Selena Gomez isn’t the only A-list musician in Only Murders in the Building.
We’re, of course, talking about Sting‘s hilarious supporting role as a slightly more cantankerous version of himself in the murder-prone Arconia building. So, while chatting exclusively with the Hulu original’s co-creator John Hoffman, we made sure to ask how exactly producers landed the “Every Breath You Take” singer.
According to Hoffman, the character was always written to be a widely recognizable celebrity, but never in his wildest dreams did he think they’d book such a huge star. “Crazy, right?” he dished to E! News. “We all felt, ‘Well good luck to us on that.’ But it was born out of the idea [that] in these kinds of buildings in New York, that can happen. You’ll be seeing someone famous because this is their home when they’re in New York.”
On how they decided to pursue the singer for the role, Hoffman explained that the team was looking for someone who was skilled in various ways, adding, “When it comes to like, someone with acting experience, someone with like, you know, just a magnetic personality, for me, you don’t really have to go much further to land on Sting.”