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Russel Schiller (New Girl)

Russell Schiller
Curse of the Pirate Bride" (2018)
Portrayed byDermot Mulroney
In-universe information
OccupationBusinessman
Family
  • Sarah Schiller (daughter)
  • Unnamed 3-year-old son
Spouses
  • Ouli (ex-wife)
  • Jackie (ex-wife)
  • Jackie (ex-wife)
  • 2 unnamed ex-wives

Russel Schiller is a supporting character in the FOX sitcom New Girl. Portrayed by Dermot Mulroney, he is the main romantic interest of Jessica "Jess" Day in season one. He later reappears in season two and seven, where he offers Jess a job and attempts to win her back on her wedding day. Russell is a wealthy, middle-aged businessman, who appears quite confident and put-together when first introduced. After his relationship with Jess, he is shown to be impulsive romantically, based on his plethora of failed relationships and ex-wives.

Character storyline

Early Life

Although not much is known about Russell's life prior to season one, it is likely that he did not come from a wealthy family. In a conversation with

Nick Miller, he mentions that he had been living off of selling his own blood at Nick's age.[1]
At some point, he began dating Ouli and they married. Together, they had a daughter Sarah, who becomes one of Jess' students at W. R. Hearst Middle School.

Season 1

Russell first appears in episode 17, "

Fancyman, Part 1" where he meets Jess in her classroom. To her, he comes off as patronizing because he wants Sarah to review other schoolwork in place of Jess' creative art time. Jess chastises him for not spending enough time with his daughter, however Russell brushes this off and leaves. When she attempts to rectify the situation with the vice principal, Jess is told apologize to Russell because he is an important donor for the school. Jess later decides that she will not apologize and instead wishes to chastise him again. Her car breaks down while she is driving to his office. Russell witnesses the incident, calls a tow truck, and loans her his car. In the process, he invites her to a cookout that he is hosting the following day. At the party, it becomes apparent that Russell is flirting with Jess. He is kind to Nick, who attended the cookout with her, and even goes so far to give him a sweater because he is Jess' friend. When Jess accidentally soaks the bathroom, herself, and Russell with his bidet
, she confronts him about Sarah and then runs off. She then returns, the two resolve their problems, and Jess agrees to have dinner with him.

Their first date goes well except for an awkward moment at the end, where Russell hugs Jess in a friendly way instead of kissing her. Their second date gets cut short when Russell receives a phone call and leaves in a rush. That night, he comes to Jess' apartment and the two go on a drive. He reveals that the call was from his ex-wife, informing him that Sarah was having an asthma attack and needed her inhaler. He also tells Jess that he didn't kiss her was because he was nervous, as he hadn't been on a date since 1989. The two then share a kiss in his car.

By episode 20, "

Schmidt interrupt by presenting Russell with a prototype of their product idea, Real Apps, a phone attachment that includes various tools. One of these tools accidentally cuts his hand, and the lack of band-aids
in their house causes him to rush home. Although they're both upset, Jess later tells Russell that he must accept her unglamorous lifestyle if they are to continue dating. Russell agrees and the couple reconciles.

In episode 22, "

Tomatoes
", Jess has dinner with Russell and his ex-wife, Ouli. The ex-spouses argue intensely throughout the meal, sharing some sexual tension. This causes Jess to realize that her relationship with Russell lacks passion, and provokes him in an attempt to find it. He becomes agitated and confronts Jess about her behaviour, telling her that passion is overrated. Jess is unsatisfied with this and leaves. When the two meet up again, Russell says that he has already experienced explosive passion with Ouli and now desires a peaceful relationship. However, Jess wants passion and they decide to end the relationship.

Season 2

In episode 21, "

First Date
", Russell and his date, Brandy, run into Jess and Nick in a restaurant. He teases them about finally getting together and mentions that they're at his lucky table. Jess and Nick, who are still unsure of their relationship, state that they're not on a date. After they leave, Russell and Brandy take their table. However, Jess and Nick later decide that they are on a date and request to take back their original table, forcing Russell and company to sit at a small bar table. Before leaving, Russell tells the two that they are "really something" in a condescending tone. They run out of the restaurant to question Russell about it, who believes that Jess and Nick don't understand their relationship. He tells them to write what they are to each other, but decides against revealing the answers.

Season 7

Russell attends Ruth's third birthday party with his 3-year-old son and encounters Jess, who is now in a committed relationship with Nick. Russell, on the other hand, has been married and divorced twice since their last encounter. During their conversation, Jess mentions that she no longer works at Banyon Canyon, a prestigious private school, and Russell offers her a job. Jess doesn't take this seriously and brings up Nick's book tour, to which Russell asks why they aren't engaged yet. He suggests that Nick and her have issues moving forward, causing Jess to lie and say that they are engaged. When Nick comes into the conversation, Jess attempts to cover up the lie. Later on, Russell tries to convince Jess to work at his education-based non-profit, the Schiller Fund. She accepts the job.

After working at the Schiller Fund for some time, Jess feels that she isn't being given real work to do and that she is being excluded by male coworkers due to her gender. She confronts Russell and her colleagues while they are in a divorced father support group meeting, unbeknownst to her. Russell later apologizes for not giving her work due to trust issues from his third wife, Jackie. It also turns out that he has married two Jackie's, who were related.

