‘Like a Teenage Boy at My Job’: Hannah Simone Opens Up About Prince’s Guest Role on New Girl

In an unexpected and unforgettable twist, the legendary Prince made a guest appearance on New Girl in 2014, and it turns out his reason for wanting to be on the hit Fox sitcom was nothing short of charming. According to actress Hannah Simone, the iconic musician was smitten with her and was determined to find a way to be in the same room as her.

Simone, who portrayed the fashion model Cece Parekh on the beloved show, recently revealed the behind-the-scenes story on her podcast The Mess Around, where she was joined by New Girl costume designer Debra McGuire. McGuire playfully teased that Prince was drawn to the show because of his crush on Simone, saying, “He wanted to be on the show because he had a crush on our little Hannah.”

Simone, now 44, confirmed McGuire’s claim with a laugh. “Yeah,” she admitted. “He tried for a very long time to find a way to be in the same room together.” However, despite Prince’s clear interest, Simone wasn’t looking for anything more than a musical connection. “Love a Prince song. Happy to put on a Prince record. I was not interested in anything else,” she explained. She never had the chance to interact with Prince outside of their professional work, but when the music legend did finally show up, he was described as being “like a teenage boy” who had just arrived at her workplace.

The standout moment of Prince’s appearance was the playful ping-pong game between Cece and Prince’s character during the episode’s credits. As it turns out, this scene was entirely Prince’s idea. Simone shared that Prince was known for enjoying quality time with people through ping-pong. “Apparently, with people that he really likes to have that quality time with, he liked to play ping-pong,” Simone said. This led to a quirky scene being added to the show, with the production team scrambling to write it into the script.

The ping-pong match wasn’t just a random addition; it was carefully placed at the end of the shoot. “We saved it for the end,” Simone said, explaining that they wanted to make sure Prince wouldn’t leave early after getting his much-needed “quality time” with her. “He’s Prince,” she laughed, acknowledging his legendary status, “So, he could be like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna go now.’”

Filming the ping-pong scene also became a memorable moment for Simone. Despite her exhaustion after a grueling 20-hour day, she was caught off guard when her tired body delivered an unexpected move. “I’m not a good ping-pong player,” Simone admitted. “I was so tired. It had been a 20-something hour day, and I just slammed the shot.” The result? Prince genuinely walked off after the match, adding yet another humorous touch to the already unforgettable day.

Simone’s candid storytelling highlights just how down-to-earth and relatable Prince was, even in the midst of his superstar status. For those who remember the magic of his guest role on New Girl, it’s clear that Prince’s presence on the show was not only legendary but filled with playful moments that made an indelible mark on the series and its cast.