The boys are left alone this week after their wives decide to take a Napa Valley wine-tasting holiday. Dave (Max Greenfield) invites Calvin (Cedric the Entertainer) to a hockey game, and Calvin is ashamed to admit he liked it more than he thought he would. Calvin’s sons, Marty (Marcel Spears) and Malcolm (Sheaun McKinney), wonder if their neighbor is rubbing off too much on their dad. The episode gives stars Greenfield and Cedric a chance to show off their moves in a surprise dance sequence.
Greenfield, 39, spoke to The Post about his second season on the popular CBS comedy and his upcoming film, “Promising Young Woman.”
Calvin is worried about Dave’s “Daveness” rubbing off on him. How would you describe Dave’s “Daveness”?
God almighty. I like that Dave is so unapologetic about who he is and unaware that anyone would have an opinion about who he is. It’s all a discovery for him. It’s an awakening to him that Calvin is upset that they’re becoming friends. I think Ca⭕lvin is fe𒅌eling he’s vulnerable, that maybe he’s changing.
Dave goes out of his way to win Calvin’s approval. Why is it so important to him?
Dave and his wife (Beth Behrs) just moved here. He doesn’t have to be friends. This goes back to the pilot. They share a f⛄ence. Because of that circumstance, they need each other. Dave really likes Calvin and has gotten enough out of him that he really believes there’s a true bond. He thinks he’s🌞 entitled to this friendship. He has enough evidence on his end to believe not only that they’re friends but very close friends.
The episode features a rare dance sequence with you and Cedric. Who choreographed your moves?
I’ve been pushing for more dance on the show. We had a great guy come in, Christopher Moss. He was wonderful. Cedric used to be in a dance crew when he was in college. I knew he was going to be fine with it. I needed some real help. I get very nervous with choreography because it’s its own language. We had to do a couple on “New Girl.” And that was the joke, that none of the other characters could dance, but [my character] Schmidt is really good. I was tasked with having to learn these dances to perfection. This one went well.
What can you tell us about your new movie, “Promising Young Woman”?
It was directed by Emerald Fennell, who wrote the Season 2 episodes of “Killing Eve.” I play a very small role. It’s hard to make a movie that you feel like we haven’t seen this before. I think “Parasite” did that this year. I think “Promising Young Woman” will do the same thing. It’s a really shocking, thrilling movie told through a comedic lens. I think it comes out in April.
You did a surprising dramatic turn in “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” You were unrecognizable as Ronnie, that drifter who befriends Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss). How did that come about?
Ryan Murphy — he’s the king. We had done “[American] Horror Story” before. We bumped into each other, and he showed me the role. I don’t think either one of us knew I could do it. So I put myself on tape and said, “If I was going to do it, this is what it would look like.” A couple of weeks later, we were in Miami — filming. It was so beautiful and [such a] personal [series] coming off of “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” which had this Hollywood element to it. I was so happy to be part of it.
“The Neighborhood” airs at 8 p.m. Monday on