Prior to her wedding, Russell attempts to comfort Jess while she is high on cannabis, telling her that he had to be high to go through with all of his weddings. He then attempts to convince Jess that Nick is not right for her and confesses his love. Before he reveals what Nick and her wrote about their relationship in "First Date", Nick, Schmidt, and Winston burst through the door and try to fight Russell. However, this is cut short when Aly Nelson goes into labour. Russell offers to take everyone to the hospital. When they arrive, Jess gives her wedding bouquet to Russell and says that his sixth wife is out there, but it isn't her. Tran is secretly hiding in the back of his car, and threateningly tells him to "drive" after Jess leaves.[2]

Personality

Russell is a charming man who is unafraid to voice his opinion. In season one, he is portrayed as a composed individual with a successful business. Nick describes him as 'smelling like strong coffee' and 'going to see a man about a horse' after their first meeting.[3] As the season goes on, he is shown to have a more carefree side during the True American game in "Normal". Furthermore, his heated interactions with Ouli illustrate the stubborn and intense aspects of his personality.

After him and Jess break-up, Russell becomes somewhat of a

womanizer
. He marries and divorces many women, most of them being impulse marriages. He can also be patronizing, as evidenced by his treatment of Jess during their first meeting and his behaviour towards Jess and Nick as a couple. However, Russell is has a kind side and is willing to offer help when needed. This is shown when he lends Jess his car, gives his sweater to Nick, offers Winston advice, and drives everyone to the hospital during Aly's labour, despite his fight with Nick over Jess.

Relationships

Jessica Day

Jess is the teacher of Russell's daughter, Sarah, while she works at W. R. Hearst Middle School. The pair seem to dislike each other at first, but Russell quickly falls for Jess' quirky yet endearing personality. She reciprocates, and they begin dating. Their relationship begins well, going on lavish dates and attending events together. He is often referred to as her 'fancyman'.[4][5] She soon realizes that they're lacking intensity and encourages Russell to be more passionate. Unfortunately, Russell desires stability so the two end their relationship amicably. In later seasons, Russell is bothered by Jess and Nick's relationship but remains friendly to everyone. He offers Jess a job at his non-profit, and becomes her boss in season seven. However, he never truly moves on from her as evidenced by his love confession on her wedding day.

Ouli

Ouli is Russell's ex-wife, with whom he has a daughter. They have few interactions in the series, but it is clear that they strongly dislike each other due to marriage problems. During the dinner with Jess, Russell and Ouli fight fiercely over past issues, sharing moments of sexual tension. Ouli talks to Jess about her and Russell's relationship, describing it as "roller-coaster".[6]

Sarah Schiller

Sarah is Russell's daughter with Ouli. He doesn't spend very much time with her because he is busy with work. In season one, he tells Jess that he doesn't know how to talk to Sarah and "can't remember the last time she hugged me [Russell] using both arms".[7]

Nick Miller

Nick Miller is Jess' roommate and has a complicated relationship with Russell. In season one, Nick admires him because he has a successful business and lives an affluent lifestyle, even going so far as saying that he is in love with Russell.[8] This is the complete opposite of Nick, who at the time is struggling with what he wants to do in life. When Russell stays at the apartment, Nick attempts to impress him by welcoming him with a fancy cheese plate. He constantly talks about Russell in positive way and wishes to be more like him. Although Nick himself becomes a successful writer in later seasons, he still looks up to him. During their fight over Jess, Nick talks about how handsome and physically strong Russell is, showing that his admiration still exists.

Appearances

Season 1

  • "
    Fancyman, Part 1
    "
  • "
    Fancyman, Part 2
    "
  • "
    Normal
    "
  • "
    Tomatoes
    "

Season 2

  • "
    First Date
    "

Season 3

  • "
    About Three Years Later
    "
  • "
    Tuesday Meeting
    "
  • "
    The Curse of the Pirate Bride
    "
  1. ^ "Fancyman, Part 1". New Girl. Season 1. Episode 17. Event occurs at 14m56s: "When I was your age, I had a really skinny ponytail and I think I was living off of selling my own blood". Fox
  2. ^ "Fancyman, Part 1". New Girl. Season 7. Episode 7. Event occurs at 16m28s: "Drive". Fox
  3. ^ "Fancyman, Part 1". New Girl. Season 1. Episode 17. Event occurs at 17m41s: "He smells like strong coffee and going to see a man about a horse." Fox.
  4. ^ "Fancyman, Part 1". New Girl. Season 1. Episode 17. Event occurs at 7m3s: "Yeah, so march into his office and say, Hey, Mr. Fancyman, you can't tell me what to do". Fox
  5. ^ "About Three Years Later". New Girl. Season 7. Episode 1. Event occurs at 4m40s: "My former Russell, my Fancyman?". Fox
  6. ^ "Tomatoes". New Girl. Season 1. Episode 22. Event occurs at 9m39s: "He's a roller-coaster". Fox.
  7. ^ "Fancyman, Part 1". New Girl. Season 1. Episode 17. Event occurs at 20m13s: "I don't even know how to talk to my own kid. I can't remember the last time she hugged me using both arms". Fox.
  8. ^ "Fancyman, Part 1". New Girl. Season 1. Episode 17. Event occurs at 17m43s: "Look, this may complicate things, but I'm in love with him." Fox.
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