Ego Nwodim Says 'Incredible' Stephen Curry Came to “Mr. Throwback” Set 'Prepared and Off Book': A 'Class Act' (Exclusive)

The 'Saturday Night Live' star also tells PEOPLE that fans of the NBA legend will "be surprised at how fun and funny" he is on their new Peacock series

• Ego Nwodim stars in the new Peacock mockumentary series, Mr. Throwback, alongside Stephen "Steph" Curry and Adam Pally.

• Though Nwodim had previously worked with Curry on an ESPYs sketch, she tells PEOPLE that she was majorly impressed with the athlete's work ethic and preparation for the series, which premieres Aug. 8.

• Nwodim also opens up about working with Pally, who she says made it his mission to get her to break character while filming, and the bond all three stars developed on set.
  

Ego Nwodim is impressed by Stephen "Steph" Curry's work ethic — and soon enough, fans who tune into their new Peacock mockumentary series, Mr. Throwback, will get to see it in action in an all-new light.

Before becoming castmates on the new series, premiering on Thursday, Aug. 8, the Saturday Night Live star tells PEOPLE exclusively about how she "had done a sketch with Steph Curry for the ESPYs when he hosted two years ago," and that was "when we first met."

But as he arrived on the set of Mr. Throwback, Nwodim admits, "I didn't know what to expect."

"One sketch is very different. Tonally, that sketch and that bit we did for the ESPYs, absolutely, it was just not the same," the comedian, 36, explains. "But he came to set and he was incredible. He was prepared and off-book. And I say that in an audition, the best way to own a character and own your audition piece and own that space and time to perform is to come and be fully prepared because then ... you feel it all in your bones."

Related: Stephen Curry Makes His Scripted TV Debut with Mr. Throwback — Watch the Trailer

"It's in your bones, you can trust it's there, and it just gives you free rein to play a little bit where it's not going to throw you off if there's some playfulness and improvising," she continues. "So he came off-book and I was like, 'Oh damn, Steph.' He's training for the Olympics and is off-book. And I'm like, 'S---, I'm not off-book. I got to step it up.' Steph made me want to step my game up."

Further praising the 36-year-old Golden State Warriors point guard, Nwodim notes how "phenomenal" he was.

"He could hang with the improv and I asked him who his acting coach was. I was like, 'Do you have a coach?' And he was like, 'My kids,'" she recalls. "So they did a great job coaching their dad, I will say. They should be very proud of their work."

The Scrambled actress adds, "He came and he was a class act. It was incredible to see him. And so I do think fans ... they shouldn't be [surprised] because he's great at everything, but I do think they'll be surprised at how fun and funny and good at acting he is."

Mr. Throwback sees Curry playing a fictionalized version of himself as he reconciles with Danny (Adam Pally), his basketball teammate from his middle school days who now works as a memorabilia salesman.

In the series, Nwodim plays Kimberly, the CEO of Curry's company, Curry Up and Wait Productions. The actress says her character was inspired by two people connected to the athlete, himself.

"[It's] a mix between Erik Peyton and Tiffany Williams, who run Steph's company. It's largely Tiffany because ultimately, at the end of the day, everyone was like, 'Okay, Kimberly is Tiffany,'" she says. "Both of these people are bosses, badasses, carrying their own weight in a male-dominated space, making sure that all the plates are spinning appropriately in Steph Curry's world while dressed to the nines."

"I hadn't met Tiffany until I was randomly in a conference when I had some off time from shooting. So we shot some, took a little break and then picked back up. And then in that off time, randomly, unplanned, met Tiffany at Ojai at a conference. And I'm like, I go, 'Am I you? I'm you,'" she continues. "I feel like I understand who Kimberly is really, and I feel like in some ways I am like Kimberly."

Getting to work on the series also presented Nwodim with the opportunity to team up with Pally, whose comedic chops proved to be a standout on beloved sitcoms like Happy Endings and The Mindy Project. And according to Nwodim, the 36-year-old actor made it his mission to get her to break character while filming.

"Adam was like, 'I am going to get you to break.' And he ultimately did," she says, noting that he was "leaning into" a particularly hysterical moment that's set to unfold later during the show's debut season.

"I do think I broke. Or, as soon as we called cut, I broke. But there was a lot of that happening. As soon as the director would call cut, we would all erupt in laughter if we hadn't already started while cameras were rolling," she adds. "There was so much play behind the scenes and so much laughter in between takes. It was such a joyous experience. Such good vibes, such good energy throughout the entire shoot."

Related: NBA Stars Got a Moment to Shine at an Olympics Party in Paris Last Night — See the Photos!

As an added perk, Nwodim says she was able to develop a close bond with both Curry and Pally — who also serve as some of the show's executive producers — throughout their time working on the series.

"We felt like a real friend group," she concludes. "I don't know if it's because we're all Pisces who were born within days of each other ... but we just got along so instantaneously."

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Mr. Throwback premieres Thursday, Aug. 8 on Peacock.

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