Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Santino Fontana on Leaving the Prove, Greg'due south Farewell, and the Testify'south Moral Relativism

Spoilers alee for Fri night's episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
On this night's episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, shippers of "Grebecca" received a devastating piece of news involving the dysfunctional couple — Greg (Santino Fontana) is packing up and leaving West Covina to finally fulfill his dream of attending Emory University, but non before declaring his love for Rebecca (Rachel Blossom) in the eye of an airport terminal. Every bit he powerfully croons to her in "It Was a Shit Show," his final solo number: "We can't undo, can't make amends, dysfunction is our lingua franca. We can't unscrew each other's friends, we're Jerry Springer, not Casablanca." Sadly, despite Greg appearing afterward in the episode as a "memory spirit" in Rebecca's apartment, he has indeed been written off the evidence equally he makes his cross-country, life-changing move. Vulture caught up with Fontana to talk over Greg's thoughtful farewell episode, his legacy, and if we can e'er await him dorsum in West Covina.

How does it feel to be breaking the hearts of "Grebecca" fans nationwide, Santino?
[Laughs.] I think what [showrunner and co-creator] Aline [Brosh McKenna] did in terms of how Greg finally gets to get afterwards what really makes him truly happy is fantastic. I was happy that I was able to come dorsum this flavour and give him a bang-up story that was in line with the testify. It'due south complicated, I don't know how much you want to get into, simply story-wise in terms of the show, I retrieve it'due south really great. Information technology really stuck to who Greg is, and we all stuck to who Greg was, and I was able to help tell that story, which is ultimately my job.

Walk me through the decision-making process for you leaving the show. Did you want to pursue other endeavors outside of the CW?
I don't even think of information technology as leaving the show, to exist honest. The last time I spoke to Aline, she already had ideas of how we'd be able to cheque back in with Greg, although I don't know if that can or will happen now. The CW was kind enough to give me a one-twelvemonth contract on the prove because of what I idea would be best for my family unit and my life. When the show moved to the CW I had a one-twelvemonth contract, which was very rare and I was very blessed, and I never, ever in a million years thought they would let me do that. I love the evidence, I have a great time playing Greg, I have a great fourth dimension with that family, and I miss that family unit even though I'm in constant contact with them all the time. And so I don't wait at information technology equally leaving the prove.

What happened at the cease of shooting final flavour was that in that location was a lot of time where we didn't know if the prove would be coming back. A lot of fourth dimension. In that interim I had some opportunities both with films and theater and writing that presented themselves, and I had no idea what was going to happen. Likewise keep in heed, I didn't know my futurity with the show regardless, and I didn't know if the testify would be coming back. So when we did get picked upwards, I was in a really catchy spot because I had a bunch of things that I already committed to and I couldn't in good conscience back out of them. I didn't feel like it made the virtually sense. It was a really tough decision and it had a lot to practice with my family and my base in New York. It's a tricky affair, but I experience really blessed and lucky that I was able to have the best of both worlds. I was able to maintain my life as it was before Crazy Ex, which involved doing movies and theater and other TV guest spots and other jobs and writing. I was able to also become back and play with my Crazy Ex family in a smaller capacity and that's all not bad. I don't view it every bit though I'm leaving. I view it equally Greg'southward story taken off where it's taken off to, and him coming back is really upward to the writers and fans. I view it as bear witness business concern is a messy, complicated, confusing thing. [Laughs.] It's not as lucent. Information technology'due south really a testament to the power of storytelling. We're actors who are telling a great story, and I was thrilled to be in West Covina and thrilled to tell that story, and I hope I'thou able to tell Greg'southward story in different means as nosotros motility forward. It's tricky.

Is this indeed your terminal appearance? Will we be seeing you at all after this episode?
With the power of editing, who knows. This was the last scene for me. I was shooting a movie in New Mexico and I was able to come up dorsum and do the tap number. I got to do that in-betwixt shooting, when we were moving locations in this movie; we were able to piece of work that out, which was great. Across that, I haven't heard from the writers or my people, merely I've been busy, too, so I don't know if that means I'm gone. I'chiliad bold I won't be dorsum this flavour, merely I don't know, that'south really not to me to say, or in the time to come.

Why were you lot drawn to the function of Greg in the get-go identify?
Initially I turned downwards the audition because I thought, Well, they're non going to desire me for this, this isn't a thing, they're going to cast Zach Levi. [Laughs.] This isn't for me! The casting managing director, who'southward a friend hither in New York, reached out to me personally and was like, "Please come in. Let me tell you what I retrieve they actually desire." So I did come in, and I did a pretty generic every-day guy, a likeable guy, when reading the scene. The casting manager was like, "Okay, not bad, but can you add in that he hates himself?" I thought, Yeah, great, that's fun! It's not often when you get in for a TV show that they ask you lot to play characters who detest themselves; it's very unusual. I was like, Bully! And and then they asked me to improvise on the scene, which was very fun. Then I met with Aline and Rachel, and I was similar, Why not? This sounds really fun. It's been and so long agone at present since we shot the pilot. It's been a long road with a lot of changes to the testify. But that was what the initial draw was — it's not very oft you're asked to play somebody who'due south sitting on a deep cocky-hatred for the nation to lookout. It's not normal in a one-act. And the fact that there would be musical numbers. And I was a fan of Rachel and Aline'south work.

