Sometimes being the odd woman out has its perks.
In the new CBS series Partners, Sophia Bush, 30, plays a jewelry designer named Ali who struggles to whisk her fiancee, Joe (David Krumholtz, 34), away from his overbearing gay best friend, Louis (Michael Urie, 32). Brandon Routh, 32, rounds out the cast as Louis’ boyfriend, Wyatt.
“I love it! I’m very fortunate to be able to create these little families,” Bush told Us Weekly at CBS’ PaleyFest event in Beverly Hills September 6. Plus, “I love the fact that the writers let me play a woman who’s really a woman.”
Even so, it’s not hard for Bush to relate to her character’s plight. “We’ve all been in that situation, especially when two people in a relationship have very busy careers, where you don’t get that much free time. Sometimes you want to be alone with your guy,” she explained. “You don’t want to hang with all the homies!”
Krumholtz said his character is “a people pleaser,” which makes it hard for him to always put his fiancee first. “He wears his heart on his sleeve.”
According to Bush, it’s fun to play Ali because “she’s a real girl — not a ludicrous ideal of perfection. She feels she’s owning the world one day. The next, everything is a disaster. That’s how we all are.”
Routh’s character certainly isn’t perfect. “He’s a former club-hopping alcoholic who’s now a sober vegan nurse. He’s very calm and gentle in the show, and he calms down Louis’ craziness,” the actor told Us. “He’s a little naive, which is fun, because he’s so trusting. Sometimes he doesn’t understand what everybody’s talking about. It’s a blast.”
Developed by Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, Partners premieres September 24 at 8:30 p.m. on CBS.
