Andrew Rannells, known for his roles in Girls and The Book of Mormon, stars in the comedy-drama Miss You, Love You as Jamie, a personal assistant who helps a recently widowed woman named Diane, played by Allison Janney, navigate the aftermath of her husband's death from Parkinson's disease. The film, now streaming exclusively on HBO Max according to an interview published in May 2026, marks a departure for Rannells, who is more often cast as the energetic, quick-witted character rather than the one being pushed around.
Rannells, speaking a few weeks before his 48th birthday, described the experience of being on the receiving end of Janney's forceful performance style during extended takes on set.
I was just trying to keep up with what Allison was doing. She is relentless. She goes and goes and goes. All her years on The West Wing really prepped her.
He noted that the role offered a rare change of pace from the high-energy, comic parts he is typically known for.
Yeah, I'm usually in that position. It was fun this time to be on the other side of it and to feel what it's like to get pushed around and bullied.
How demanding was the material for Rannells and Janney?
The two actors had previously worked together on The West Wing, but according to a Decider interview published on 29 May 2026, the new film gave them unusually long, dialogue-heavy scenes as well as musical moments to perform together. Rannells recalled that the shoot left little room for downtime, while Janney joked about the sheer volume of material they had to get through.
We didn't have any of those days. There was always something to tackle.
Janney, for her part, quipped that they had at least 12 pages of material to work through on any given day, according to the same interview.
What is Rannells' personal history with assistants?
Despite playing a personal assistant on screen, Rannells said he has never actually hired one himself in real life, which he suggested makes him unusual among people in his profession.
One of my closest friends has an assistant. At times, I'm closer to the assistant than I am to him.
Asked why he has avoided hiring help, Rannells attributed it to habits formed during his years working in theatre.
Maybe it comes from years of working in theatre. I got in the habit of doing things for myself. To relinquish that control now would be, I think, hard for me.
He linked this reluctance to ask for help to his midwestern upbringing, describing an ingrained instinct to solve problems independently rather than lean on others.
You are raised in the midwest to take care of your own problems: don't make waves, fix it, move on. Sometimes I do myself a disservice by not asking for what I need. I'm getting better at it. But I've certainly seen it abused. A lot of actors take advantage of people and I don't want to be that person.
How did Rannells' career begin, and how did he come out?
Rannells grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, next door to a children's theatre, and began taking drama classes as a child. From the age of 13 to 31, he worked prolifically as a voice actor on animated series including Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, an experience that later extended into a stage tour of Pokémon Live! at age 21 — a production he later said he would rather have skipped in favour of far less reputable work.
He came out to his parents shortly before leaving home at 19 to study drama, writing in his 2019 memoir, Too Much Is Not Enough: A Memoir of Fumbling Toward Adulthood, that his family reacted with more acceptance than surprise. That same book included a chapter revealing he had been sexually assaulted as a teenager by a Catholic priest.
My mum accepted my sexuality. My dad said: 'I don't think you have to be this way, but I love you.' I was like: 'Eh, that's not exactly what I wanted to hear, but whatever.'
Rannells said his father later revisited that reaction and apologised, acknowledging that his son's sexuality had always been apparent.
He said: 'I realise you've always been this way and I'm sorry I said that.'
When Rannells was 22, his father died after falling into a coma, an event that occurred on a night when Rannells had brought a date back to his apartment and had been missing urgent calls from his family. He later wrote about the discomfort of being consoled by a man he barely knew in the immediate aftermath, an experience that eventually inspired him to write and direct a short film, How Do You Remember Me?, exploring how two people can recall the same event so differently.
How does his relationship with Andrew Rannells' partner factor in?
Rannells lives in Los Angeles with actor Tuc Watkins and Watkins' twin teenage children. The couple met during the 2018 Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band, a production in which their nightly performance included an on-stage kiss.
We would end each show making out on stage. Ten minutes of us rolling around while Jim Parsons was crying.
The two did not begin dating until roughly a year later, when the cast reunited for the 2020 film adaptation of the same production.
We turned a showmance into a relationship.
What did Rannells learn from Lena Dunham's memoir?
Rannells starred alongside Lena Dunham in Girls as Elijah, the formerly closeted ex-boyfriend of her character Hannah — a role that followed his Tony-nominated turn as Elder Price in the original 2011 Broadway production of The Book of Mormon. He said reading Dunham's memoir gave him a different perspective on experiences he had witnessed only partially at the time, including accounts of difficult moments behind the scenes on Girls that he had not fully understood while they were happening.
That book is a great example of seeing things differently. Girls was my first TV job and when I showed up on set I saw the fun, exciting part. At times, Lena would open up to me and I'd read things in the press that were untrue or unfair. But the book was hard to read as someone who is close to her now. I felt terrible that I wasn't a better friend.
Asked what he might have done differently, Rannells pointed to the pressures of his schedule at the time, which included performing in The Book of Mormon eight times a week while filming Girls and going through a breakup and new relationship simultaneously.
Been more available. I let a lot of shit slide because so much was happening. I had a break-up, then a new relationship. I was doing The Book of Mormon eight times a week and working on Girls.
He briefly left Girls to appear in 22 episodes of the Ryan Murphy sitcom The New Normal before returning to the show once that series was cancelled.
Readers interested in television endings more broadly may recall a look at some of the most heartwarming finales in television history, which surveyed shows such as The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, 30 Rock and The Leftovers.
What has Rannells been doing beyond this film?
Rannells and his Book of Mormon co-star Josh Gad marked the show's 15th anniversary in a June 2026 conversation, reflecting on their original run and reuniting to perform as missionaries at the 2026 Tony Awards, according to an NPR interview published on 8 June 2026. The pair discussed their first impressions of the musical and any regrets about eventually leaving their original roles.
Separately, Rannells appeared as a special guest at the TCM Classic Film Festival, held from 30 April to 3 May 2026, according to festival programming listings. In a podcast interview recorded on 28 June, he also discussed being nearly outed on the Ricki Lake Show earlier in his career, according to an Apple Podcasts listing.
What comes next for Rannells?
Rannells is listed as a guest on an episode of Watch What Happens Live dated 7 May 2026, according to a television listings service, suggesting continued promotional appearances beyond the film's release. Additional podcast appearances are also listed, including an episode of Impossible Dreams, according to a video posting referencing the episode.
Key Facts
- Andrew Rannells stars as Jamie, a personal assistant, in Miss You, Love You alongside Allison Janney, who plays a recently widowed woman named Diane.
- The film is now streaming exclusively on HBO Max.
- Rannells has never hired a personal assistant himself despite playing one on screen.
- He lives in Los Angeles with actor Tuc Watkins, whom he met during the 2018 Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band.
- Rannells and Josh Gad marked the 15th anniversary of The Book of Mormon with a reunion performance at the 2026 Tony Awards.
