The actor’s final episodes as Schmidt kick off this April, following his standout performance in ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.’
Max Greenfield is preparing for life after New Girl.
“I’m gonna be a dad for a while,” he shares of his post-show plans. “That’s my favorite job.”
The actor has two kids, daughter Lilly and son Ozzie, with his wife of 10 years, Tess Sanchez. He tells ET that his parenting skills came in handy while working on the final season of New Girl, premiering Tuesday, April 10, on Fox.
“We do a flash forward,” he teases. “It's like a three-year flash forward, so it's fun. You get to see the characters that you've sort of known for the past six seasons in a little bit of a different light. Specifically, you know, Schmidt and Cece, who are now parents.”
It was revealed in the season six finale that Greenfield’s character, Schmidt, and his wife, Cece (Hannah Simone), were expecting their first child.
“It wasn't like much of a stretch,” he says of playing Schmidt as a dad. “I was like, ‘Ugh! I was trying to get away from this. Now I have to come do it at work, too?’ It made me realize, 'cause you know, you like, relate to being a parent and you want to play out those scenarios on set, or in some sort of acting role, and then you get there and you do it and you're like, 'No! No! This is not what I want to be doing.'”
Still, Greenfield notes the parenting storyline was something fresh for the series.
“It was sort of bittersweet, you know?” he says of wrapping production on the show. “I mean, it's been seven years. I don't think there were many more stories to tell. But, to say goodbye to a show and the people that you worked with for a really long time is difficult and then you're, like, tasked with finding something new and going, oh man!”
Greenfield definitely found something new on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, playing Ronnie, an acquaintance of spree killer Andrew Cunanan. ET caught up with the 37-year-old at a For Your Consideration event for the series ahead of its finale, airing Wednesday on FX.
“It was very meaningful to be a part of this show,” he shares. “I think it's a really strong message, I always love working with Ryan [Murphy]. He has such a specific point of view and, and you know, I had sort of only known what the first two episodes were going to look like and didn't know anything beyond that. As I've watched the show, you're like, this is just... this is a really stunning piece.”
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