Tina Fey on Pal Ellie Kemper: She's Just Delightful!

The comedian says the star of her new comedy series is "adorable"

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When it comes to Ellie Kemper, Tina Fey is a big fan.

“She’s just delightful,” Fey tells PEOPLE of the actress who stars in her new Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. “She is so intelligent and energetic and adorable.”

In Kimmy Schmidt (on Netflix now), Kemper plays the eponymous twentysomething woman who starts a new life in New York after escaping a doomsday cult.

“I think she is so likable and warm and skilled that I hope people really enjoy watching her,” says Fey, 44, who created the show with fellow 30 Rock executive producer Robert Carlock.

For Kemper, the opportunity to work with her idol was a dream come true: “I was very excited,” she recalls of her first meeting with the comedian. “She’s Tina Fey!”

Now, with filming in full swing, Kemper, 34, is thrilled about the new role – which includes working with a live rodent.

“It was a showbiz rat, so it was calm,” says Kemper. “It almost felt like a small kitten so it felt doable.”

For more from our exclusive interview with Kemper, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now

• Reporting by CATHERINE KAST