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Bobby Naderi, the 40-year-old actor who plays Detective Bowen in the Prime Video series "The Better Sister," has revealed how the cast got tight off-set last summer by playing padel together, a sport that Jessica Biel suggested the cast take up.
"We played padel on the weekends with the cast, which was very competitive," Naderi says. "No lie? They kicked my butt, but to be fair, I'd never played before."
Kim Dickens, who plays Naderi's (literal) partner-in-crime in the show, previously told PEOPLE that the cast's padel outings were "the best," and that they had Biel to thank for playing.
"Jessica would get us all playing padel together. It was a blast," she said.
Naderi praises Biel, 43, and Elizabeth Banks, 51, as "wonderful actors and people," saying they're both "at the top of their game."
"Jessica is so warm and generous. I loved doing scenes with her. "Elizabeth is hilarious; she'd have me crack up in many scenes, from just a look. Her work is raw and powerful in this."
It was both of them being attached to the project that attracted him to it, he says — along with Dickens, who he calls "my amazing on-screen partner."
"It was a no-brainer," he says. As for what drew him to play Detective Bowen, the softer of the two cops investigating Adam's murder, Naderi says he "connected to his inner world."
"An outsider trying to belong and prove his value to his work, and family, his partner while grappling with his ambition — he was a wonderful arc in the series."
Naderi spent the most time off-set with Maxwell Acee Donovan, he says, who played Ethan, the teenage son of Nicky (Banks) and Adam, who was raised by Chloe (Biel), and who ends up on trial for his father's murder.
"[He] is so good in the series," Naderi says of the 20-year-old actor. "Such a mature performance." Together, they "explored the city a bunch," he says. "Summer in New York is pure magic."
Naderi, who just starred alongside Jason Statham in "The Beekeeper," spent a few years dreaming of the NBA, but he knew from the "first time" he stepped onto a stage that acting was his path.
"There was a natural high that was instant," he recalls. "It made me extremely present and focused."
His first feature film, 2007's "Phantom Love," which premiered at Sundance, sealed the deal. "[It] introduced me to the indie film scene, sparking a deep love for storytelling. As an only child, being part of a huge collective was enthralling for me. The idea of sharing our stories connects us as a whole, evoking empathy. For me, that was magic."
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The Better Sister is now streaming on Prime Video.