Greg is such an interestingly calibrated character — I've had friends depict him as the voice of reason, an asshole, troubled, sarcastic, a good guy, you name it. How do you prefer to characterize him?
I love the way yous described it. I had a bang-up instructor who e'er told me, "Yous accept to allow an audience their experience, and not tell them what to experience, but stay true to how y'all view humanity and how you see people, and people will see themselves in it and they'll pull out different things." I call back it'southward a large testament to the writing, and for them allowing me to put my spin on who the guy is. We all know people like Greg; I certainly do. He is all of those things. He is the vocalism of reason. He is the sane 1 for a while, until Rebecca comes to town and so he loses it a little, too. The thing I was e'er able to grab onto at the end of the solar day was that this is a fellow who, whether it was self-demolition or not, did the right affair and wanted to be in that location for his ill father. Anyone who thinks of other people first in that way, whether or not they have self-sabotaging tendencies, they're ultimately a good guy. That's what's actually at the cadre of Greg — he wants people to exist happy, but he also wants them to face up reality, and he can encounter that in other people more than he tin can encounter that in himself.

Those complexities also make Greg a very relatable character. I feel far more than people have continued to him, as opposed to Josh, because of those multidimensional qualities.
I'm honored to have been able to add together to that, and if I do go along to in the hereafter, that remains to be seen. Call up, when nosotros met this guy, he could've taken advantage of a girl who was a mess in a chamber, and he didn't. And that, again, connects to a guy who doesn't go to college considering he wants to make sure his father's okay. That connects to a core of who that guy is. And I think that's something we admire and nosotros promise it'southward how we would behave. And aye, there's a lot of mess in there, which of class is human. Starting time of all, it's really fun to play, and it also feels incredibly man. That's what I call back the audition remembers, and they know his intentions are actually good.

I take to say, information technology'southward also tricky, though. The prove is tricky considering, in a slap-up mode, it's playing with a moral relativism. Rebecca is an antihero of sorts. She came to some other city to break up a relationship. That is non an beauteous feat. So in lodge to go along her still the person that we want to like and follow, even though she does terrible things, is for everyone else to exist equally complicated every bit her. There is this tricky moral relativism to the bear witness that I think is fascinating. It speaks to the ability of the protagonist and how nosotros're able to forgive things because we're following someone's story. And when we wait at other characters in the show and we mutter virtually them or run into them in a negative light, information technology's also … there's a huge project going on that's trying to avoid the cracks in her own character of the terrible things that she does. So complicated!

Information technology's truthful, and the bear witness does a actually wonderful job of deconstructing and then many stereotypes, like mental illness, anxiety, and depression, even with Greg's alcoholism. It'due south a fresh take yous don't see on telly likewise often.
Totally, and the fact that she's a feminist but is also clearly going after a guy. There'south a feminist lens over the testify. Withal, information technology'due south very much trapped in an antifeminist earth than we are used to, and we're playing with that, which is really difficult and tricky. I practise concur though about the alcoholism story line and Greg dealing with it. You don't see that often, which is nifty.

In Greg's final solo, he sings about what a "shit bear witness" he and Rebecca's relationship was from day one. In your opinion, do you recall the two could've worked out their differences and become a functional couple if Greg didn't move?
I don't know. I think that's possible and even so possible in the future. Yet, I don't think information technology makes any sense for those 2 people, let alone anyone … she shouldn't exist with anyone. And I don't think he should be with anyone right now, either. Frankly, I really don't think anyone on the show should really be with anybody right now with the exception of perchance Darryl. And even that, to notice that you're bisexual and leap into a serious relationship, I would say maybe you lot desire to slow downwardly. So, no, I don't retrieve in the firsthand it makes any sense. It likewise speaks to Greg's grapheme that he kept going back for more than even after she slept with a different person on their kickoff date. He was a disappointed optimist. And the worst got to him with his alcoholism and he realized, "Oh, okay. I gotta find a new fashion here." No, I don't think information technology's impossible, simply you never know. I mean, who knows where she is going to finish up?

Y'all got 2 final numbers in the episode, the more somber "It Was a Shit Prove," and the very upbeat, tap friendly "We Tapped That Ass." What has been your personal favorite song that you performed on the evidence?
I really had a groovy time shooting "We Tapped That Ass," but I had a great time shooting all of them. It's tricky because we're doing a Television show on a seven-day shoot schedule so you want to have time. In terms of my experiences onstage, I was on a Broadway prove with Donna Lynne Champlin and y'all spend weeks and weeks perfecting a musical number in a musical. And in rehearsals, y'all're there sometimes six weeks perfecting how to make a scene work. Then the fact that a vocal similar "I Could If I Wanted To" was done in one have was terrifying and heady merely also like, Jesus Christ. [Laughs.] How am I going to practise this? It was really calling on my theater background. But overall, annihilation that used a lot of different setups or angles, or had a product value idea that was heightened, were my favorite ones. And with the nature of television, you tin can't do that with every song because there's no time. And then any song that had an overarching, high-concept thought, like "We Tapped That Ass," "I Could If I Wanted To," and "Settle for Me," were all actually fun and really heady. The other ones were as well, only they merely weren't every bit heady, understandably.

Have you given any thought to Greg's future, and how you see him faring in Atlanta?
I leave that to the fans. You have to give an audience their experience, and I think what we know is he'southward really been able to pull a lot of his life together, and he knows and he believes that his male parent is going to exist okay. I nonetheless haven't watched the episode because I have a really difficult time watching myself, simply a friend of mine was talking to me nearly when I say skillful-bye to the guys at the airport. Greg has that part of a caretaker, and he takes care of them in their good-byes. Information technology'southward non about him. He knows everyone's going to be okay, God willing, he's going to continue in touch on with them and stay healthy, and he hopes they stay healthy, too. They all check in downwardly the line, and probably within a week they're emailing each other and figuring out who they're going to go. I encounter nada but skilful stuff alee for Greg. I'm sure there will be setbacks, but he'due south figured out a way to take care of the people he cares about and realize that he also has to take care of himself. And I hope he continues.

Santino Fontana on Leaving Crazy Ex-Girlfriend