‘Paradise’ Star Ryan Michelle Bathé On Working With Husband Sterling K. Brown And Playing Jane’s Mentor In “Terrifying” Flashbacks

Paradise Season 2, Episode 6 is an epic family affair.

Paradise Episode 206 spoilers ahead.

After three agonizing years apart, Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma) finally reunited seconds before the end credits rolled. And Brown’s real-life wife, Ryan Michelle Bathé, also starred in the eventful installment as Jane’s (Nicole Brydon Bloom) mentor, Stacy.

On top of her Paradise Season 2 guest role, Bathé hosts Hulu’s weekly Paradise: Official Podcast and breaks down episodes with the show’s stars But this week, it’s her time to shine in formative flashbacks that reveal Jane’s complex backstory.

While training at a CIA facility called The Farm pre-bunker, Jane found a mentor and much-needed maternal figure in Stacy. “I don’t think she realized Jane’s true nature at first. I think my character believed that her true nature was just broken and could be healed. I don’t think I realized just how broken she is,” Bathé told DECIDER while visiting our Manhattan studio.

As the mentor/mentee relationship progressed, Jane crossed a major line in one of Paradise‘s most jaw-dropping — and NSFW! — twists yet. “When I read it, I just was like, ‘Holy…holy fork ball!’ The idea that she’s that unhinged and this is how we see it unfold was just terrifying,” Bathé said.

In honor of “Jane” finally being out in the world, Bathé sat down with DECIDER to chat about her Season 2 episode, the gift bag (IYKYK), the Nintendo Wii, what it was like to return to a Dan Fogelman set, working with her husband, and more.

You and Sterling have incredible careers that are overlapping again. You’re hosting the Paradise’s companion podcast, which makes sense, because you have an iconic podcast family. Sterling co-hosts That Was Us. You tag-team We Don’t Always Agree. How excited were you to run this one solo? 

It’s so funny, because the first person who even brought it up was my social media coordinator, and she’s wonderful. She was like, “Wouldn’t that be a great idea?!” And I was like, “YES.” And then it was just in the zeitgeist. They came to me, and I was always clowning around on TikTok and Instagram, watching the show and putting reactions up, not even thinking. And I guess they saw that and felt I was already in the universe. But it was great because I also know so many of the people and players involved. I’m a true fan, and I think being a fan is very helpful when it comes to any kind of pop culture. You can really dive in. It was a dream. 

Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo

You guest star in Season 2, Episode 6 as Stacy, Jane’s mentor. How did that happen and what did it feel like to be back on a Dan Fogelman set, because you were also in a few episodes of This Is Us. 

I was! I actually auditioned for This Is Us, so that was fun. But with this one, I’m not ashamed to say it, but it’s awkward to say, that I’m a nepo baby. Not a nepo baby, but I’m a nepo wife in this particular situation. [Laughs] I think they had someone like me in mind for the role in the first place, so the stars aligned. And to get back onto a Dan Fogelman set, I’m telling you, Dan and Jess Rosenthal, one of the producers, they run not only a tight ship, but a lovely ship. Everybody is like, “We’re here because we want to be here. We’re here because we’re great at our jobs and we’re kind people. So let’s just play.” Sometimes you go on sets and everyone is frazzled. There’s none of that. Everybody knows what they’re doing, and a lot of the people were from This Is Us. So it was like it was like a homecoming in a way.

Stacy shares all of her scenes with Jane, one of Season 1’s most compelling, terrifying characters. Tell me about building that relationship as actors with Nicole Brydon Bloom. 

Fun fact! Her high school mentor/teacher is one of my best friends — my dear, dear, dear friend from seventh or eighth grade. We met in middle school and we’ve been friends ever since. We loved media. She loved movies, TV, and all that stuff. And she teaches media arts in Connecticut and Nicole was one of her students. So here we are on set, and she’s like, “You know my mentor, Ellen!” I was like, “Mentor?! That’s my bestie!” Isn’t that the greatest? 

Oh that’s incredible. When Jane meets Stacy in her office pre-mentorship, she tells her that she hears voices sometimes. So why do you think Stacy took a chance on her despite her psych eval?

I don’t think she realized her true nature [at first]. I think my character believed that Jane’s true nature was just broken and could be healed. I don’t think I realized just how broken she is. And my character truly did come to love her character.

Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo

This episode made me scream twice, the first time was when we learned Stacy is the reason Jane loves the Wii so much. What did it mean to you to be involved in that iconic origin story?

