'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' stars love the show as much as Kimmy loves everything

The new trailers for Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt urge us to "make the world a Kimmier place." Fans of the show know what that means: A Kimmier world is brighter, funnier, more colorful, full of love and cheer.

So of course the show's official Season 2 premiere was as Kimmy as it gets.

"I think that’s what’s great about the show. At its heart, it’s a very optimistic show," lead actress Ellie Kemper told Mashable at the event, held Wednesday night in New York City.

"It’s not cynical. I think the world is so jaded right now, and a lot of shows are cynical, and this is both visually and metaphorically bright." 

"Maybe it is more fun to play and watch [difficult characters] -- Seinfeld was like that. Those were like four terrible people as main characters," said Lauren Adams, who plays Kimmy's bunker mate Gretchen. "I think that maybe there are little parts of all of us that feel like we recognize that.

"But then you have someone like Kimmy, who’s the exact opposite of that, and I think that’s why people really like the show. It’s fun to see someone who’s so positive all the time."

From main characters to guest stars, the cast members were constant in their praise of executive producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock.

"There’s a definite specificity and rhythm to their comedy that I don’t think anybody else has," said actor Mike Carlsen, who plays construction worker Mikey (a bigger character in Kimmy's second season) and previously appeared in an episode of 30 Rock. "And there’s also a brightness and a smartness to their comedy that in my opinion nobody else can really touch right now."

"You have to see characters' flaws, I think, to be able to get jokes out of it," Fey said of her many bizarre and dysfunctional characters.

"But I think these characters are actually pretty friendly and likable, not really antiheroes so much as...they’re heroes, guys. They’re the real heroes."

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Apart from the show's own cast and executive producers, its premiere attracted Season 2 guest stars (Anna Camp, Zosia Mamet) and a robust contingent of actors from another kind-of-popular Netflix show.

"All of us are fans of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," said Adrienne Moore, who plays Black Cindy on Orange is the New Black. "And I am a personal huge fan of Titus." Many OITNB cast members recently joined together for a parody of Titus Andromedon's "Peeno Noir," entitled "Honey Jar."

"There were a couple people that had no idea what it was," said her cast mate Lea DeLaria. "And I was like 'Okay, sit down, you...'Peeno Noir' is like the best thing that's ever existed on the planet. I had to f*ckin rewatch it like a thousand times. 'I'm sorry I have to watch that again.' My fiancee was like 'Again??'"

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The carpet also featured at least one actor playing a mysterious new character.

"I think people would be surprised. My character pushes the envelope a little bit," said Chris Northrop, who plays someone "new to the neighborhood" in four episodes. Kimmy Schmidt lets its actors play with the absurd from time to time, but Northrop's character was entirely out there. "I don't do anything my character does in real life."

Silly as it can get, though, Carlsen believes that the real appeal of Kimmy is its heart.

"In my opinion, we’re entering into this very narcissistic phase in our evolution as people," he said. "Because of that and because of all the social media I think that people are looking for the negatives in people for some reason -- what’s wrong with people as opposed to what’s right and what’s in people’s hearts. And I think that Tina and Robert do that amazingly. It’s just about heart and living in this world."

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