The stars of Netflix murder mystery series The Residence have opened up about working with pop icon Kylie Minogue, who has a supporting role as herself in the madcap comedy-drama.

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The story follows detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) and her FBI partner Edwin Park (Randall Park) as they investigate the murder of White House chief usher AB Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito).

The death has a large number of suspects, taking place on the same night as a diplomatic dinner attended by the president, his family, plus senior aides and delegates from Australia (including Kylie, naturally).

Minogue plays an exaggerated version of herself for the series, performing for dinner guests before getting dragged into the sensitive investigation as a potential suspect.

Although she hasn't sold quite as many records in the US as she has in the UK, The Residence co-star Park assured RadioTimes.com that "she's a legend over here as well" as he recalled meeting her on set.

"It was surreal seeing her in person because you’ve known her for so long in her music," he explained. "And she’s so amazing and so talented as an actor, which I didn’t know, and just a great person."

Co-star Ken Marino shared that he already knew "some of her music" prior to their meeting, but was introduced to recent hit Padam Padam during filming on The Residence as she won a Grammy for the track partway through production.

(L-R) Isiah Whitlock Jr, Dan Perrault, Spencer Garrett, Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, Andrew Friedman, Ken Marino and Molly Griggs in The Residence gathered together looking shocked
(L-R) Isiah Whitlock Jr, Dan Perrault, Spencer Garrett, Uzo Aduba, Randall Park, Andrew Friedman, Ken Marino and Molly Griggs in The Residence. Erin Simkin/Netflix

"There were people on set who were definitely starstruck when she showed up," continued Marino. "And she couldn't have been a cooler, nicer, [more] down-to-earth person. And she's really good in the show itself, so it was exciting."

Padam Padam was a breakout hit from Kylie's 16th studio album, Tension, reaching number eight on the UK singles chart and earning praise from critics. However, likely due to its recency at the time of filming, it is not actually performed in The Residence.

The series comes from prolific producer Shonda Rhimes (Bridgerton, Grey's Anatomy) and also features Jason Lee (Alvin & The Chipmunks), Isiah Whitlock Jr (The Wire), Mary Wiseman (Star Trek: Discovery) and real-life former senator Al Franken, among others.

The Residence is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday 20th March 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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Authors

David Craig
David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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