'New Girl': Jake Johnson teases post-Super Bowl episode -- FIRST LOOK

After the pigskin comes the purple velvet.

As we previously reported, Prince is hosting a shindig Sunday night, and the New Girl gang is (mostly) invited! Jake Johnson, who plays Nick, talked with EW about the Artist Once Again Known As Prince, promising he will play a central role in another step forward for live-in lovahs Nick and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) — and that’s before the guest headliner performs a new original song to close out the episode.

Meanwhile, L.A. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and Victoria’s Secret models Alessandra Ambrosio and Ana Beatriz Barros also show up for a house party that leaves any bash from 1999 in its dust. Let’s go crazy, shall we? Click through for your exclusive First Look at the loftmates’ epic evening.

The night begins when Jess and Cece (Hannah Simone) score invites to The Purple One’s mansion. As you can see above, when Nick and his buddies decide to crash, it doesn’t work out so well. Previews Johnson, “Nick gets drunk — I went Method on that one — because the party’s a bust. Then he sees the models, but he’s all focused on Jess so he’s just really rude to the models.”

Likewise, Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) and Winston (Lamorne Morris) have a rough go of it with the pretty ladies:

As an admitted heartthrob and professional handsome man, Johnson said he felt an immediate kinship with Ambrosio and Barros: “Supermodels, we like to work together. There’s a shorthand that we all have — what it’s like to be on set, how we like to be treated. I’m not going to say that we’re different from everybody else, but we’re different than everybody else. We’re supermodels.” Johnson continued, “So when they signed up to do the show, they figured it was going to be them and Nick on the beach [improv-ing]. When they showed up and had to stare at Damon Wayans Jr.’s ugly face and [deal with] Lamorne Morris’ weird vibe… you know, I think the disappointment, they couldn’t hide. And that’s what you see in those photos.”

Rest assured, the boys of New Girl had a much friendlier (and Blue Steel-ier) rapport with Ambrosio and Barros behind the scenes:

There was absolutely no disappointment on Johnson’s behalf about working with Prince, though. “Prince is a national treasure. To be able to work with [him], you just count your blessings,” he says. “He’s genuinely a talented dude apart from the singing. He gets it. His aesthetic is cool. His jokes are cool. Everything about him is cool. I’m a humongous fan, so it was a real honor.”

In fact, Johnson got to work as Prince for a bit during filming. One flashback shows Nick and Winston back in high school, decked out in Purple Rain-era duds. Says Johnson, “That’s Nick Miller at his absolute sexiest — you’ve got a [ruffly] collared shirt, you’ve got braces, you’ve got a little bit of a perm that wraps around behind the ears. The man obviously knows sexiness, and he’s not afraid to show it.”

Back to the party, while the guys occupy themselves with leggy blondes, Jess finds herself clasping hands with the man who has one of the world’s most famous arms:

Johnson was mum about this cozy moment between Jess and MLB superstar Kershaw, but he did give a few details about how the events of the night could set the stage for a major next step for Nick and Jess. No promises, Newbies, but there’s a great likelihood those three little words could come tumbling out of one or both of their mouths. And, Johnson assures, “Prince is a big part of” the new couple’s building momentum.

What’s that? You want one more tease? Okay then! Apparently Schmidt is shilling for a fragrance. What are the odds it’s called Danger?

You’ll have to tune in to find out. New Girl‘s next episode airs Sunday night on Fox directly after Super Bowl XLVIII.