'Happy Endings' star Elisha Cuthbert considers hanging up her invisible hula hoop

"Happy Endings," ABC's surprise midseason charmer, returns for Season 2 on Wednesday, Sept. 28, after "Modern Family."

And this being "The Year of Penny," Zap2it sat down with the cast in the character's fancy new apartment set, the scene for much of the premiere.

The first to face our slightly fan-ish inquisition? Elisha Cuthbert.

"There was a little bit more pressure," Cuthbert says of her status as the cast member with the shortest comedy resume. "I think everyone was like, 'OK, is she just going to be the straight man of the group?' That's really not what I wanted. I wanted to come into a comedy and finally show that side of myself."

Her funny side has involved a lot of physical comedy. From drunkenly devouring ribs to hipster dance breaks, Cuthbert's Alex is decidedly not playing it straight. And in the season premiere we find her showing off one of her more impressive skills: wielding the invisible hula hoop.

"I'm trying to tone that down," she says. "I'm sure everyone at home is sick of me doing the hula hoop."

The hoop, which has now made non-appearances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," at improv shows and in the series, actually started off-camera, goofing around with the rest of the cast.

"Shooting [at] night, you're tired, you're exhausted, you start to go a little Cuckoo crazy in the wee hours of the morning," Cuthbert tells us. "Somehow the hula hoop came out, and where it came from... no one knows."  

Check out our full video interview with Cuthbert, where she also tells us about more sisterly storylines to come for Alex and Jane (Eliza Coupe), which cast member she'd like to share more screen time with and working opposite director and guest star Fred Savage. 

Season 2 of "Happy Endings" premieres Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET, and if you're one of the many in need of catching up, the first 13 episodes are now out on DVD.