Sometimes the best on-screen partnerships start with a flat refusal. When Joy Sunday walked up to veteran actor Richard Jenkins on her second day filming the HBO dark comedy DTF St. Louis, she just wanted to run some lines. They were total strangers. They were about to shoot their characters' final scene together—a quiet, intimate conversation on a porch representing the peak of an earned investigator partnership.
Jenkins said no. You might also find this connected story insightful: Why Angélique Kidjo Getting a Hollywood Star is a Joke We Keep Celebrating.
He didn't want to rehearse the emotional climax before they even knew each other. That cold brush-off could have created tension on any other set. Instead, it set the stage for one of the most genuine off-screen friendships in recent television history. Created by Steven Conrad, DTF St. Louis leans heavily into bizarre suburban eccentricities and midlife crises, but the beating heart of the seven-episode miniseries comes down to the unexpected chemistry between Jenkins' weary Detective Donoghue Homer and Sunday's observant special crimes officer Jodie Plumb.
Breaking the Ice Without a Script
Shooting your characters' final emotional breakthrough on day two of production is an actor's nightmare. You haven't found the rhythm yet. You barely know your co-star's name. Yet that backwards scheduling forced Jenkins and Sunday to dive straight into the deep end. As reported in recent reports by Bloomberg, the implications are widespread.
When they finally yelled action on that porch scene, something clicked instantly. Sunday felt an immediate sense of comfort, treating the heavy emotional lift as pure craft. Jenkins realized right then how fiercely talented his co-star was.
They didn't rely on artificial tricks. They just listened to each other. That mutual respect cracked open a door that stayed wide open for the rest of the shoot.
Moving Past the Mr Jenkins Era
In the beginning, the professional gap between a 79-year-old Oscar nominee and a 29-year-old breakout star felt vast. Sunday admitted she spent the first week nervously addressing her scene partner as Mr. Jenkins.
The intimidation didn't last. Once the cameras stopped rolling on those tense interrogation scenes, the duo hung out, laughed, and built a genuine rapport. Sunday even tried dragging Jenkins out to play golf or grab brunch. The veteran actor flatly refused to hit the links with anyone who wasn't a real golfer, though he agreed to meet her at a driving range.
That playful friction bled into their characters. Homer is set in his ways, prone to pigeonholing people based on zip codes and local prejudices. Plumb acts like a lighthouse in a storm, cutting through the dense, strange fog of the fictional Missouri suburb with steady empathy.
Why the Chemistry Landed 13 Emmy Nominations
The HBO series struck a chord, pulling in 13 Emmy nominations, including major acting nods for both Jenkins and Sunday alongside co-stars Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and David Harbour. Critics praised the dark humor, but audiences connected with the human anchor at the center of a chaotic murder investigation involving a controversial dating app.
Sunday has spoken openly about how much Jenkins' support shaped her performance. She calls working with him the biggest gift of her career, affectionately referring to him as a grumpy old man who opened up his heart to her. Jenkins is equally high on her future, noting that her deep listening skills make her a rare talent in the industry.
When you watch them navigate the wreckage of the Smernitch murder case, you aren't just watching skilled professionals hit their marks. You are watching two actors who genuinely grew to love working together, turning a seven-episode gig into a lifelong creative alliance.
Watch Interviewing the Cast of DTF St. Louis to hear Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday discuss filming their unexpected dynamic.
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