I was so touched. I was honored. I just felt like I was a little part of Paradise history, I can’t explain it. There were all these emotions around this Wii. It’s so prominent, especially at the very end of Season 1, where she’s playing and you’re like, ‘This girl is psychotic!’ But I love being a part of why the Wii is featured in her storyline. I think the Wii that we had may have been broken, so we couldn’t play though.

The second scream naturally came after Stacy told Jane and unqualified man got the promotion she was gunning for because he “had a dick,” so she attacks him, cuts his dick off, and gives it to Stacy in a gift bag.

She has a very literal reaction. I was grateful that the dick was not in a box. I was like, “That’s a little bit on the nose.” I probably would not have taken it seriously. But dick in bag is a lot more terrifying. When I read it, I just was like, ‘Holy…holy fork ball!’ The idea that she’s that unhinged and this is how we see it unfold was just terrifying. It was genius. And even in the moment, I still couldn’t quite get over it. You know what I mean? Even as an actor, when I was presented with this at her fate, because the thing about Jane is she looks like the most [innocent girl] with this little face.

I know. I needed to see the aftermath of that jaw dropping moment and so much more of them. We finally get to see Xavier and Teri (Enuka Okuma) together this season, and before they reunite in present day we see their hospital meet cute in Episode 2. In the first episode of your podcast you two recall a far less smooth — but still iconic — start to your romance. [Laugh] So what’s it like watching your husband be so smooth on screen. I was swooning so hard over those scenes. 

You know what? I’m very jealous. [Laughs] Everyone’s like, “Oh are you jealous over the shower scene?” And I’m like, no! I just close my eyes, I don’t get jealous over that. But I get a little jealous when I see a good script and him having a good meet cute, since our meet cute was us as two awkward kids. I don’t want to have terrible back problems and need surgery and maybe go blind! But wouldn’t it have been great to say, “We met in a hospital and he thought I was so gorgeous that he stuck around. He gave me water. And I thought I had lost my eyesight, but I didn’t and it turns out I love him?” [Laughs]

Photo: Disney/Ser Baffo

You mentioned the shower scene from Season 1. How proud was Sterling of the massive response to his posterior shot? [Laughs]

I have a picture when of him after I had my first child. I had a lot of pajamas, and he would put on my pajama pants and walk around because he was so proud of his posterior. He doesn’t have anywhere near what I have, but he has two cute little cups. He’s a little A cup all star back there. And he would just walk around flexing. So he was very proud of the scene. We have to give credit where credit is due. [Laughs]

In Season 1 his most Emmy-worthy scene in my opinion was his goodbye phone call with Terri. I’m not sure if you know, but he credited you for inspiring that performance. He said he imagined what life would be like without you and really leaned into that emotion.

Oh my gosh, I take back everything I said, what a little sweetheart. I did not know that till just now. I was heartbroken for Xavier. I thought he was thinking about Teri. I did not know that, and that’s actually very, very sweet. When I saw the performance, I obviously know that my husband is an incredible actor, but there are moments where even I forget how good. I was crying. It was a beautiful scene. And I agree about the Emmy. It cements for everyone just how incredible he is. 

You and Sterling are incredible actors, do you have dreams of starring in something together again down the line? I’m manifesting a rom-com.

Let’s manifest that together! But that is a therapy type of question. And we have talked about it in therapy, I ain’t gonna lie. Sterling and I have known each other for a very long time, and we have worked together in the past at Stanford and NYU. Our very first job out of NYU we played a couple in a Lamaze class on Guiding Light. I had a big old prosthetic belly, and if you know anything about our history, when we graduated from NYU, we were not speaking. I remember I got the call that I booked it, and she was like, “Congratulations, you got the job! And guess who’s going to be playing the Lamaze instructor? Sterling Brown!” And I went silent. So we’re in this Lamaze class, and he didn’t want to look me in the eye as he told me how much he loved me. It was awful. We were there all day. We didn’t speak. It was a mess. So that is a very loaded question. You’d have to ask him. [Laughs]

Before we go, you’re are about to celebrate your 20th wedding anniversary in March. Congratulations! Any advice you can share about keeping the foundation strong?

The secret is there is no secret. There are going to be stretches of time when you realize you aren’t choosing each other. There are stretches of time where you’re choosing somewhat, or you’re choosing and the other person’s not. It’s like a puzzle. It’s like Jenga. But if you can sit with the fact that it’s messy, and it’s not Paint by Numbers, that’s how you win the day. And the week, and the month, and the year. And then you look back and you’re like, “Wow, we’ve knit it together 20 years of two very different people with very different personalities and our own wants and needs. So again, the secret is there is no secret. 

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

New episodes of Paradise Season 2 premiere Mondays on Hulu.