“Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin” marks the return of more than one of the film franchise’s original villains with Flula Borg’s Peter Kramer from Das Sound Machine. But it also introduces a new villain named Gisela, who happens to be Peter’s toxic ex. The two are a tremendous musical pairing – and a sensual one at that. But Borg and Jameela Jamil, who plays Gisela, loved what she said.
When we start in the new series, now streaming on Peacock, we learn that Peter is a music manager these days, following the decline of Das Sound Machine. When the group’s beatboxer came down with a condition that rendered his mouth unusable – at least for beatboxing – they attempted to use a literal sound machine. But, when a technical fault in the sound machine results in the singers still stopping, Peter is embarrassed and kicks everyone out, including Gisela.
“We put the ‘ass’ in the aspect of this guy’s culture and personality,” Borg joked with TheWrap. “Unfortunately, he’s been a victim of cancel culture, I guess with the umlaut of ‘cancel culture’ because it happened in Germany. So he’s trying to dig his way out and everybody dislikes him a lot, Including his ex-girlfriend Gisela. So it’s fun to try to play a redemption guy. Usually I play bad guys. Now I play like an ex-bad guy – an FBG. Which is kind of It’s funnier. I enjoy it.”
Of course, when it comes to Gisela, there’s nothing “former” about her evil. In the aftermath of the DSM scandal, Gisela is a rising solo artist, and a ruthless artist at that. She wants nothing more than to destroy her ex. And if that involves distracting him from sex, that’s fine.
Although series showrunner Megan Amram would describe Gisela as “Evil Lady Gaga”, Jamil herself would not go that far.
“That gives him way too much credit,” Jamil said. “Lady Gaga who is she thinking he is. But it falls very short. And that’s what I love about him. I love his illusion. I love his confidence. The fact that she thinks she’s the greatest star on earth, she thinks Everyone is below it. And he is very average and his songs are very bad. And yet here she is thinking she is the best.
Jamil is also a big fan of the fact that, even though Gisela definitely hates Peter now, he’s still very much onboard if she decides she wants to hook up again.
“Gisela is still always trying to bang, you know? She hates him, she doesn’t respect him, but she’s definitely up to smashing,” Jamil joked.
And from the Borg’s point of view, despite Peter’s onscreen struggles, that’s not necessarily such a bad thing. “Helps his self-esteem, suppose. Yes, he is – Peter’s Peter.”
You can watch TheWrap’s full interview with Flula Borg and Jameela Jamil in the video above.
