Why you’ll be hearing more about Ellie Kemper

YOU probably know her face, even if you don’t know her name. But Ellie Kemper’s name will be on everyone’s lips very soon. Find out why.

YOU probably recognise her, even if you don’t know her name but it won’t be long before Ellie Kemper’s name will be mentioned in the same breath as Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Kristin Wiig and Mindy Kaling.

You would’ve seen her in The Office as the perpetually surprised receptionist Erin or in Bridesmaids as, well, one of the other bridesmaids. But now she’s anchoring her own show as the titular character in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the Tina Fey and Robert Carlock-created comedy that debuts today in Australia on Netflix.

Kemper is in Sydney to promote the Australian launch of Netflix and will be walking the red carpet tonight at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Princeton-educated, Kemper has been through many of the traditional comedy stepping stones to mainstream success including time with the Upright Citizens Brigade, sketches on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Funny or Die.

While her big break was The Office, Kemper has been able to sustain that with a series of supporting roles in other films such as Sex Tape, 21 Jump Street and Somewhere, as well as a three-episode arc on fellow The Office alum Mindy Kaling’s show, The Mindy Project.

With those kinds of comedy chops, it’s not surprising to find out Tina Fey wrote the role of Kimmy Schmidt with Kemper in mind. After just the first episode, it’s hard to imagine anyone else but her playing the role in the brilliantly funny TV show.

Since debuting in the US two and half weeks ago, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has been heaped with critical praise as well as audience love. In it, Kemper plays an optimistic and strong young woman who has spent the last 15 years in a bunker after being kidnapped by a doomsday cult leader. After getting rescued, she moves to New York where she meets a cast of even quirkier characters. Wackiness ensues.

Because the show is centred around a character that had missed the last 15 years of news and pop culture, there are great doses of 90s nostalgia thrown in, including a Babysitters Club book and light-up sneakers. Kemper lists slap bracelets, old-school brick Game Boys and Vanilla Ice as her favourite things from the 90s.

After 15 years in a bunker, Kimmy is also being confronted with smartphones and social media for the first time.

Asked what she would find most confronting about 2015 if she was encountering it for the first time, Kemper told news.com.au: “I think social media in general and the emergence of the selfie might be the most baffling because we are at our most narcissistic at this moment in time. We’ve always taken pics of ourselves, but in 2015, we’ve just taken it to a whole new level.” She does, however, admit to indulging in the occasional selfie because she is, after all, “only human”.

Creators Fey and Carlock brought with them much of crew and many cast members from 30 Rock. Kemper she was the “new girl” on the set. “I think 90 per cent of the crew had come from 30 Rock so I was definitely the new girl. They were all very familiar with each other,” she said. “I think that is testament to what great bosses Tina and Robert are. It’s such a friendly, welcoming environment.”

But she laments that no one played any initiation pranks on her, that she knows of.

She’s also loves filming in New York City, where the show is set. “I love it. Nobody cares, it’s so great. It’s not a city that is focused on showbiz so everyone is trying to get to their jobs and get on with their days. When we go on location to film stuff, the only attention we get is negative, because we’re probably blocking some women’s view from her first floor apartment.”

The whole first season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is available to stream on Netflix Australia from today.