411mania Interview: Zachary Levi
Posted by Al Norton on 01.08.2010
411's Al Norton sits down for a quick exclusive chat with Chuck's Zachary Levi.
Zachary Levi begins his third season playing the title character in NBC's Chuck this Sunday night at 9 pm with back-to-back episodes before taking over the Mondays at 8 pm timeslot the next night.
Al Norton: How does it feel to go from being a borderline renewal last spring to being brought back early to try and give NBC's line up some spark?
Zachary Levi: It feels great to come back after you think you're going to be dead, absolutely.
Al Norton: How much more training did you have to do for this season with the increased physical demands of the role?
Zachary Levi: I'd love to be able to say I spent countless hours, countless days, countless weeks, countless months training for all of the martial arts but the answer is actually no, I didn't do any of that. I just winged it (laughing).
I didn't know how much fighting I was going to do this season because of how last minute we got renewed. Then I found out there was going to be a lot of fight scenes and other cool things. I am a reasonably athletic guy and I've always been able to pick up things quickly but when it comes to martial arts my biggest concern is always that it looks good and snappy, not "go go gadget arms" all the time. Fortunately we have a great fight coordinator and a great stunt coordinator and I trust them.
Al Norton: Is there another guy on TV who gets to play opposite such a steady stream of talented and beautiful women?
Zachary Levi: I don't know, man. I've been really lucky in that regard, from Yvonne Strahovski to Rachel Bilson to Jordan Brewster to Melinda Clarke to Now Kristin Kreuk…My job doesn't suck (laughing). I run around and do kung fu, get in car chases, blow things up, and kiss hot chicks. That doesn't suck.
Al Norton: Working with Adam Baldwin, how often does My Bodyguard come up in conversation?
Zachary Levi: People talk about My Bodyguard all the time. I've been places with Adam and you'd think people would bring up Full Metal Jacket or Serenity, but it's incredible how many people go to My Bodyguard.
Serenity, though…You go to Comic Con and Firefly is so giant, it is giant. I am not going out on a limb with this when I say that part of the reason we have the following that we have is largely based on Adam Baldwin. Our show falls into that Comic Con genre status and so many of those fans followed Adam from Firefly and I'm really thankful for them. I'm really thankful for our core fan base. When we went to Comic Con our first year we had 2000 people. No one had even seen the show, they just came to see the pilot. Every year we've grown and last year we had the second to largest hall filled, standing room only. Jeffster got up and performed Queen's Fat Bottom Girl. I felt like a Beatle at Shea Stadium.
We feel the love all the time from the fans. Chuck Fest is a big party they are having in LA this weekend for the premiere with hundreds of fans and the whole cast is going to go to share our love. There is a really beautiful, symbiotic relationship we have with them and I think it's really kind of the future of television and entertainment at large. If you can continue a relationship and a communication with your fans you can give them what they want and they can keep you employed, and that's a beautiful relationship.
Al Norton: Obviously the fan base that you have is incredibly passionate but how would you try to sell Chuck to someone who had never watched it before?
Zachary Levi: To everyone who has found our show and stayed with us and supported us, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much it means to everyone from the cast and crew of Chuck. It means the world to us.
For everyone who hasn't seen the show yet, I would highly encourage you to check it out. It's fun, it's adventurous. If you are looking for a straight comedy maybe it's not your thing. If you are looking for straight action show maybe it's not your think. A straight drama, a straight mystery, whatever the case may be, maybe it's not your thing. But if you are looking for a show that's got a little bit of everything – a little action, a little romance, a little drama, a little comedy, a little mystery, some hijinx – we've got a mini movie every week with characters that have heart and relationships that mean something and some really great kick-butt action. And its still tame enough for the whole family to sit down and watch together; its an hour of family entertainment every week.
If that sounds good than Chuck is the show for you. We are a cornucopia of entertainment so check it out.
Al Norton: What's your favorite Subway sandwich?
Zachary Levi: It would be a foot long turkey breast on whole wheat with all the fixin's. You know what I do and would highly recommend to everyone else? Substitute spinach for the lettuce; it makes for a healthier and tastier sandwich, I'm not going to lie.
Al Norton: Is your money any good at a Subway now?
Zachary Levi: Of course I still have to pay. I don't have an endorsement deal, I'm not Jared. Jared walks in and they all kind of bow a little bit before they give him free sandwiches.
Don't miss the special Chuck season premiere event, Sunday at 9 pm and then a new episode Monday at 8 pm, only on NBC
