'Lip Sync Battle' Exec. Producer Explains How Amber Tamblyn's Donald Trump Performance Came Together

The executive producer of the Spike series explains the actress' decision to portray the GOP nominee

Photo: Spike TV

In the midst of a heated presidential campaign, Amber Tamblyn‘s impression of Donald Trump (and Hillary Clinton!) is just what we need.

In the upcoming episode of Lip Sync Battle, Tamblyn will battle it out with Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costar America Ferrera in an epic showdown. Though the episode was filmed back in August, the timing couldn’t have been better.

“It just happens to be the election and Amber just happened to have this great take on it – her first song being centered around Hillary and her second song being centered around Trump,” executive producer Casey Patterson tells PEOPLE. “That was 100 percent Amber’s choice. She had it all in her head. That performance came to us fully baked. She pitched it to us top to bottom.”

After the 2005 conversation between Trump and former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush surfaced on Oct. 7, the actress took to social media to write a heartbreaking yet brave personal essay on her experience with sexual assault.

“I need to tell you a story. With the love and support of my husband, I’ve decided I need to share it publicly,” she began in a lengthy Instagram caption alongside a photo of the GOP nominee planting a kiss on Miss Universe 2012 winner Olivia Culpo.

The actress revealed that she was once sexually assaulted by an ex-boyfriend while enjoying a concert in Hollywood with friends.

“I reached out to Amber to be sure that she was still comfortable,” Patterson says of Tamblyn’s performance. “She was completely — she is very pure and matter-of-fact about it. She shot it months ago, it was conceived months ago. None of us had any idea what could’ve unfolded in the following weeks, but we shot it and it was honest. She loved the performance.”

Despite Trump calling out Saturday Night Live‘s most recent depiction of him, Patterson — who describes Tamblyn’s performance as “fair and balanced” — says she is not at at all worried about Trump’s reaction.

“We don’t worry about things like that,” says Patterson. “This was taped months ago. This was not meant for us to weigh into the political waters at this moment in time and be a reflection or reaction to the Access Hollywood tapes. This is something that was shot prior and is airing in the original time slot.”

The exec. producer adds, “We are just producing our show as we always have and always will.”

Tamblyn’s Lip Sync Battle episode debuts Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. ET on Spike.