Tv series Mythic Quest, interview with actors Danny Pudi and Imani Hakim

Mythic Quest is the TV series streaming on Apple Tv+, now in its fourth season. It follows the employees of a game development studio as they work on Mythic Quest, a popular MMORPG created by the studio's creative director, Ian Grimm. The cast includes Rob McElhenney, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis, David Hornsby and Charlotte Nicdao. Danny Pudi plays Brad Bakshi and Imani Hakim stars as Dana.

What does Dana like most and dislike most about working with Brad? 

Imani: Ooh, that's a great question, Jake. I will start with the dislike.

Danny: That was a little too easy, Imani. I mean, Dana.

Imani: I would say that Dana probably dislikes how serious Brad is about everything. And I think that something that she likes the most about him is that he has no shame in his love of money and getting what it is that he wants. Like, he's very clear on that. And I think that she respects it. And also, she picks up those tools from Brad and makes them her own. So, she's able to take inspiration from Brad and not afraid to get her hands a little dirty.

How much do you pull from, if at all, your real selves for some of the qualities that your characters have? 

Imani: Oh, that was a great question. I think you kind of have to, a little bit. I think art imitates life, and life imitates art, for sure. The lines get a little bit blurred sometimes. And I think, in this case with Dana, I feel that she was in a place of just betting on herself and finding her inner confidence and her voice. And that was also a chapter that I was in, in my life while we were filming that season. So, I'm just like, how would I want to show up in this scene? What are the words of affirmations that I would tell myself if I were in this situation? I think, naturally, you do pull from your life so you can bring that authenticity to the character. Even though we're making a comedy, you want it to feel as real and at least as grounded as possible.

Danny: I think it's similar. I don't have any fencing experience. I mean, Brad's a little bit… in some ways, some people might call him a sociopath. I think he's just very clear and intentional about what he wants. So, there are parts of Brad I definitely have to learn. I met with a real head of monetization prior to taking this role, and I learned a lot about that part of the gaming industry, which I didn't know much about. That required some research, talking to the writers a lot about Brad's backstory. But then there's also all these parts of myself that I'm always thinking about, things like that that bring up some personal elements of your own life, which I think only help fuel the character and give you more ideas.

When you signed on, did you have any foresight, knowledge, or even ambitions that, maybe aside from acting, you would direct, write, or work on the show in other facets? 

Imani: Oh yeah, definitely. I think directing has been a goal of mine since I was a tiny little kid, which I don't even think I could put the words to it at that point. But yeah, it was always there, and I think this is the perfect platform to do it on an established show that you know so well. The crew and the cast that I've gotten to know over the years, it was just a perfect introduction to it because I felt very supported. And again, it's a collaborative experience and still learning, but what a playground to learn in. Very, very fun.

Danny: I mean, for me too, I think pretty much exactly what Imani said. I think this is the perfect platform for that environment, where it's very open. It's a very open environment where you're able to ask questions, and it's not weird. People are always trying to learn from each other on our set and make things better. So, there's just this environment of whatever it takes to make things better, but also not being precious, too precious about certain things. So, we can move, we can be nimble, and scenes evolve on the day while we're filming them oftentimes, but only in a way where it feels better. It feels more natural for the actors, for the writers. Whatever makes it feel like it's still alive and funny, and we all feel like we're learning from it. That, to me, felt like such a great environment to step into and to learn how to direct, really.

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