have to swallow unpalatable truths about yourself.”

For Lyonne, one of those truths is that after more than three decades in the spotlight, she’s actually much more comfortable behind the lens. “[Directing] takes all of my defects and converts them to assets,” she says. “I love directing. It’s so much more organically what I was born to do than anything else I’ve ever done. I really can just feel the difference in my bones, like, ‘Oh, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.’” The result speaks for itself. 

For more great celebrity interviews, check out Skip Intro on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.