Working alongside other performers in film and television can be a tough task, but things tend to run smoothly when everyone is getting along and having fun on set. Stars like Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Lopez all know what it’s like to work with others on set. Natural chemistry between performers is something that can usually be found on screen, and it just so happens that the cast of New Girl had an undeniable chemistry that was featured in each episode.
Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield played best friends on the show, and during press junkets, it was clear that they had a natural chemistry with one another. Despite this, people have long wondered about their actual relationship when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Let’s take a look and see how close these two New Girl stars are!
They Never Hung Out After Filming
Over the years, there have been plenty of stories to come out about co-stars who love to spend time with one another when they aren’t at work, at this usually adds to what the viewers see on screen each week. After all, shows are so much better when the fans know that the on-screen friends are friends in real life. Turns out, Jake and Max never hung out when work wasn’t involved.
According to Digital Spy, during an interview with Justin Long, Jake Johnson would open up about his policy of not hanging out with his co-stars outside of the workplace.
Johnson would say, “I've never hung out with Max Greenfield or Lamorne Morris outside of work. Not once. I've never hung out with Damon Wayans Jr. Mind you, if we are shooting on location then we all go out to eat. We all like each other.”
This is an interesting bit of information. It would seem like they are all fast friends outside of work, and while they do get along just fine, there is clearly a fine line between being close friends and being work friends.
Johnson would continue, saying, “But the only time Max, Lamorne and I have ever gone out to eat is we were doing some photoshoot and we all went and got a bite to eat, and it was a mistake because another table of people saw the cast of New Girl doing bits with each other..."
While they may not hang out unless it involves bring on camera, the duo were still able to be incredibly convincing as best friends on the small screen.
They Text Often
Interestingly, Johnson has been able to keep the different parts of his life separate from one another, which has clearly been working for him.
When speaking of his friend groups, he would tell Justin Long, “In this business, we don't see each other. I've got the friends who I see on a regular basis and then I've got the friends who I work with, who I really like, but the only time we see each other is like this.”
Jake Johnson was incredibly open about the fact that he makes a distinction between his close friends and his work friends, but this does not mean that he totally shuts things down outside of the workplace.
Johnson would say, “Max and I text all the time but if he tried to FaceTime me on a Wednesday, I would write like, 'Leave me alone.’ If he said, 'This if for a podcast nobody will watch', I'd say, 'Wednesday at 10.30!' And I don't know why that is."
So, while Johnson and Greenfield don’t hang out when it doesn’t pertain to work, they still have a healthy friendship via text message. Many people don’t need to be overly involved in their friends’ lives to keep things solid between them, and clearly, this type of friendship works for these two.
They’ve Worked On Multiple Projects Together
As great as it was seeing Johnson and Greenfield star on New Girl together each week, fans still wanted to see more from the two of them. Thankfully, as time has gone on, they have gotten the chance to work together once again.
In 2020, the duo were able to reunite for two episodes of the animated show Hoops. No, they technically didn’t get to star on screen together because it is an animated show, but it is still cool for the fans to see that these two have continued to work together a few years after New Girl came to an end.
These days, both guys are pretty busy with projects, and yet, they still find the time to text one another. It just goes to show that a quick message can go a long way.
Jake Johnson and Max Greenfield might not hang out like Nick and Schmidt, but the friendship is still alive and well.