Conrad Ricamora co-stars in “How to Die Alone,” Natasha Rothwell‘s new Hulu comedy series that explores love and loneliness.
Ironically, Ricamora met his husband, Peter Wesley Jensen, while shooting the show in Toronto after matching on Hinge. The two met at Ruby Soho for their first date. The “How to Get Away with Murder” actor recalls arriving a bit early and being asked for a picture by a group of fans.
“He walked up while that was happening and was like, ‘Oh do you know them?’” Ricamora said of the couple’s very first encounter. “It’s a weird, really funny way to meet. But I immediately knew that I met my person.”
The two married in July 2023. Ricamora shared this story with Variety at the show’s premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
Following the red carpet event, Ricamora also posted about their romance on Instagram alongside a photo of them at the premiere. “The first week filming @htdahulu in Toronto I went on a Hinge date that changed my life,” he wrote. “Very surreal to now be attending the premiere of a show called HOW TO DIE ALONE almost 2 years later as the Ricamora-Jensen’s. 🥰 “
Created by and starring Rothwell, the series follows “Mel (Rothwell), a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and forgotten how to dream, until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living by any means necessary,” the official logline reads.
The cast also includes KeiLyn Durrel Jones (“The Other Two”), Jocko Sims (“New Amsterdam”), Michelle McLeod (“Women Talking”) and Jaylee Hamidi (“Supernatural”).
Ricamora revealed that working with Rothwell has been on his vision board for the last decade. “She’s so collaborative and such an open human being,” Ricamora said. “Natasha fosters a sense of play. That permeates the entire show.”
Rothwell said she operates with kindness and grace on set and explained “How to Die Alone” is a passion project she’s been working on for the past seven years.
“I feel like the only antidote to loneliness is vulnerability and talking about it,” Rothwell said. “So I wanted to write a show that spoke to that.”
Jaylee Hamidi, who plays Ally in the series, called Rothwell a dynamic leader to work with. She highlighted the showrunner’s wealth of experience, ability to navigate different scenarios and warm personality as facets that enriched the cast’s experience on set.
Co-showrunner and executive producer Vera Santamaria described “How to Die Alone” as a show that will both elicit laughter and have an impact on people long after they watch it.
“I feel like I wrote (Mel) to express and exhibit all the beautiful spectrum of emotion that exists so often being a plus-sizeed woman in Hollywood,” Rothwell said. “I wanted to have a character that was multifaceted, that had nuance and dimension.”
