Greta Lee and Charles Melton are finally getting their moments to shine! Lee’s performance in the fan-favorite A24 film Past Lives has generated a lot of buzz, and Melton’s heartbreaking role in the cerebral May December has made the Riverdale alum’s star truly rise. Given they were busy starring in some of the best films of 2023, it’s no surprise that they may not have time to check out other new flicks or binge the most celebrated TV series. The two actors got together for a photoshoot recently, and it quickly became apparent that Melton hadn’t seen Lee’s wonderful performance on Russian Doll, after the actress revealed "Sweet Birthday Baby" is her favorite line ever. And yeah, Melton needs to check it out immediately.
Both actors were honored to be a part of Vanity Fair’s annual Hollywood issue, which also featured stars like Bradley Cooper, Pedro Pascal and Natalie Portman. The magazine had the actors ask each other questions about some of the most notable lines they’ve said over the years. When Charles Melton asked Greta Lee what her favorite line was from her various film and TV roles, she mentioned the previously mentioned iconic line from the Natasha Lyonne-fronted Russian Doll. She said:
‘Sweet Birthday Baby’… That's the line… That was for Russian Doll.
The Bad Boys for Life alum was a bit puzzled, as he initially thought that “Sweet Birthday Baby” was a movie Lee had done, rather than a line from a series. When Lee cleared up the confusion, she also admitted to not seeing an abundance of Charles Melton’s previous work either. She quipped in the YouTube clip:
This is great, because we are just revealing how little of each other’s work we’ve actually seen.
It’s good that the feeling was mutual and all in good fun so there wasn’t any awkwardness between the two stars. Both actors have appeared in notable TV shows amid a massive sea of content, and it’s hard for everyone to catch up on even the most acclaimed series out there. Russian Doll has a unique surrealist tone that Charles Melton may actually respond to, considering his participation in the equally strange May December. Maybe now that he and the Morning Show alum have made an acquaintance, the 33-year-old may be more inclined to check it out.
If he had seen Russian Doll, he would’ve known that “Sweet Birthday Baby” was a line that Greta Lee says repeatedly on the series. It follows Natasha Lyonne’s character, Nadia, who is stuck in a time loop and keeps reliving her birthday party over and over again. She slowly starts to lose touch with her own reality as the story goes on and getting out of the time loop seems more hopeless. Lee plays her friend, Maxine, who is consistently there to celebrate Nadia on her birthday, calling her a sweet birthday baby. It’s a fixture of the show, and Lee’s character is definitely a highlight of one of Netflix’s best reviewed shows.
This awards season is finally dying down, so campaigning is soon coming to an end. So, maybe, this will give Charles Melton the opportunity to check out Russian Doll, which is now streamable for Netflix subscribers. I really think he should give it a chance.
Aside from that, fans of the actor can also see his scene-stealing performance in May December, which is also streaming on the aforementioned platform. Audiences already hooked on Russian Doll should also check out Greta Lee in Past Lives, which is streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
