Creed Bratton’s commitment to his art was on full display on the set of Smiling Friends.
Painting himself fully green for “Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille,” an episode in the adult animated sitcom’s third and final season that brought the show its first Emmy nomination, The Office alum must have hoped to get the paint off by the end of his guest star appearance.
Related Stories
Cancellations and Renewals‘Smiling Friends’ Creators Announce Show Is Ending With Season 3 On Adult Swim: “It Was Our Decision”
NewsEmmy Nominations 2026: The Complete List
Per the show’s co-creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, though, that’s not what happened.
“He was so good and really fun to work with. He was painted green fully all over the body,” Hadel recalls during an appearance for Deadline’s Contenders Television: The Nominees Studio. “He had to go film a movie the next day and apparently still had some green on him. So the green lasted many weeks.”
RELATED: Contenders Television: The Nominees Studio – Deadline’s Complete Coverage
Watch the conversation with Hadel and Cusack here.
The film Bratton was going to shoot, we’ve confirmed, was Primetime, A24’s crime thriller starring Robert Pattinson as To Catch a Predator‘s Chris Hansen, which we scooped in 2024.
Incredibly, the paint hadn’t completely come off even by the time Bratton was done with that project.
Cusack said, “He told our friend, the one that hired him, he said he went to the doctor a month later and they’re just doing a basic checkup. And he’s like, ‘Why is your skin slightly tinged green?’ And he’s like, ‘No, it’s not a health problem. I just painted myself with paint that never comes off, so it’s totally fine.’”
Smiling Friends is an absurdist, mixed-media comedy starring Cusack and Hadel as Pim and Charlie, employees at a company whose job is to help make unhappy people smile.
Bratton painted himself green for a live-action appearance as the father of Mr. Frog, a character Hadel describes as “the dumbest” in the show, which the creators conceived early in the design process on Smiling Friends. Over the course of the show’s Emmy-nominated episode, we follow this supporting character — a “hollowed out” TV star,” in Hadel’s words — from his leap to President and then ruler of the world. The episode then goes as deep as is possible, in the span of just 11 minutes, into what makes Mr. Frog tick.
The intention, Cusack says, was to see what would happen in devoting “a cinematic, prestigious TV episode” to “the stupidest character in all of animation.”
Of the show’s Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program along long-running and beloved series like The Simpsons, Cusack said, “We feel very honored. Obviously, we grew up with all the shows that we’re against and respect them very much. We would’ve never thought in a million years that our little quarter-hour show that we did for Adult Swim would be in this league, so we feel very honored by it and it’s a very nice feeling.”
In the conversation with Deadline, Cusack and Hadel underscored that it’s easy to underestimate the rigors of crafting a 2D animated series, frame by frame, in 2026, putting the ambition of their process in context.
Cat Deeley shows off toned legs in robe on holiday with her children amid rumours she’s ‘dating again’
Cat Deeley enjoyed a relaxing holiday to Canada over the summer break, showing off her toned legs in a comfy robe.
She also included a striking black bear sighting among the pictures from her summer holiday in Canada.
The This Morning presenter captured the animal across a lake while staying at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort with her sons.
Cat’s new pictures offer another rare look at family time with Milo and James. The trio travelled to the Canadian wilderness resort during the school break.
View this post on Instagram
Inside Cat Deeley’s Canada holiday with Milo and James
Cat, 49, and her boys appeared to stay in a wooden cabin during the trip. One photograph showed one of her sons tucking into popcorn, while another featured the resort’s robes and slippers.
The family also made the most of the outdoor activities on offer. Their holiday included canoeing, boating and swimming in the lake.
Away from the water, Cat explored the woodlands in a top, shorts and trainers. She added a baseball cap to shield her head from the sunshine.
The presenter shared more of the area’s wildlife too, including a photograph of a starfish. She also smiled for a selfie with two women who joined the family on the trip.
Cat took the holiday during her summer break from This Morning, which she has presented alongside Ben Shephard since 2024.
Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty’s split
Cat shares Milo, 10, and James, eight, with her former husband Patrick Kielty. Cat and Patrick announced their separation in July 2025 following 12 years of marriage.
The former couple confirmed their decision in a joint statement and made clear that they would remain united as parents to their sons.
Cat and Patrick first met while presenting BBC talent show Fame Academy in 2002. Their friendship later became romantic, and they went public with their relationship in May 2012. They married in Rome that September.
The pair lived in California for around a decade before returning to the UK in 2020. Cat had previously hosted the US competition So You Think You Can Dance before taking over as one of This Morning’s main presenters.
Is Cat Deeley dating again after her marriage split?
Reports about Cat’s romantic future have also emerged since the separation. In May, The Sun claimed that she felt ready to consider dating again.
A source told The Sun: “She is open to dating again, definitely, but it has to feel right.”
The source added that Cat liked the idea of enjoying “a bit of flirting, a bit of fun, without any pressure”.
Read more: Cat Deeley stuns fans in tiny bikini as she enjoys This Morning break
MailOnline subsequently reported that Cat attended Lewis Capaldi’s British Summer Time Hyde Park concert with Charlie Coleman, an executive at Amazon MGM Studios. The pair reportedly laughed together during the event, while Charlie placed a hand on Cat’s shoulder.
No romance between the pair has been confirmed, however.
Cat’s Canada holiday post instead focused on the outdoor experiences she enjoyed with Milo and James during their school break.
So what do you think of this story? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.
Be the first to comment on this article!