Busy Philipps is making her debut in CBS’ Cupertino as an “undependable” client, which marks her first role after undergoing brain surgery for a rare tumor.
In Us‘ exclusive sneak peek at the Thursday, October 15, episode, Philipps’ character, Natalia, is unsure about working with Michael (Mike Colter) and Olivia (Rachel Keller) as they open up their own law firm.
“Well it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence,” she says while looking around their under construction office.
Olivia asks for Natalia to provide “financing for a year” before Christy (Ella Stiller) interjects asking for “two years.” Natalia, however, can’t provide either — or anything to the group.
“Well I can’t promise that. I can’t promise anything, really,” she admits. “I am pretty undependable these days but there is a case I am interested in. I put a lawyer on it but it is not going well so I would love for you to assist. A motion to dismiss.”
She adds: “This is just a test. I want to see how well you do and then we can talk about financing.”
Natalia also gives Olivia and Michael “a gift” that turns out to be inflatable mattresses, quipping, “If you are just starting out, you are going to need them.”
Cupertino, which airs on Thursdays, stars Colter as a Silicon Valley attorney who, after being fired by his employer, forms a firm with another laid off lawyer (Keller) to represent people harmed by the technology industry.
The legal drama also stars Renée Elise Goldsberry, Ella Stiller and Nik Dodani. Phillips, 47, for her part, plays a client who is described as “the beautiful and delightfully blunt first wife of an AI Billionaire, who divorced her when she turned forty. Now Natalia wants revenge and agrees to finance Michael and Olivia’s start-up law firm in order to go after his and other AI businesses.”
For Philipps, questioning the use of AI hit close to home.
“I’m not an AI user. We don’t use that in my home. I actually am obsessed with my daughter’s eighth grade — and with the entire school. They are hand writing all of their assignments this year,” the actress, who shares two kids with estranged husband Marc Silverstein, told Us. “They’re not using computers at all in response to the proliferation of [AI] — and I’m sure that kids will cheat but she’s not.”
Phillips continued: “And this has really reconfirmed my belief that billionaires should not exist and that we need to have regulations in place. And also I just trust no one.”
The actress credited the show for teaching her some important lessons.
“My absolute favorite thing to watch — and now my favorite thing to play — is a woman who becomes empowered after the age of 40 and finds her own voice,” Phillips exclusively told Us earlier this month. “That’s what I’m getting to do on this show. It shows that you can have a second act as a woman. Life doesn’t end just because your marriage does.”
After filming season 1, Philipps revealed she underwent surgery in early March — weeks before she started production on Cupertino.
“I’m grateful that I’m alive,” Philipps told People in August while calling this period “the weirdest six months of my life.”
Philipps credited a Prenuvo full-body scan for helping confirm the presence of a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare slow-growing tumor. Philipps underwent surgery, where doctors removed a 2.6-centimeter mass from her brain.
Philipps recalled facing more challenges when she contracted a staphylococcus on her incision and needed a second surgery for wound debridement.
Cupertino airs on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET before streaming the next day on Paramount+.
