Awkwafina and Sandra Oh bring the dysfunction as estranged sisters in Quiz Lady first look

Awkwafina and Sandra Oh play estranged-sisters-turned-game-show-champion-hopefuls in EW's exclusive first look at Quiz Lady, an upcoming comedy from Billions and This is Us director Jessica Yu.

Set to premiere Nov. 3 on Hulu, the film from writer Jen D'Angelo (Hocus Pocus 2, Workaholics) follows Anne (Awkwafina), a brilliant but tightly wound game show obsessee, and her estranged train wreck of a sibling, Jenny (Oh), as they come together to pay off their mother's gambling debt. When Anne's beloved dog is kidnapped the sisters set out on a wild, cross-country trek to earn cash the best way they know how: By turning Anne into a game show champion. And doing so might just bring this dysfunctional family together.

Awkwafina and Oh produced alongside Jessica Elbaum, Maggie Haskins, Itay Reiss, D'Angelo, and Will Ferrell, the latter of whom also stars in the comedy. The all-star cast is rounded out by Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, and Tony Hale.

"It's full of heart," Awkwafina teases of the film to EW in a Zoom conversation alongside Oh, sharing that the opportunity to play the Killing Eve star's sister is ultimately what enticed her to take on the gig.

And, yes, she and her costar are acutely aware that they're playing against what they've become known for in previous works. "There is something about the characters that we play that I think certain people, even in the development process, were like, 'Oh, is that really what it's gonna be?'" Awkwafina says. "It was kind of against type, so to speak."

That "natural misinterpretation ended up being a very good surprise," Oh says. "To explore sides of characters that you have not seen the actual actors play primarily, I mean, those are just gifts," she adds. "As long as you're feeling safe with the other acting partner, you're able to go into your own either neuroses or ridiculous parts of yourself."

While the comedy is rated R, Oh maintains it's a "soft, lowercase R" and diverges from the current R-rated comedy offerings like Joy Ride or No Hard Feelings. Then again, "There is the 15-minute sex scene that we—" Awkwafina begins to joke, before Oh cuts in and says, "have together as sisters." (No, not really.)

As producers, Awkwafina and Oh were able to help develop the script and make it their own, with Awkwafina noting that the finished product "turned out to be something different than what I thought it would be on the page." Though it very much "feels like a big comedy," The Farewell star says, "there's something very small and intimate about it, which I think is a rare [feeling when] watching a lot of comedies these days."

As for building that sisterly dynamic, that came naturally for the stars. "I grew up as an only child, so a lot of people that I meet, especially someone like Sandra, feel like siblings built in," Awkwafina says. "I think the dysfunction plays so well because we lean into who we are as sisters."

Still, it helped to have that period of bonding. Awkwafina, Yu, and D'Angelo had traveled to London, where Oh had been working, to build that rapport over shared meals and tales about their own family dysfunctions. "When you talk about your own family or your own issues and your own s---, you start to bond," Oh says. "Our intimate sharing times, a lot of that influenced the script in a beautiful way."

At its core, the heartfelt comedy mines the "closeness and togetherness" at the center of family dysfunction. Awkwafina says, "It really does speak to a very universal thing about families and sisters."

As for whether the two are any good at following along with game shows or games in general, "God, I wish I was," Oh says. "I am very close with my sister who is excellent at game shows. I'm not. I get over excited and can't really think straight, but so many times I would kick her and just say, 'Go on that show and win us some money!' It makes me feel anxious."

The extent of any such games for Awkwafina, she says, would be "crosswords for, like, babies... And the answers are just there, but upside down."

Quiz Lady debuts Nov. 3 on Hulu.

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