QQ) What are the current projects that you are working on?
A) There are a couple projects that I have begun to start developing. There is a Shakespeare project that I am working on myself. There is an independent film that I am working on that films in Brooklyn.
Q) What made you want to be a part of the show "King of Queens?"
A) I moved out to California and I did what most actors do, I just started going on auditions. I auditioned for "King of Queens." It was going to probably be my first opportunity to work on prime time television as a regular. I had no idea it was going to be such a wonderful show. I was just happy to have gotten work. Shortly there after, we realized we had a nice show.
Q) What is new this season with the show and your character?
A) There is not much new going on. I think part of the reason why the show goes so well is that there is a very blue collar bunch of people. It deals with, sort of, very basic issues of the normal high jinx that goes on in married life and such. In my case, it is the friendship between my character and Doug Heffernan. The strength of the show has been any silly little trouble that Doug gets into. I think we're going to continue in that direction where Doug lies to his wife about something, gets in trouble and spends a half hour trying to get out of it.
Q) What about your role challenges you?
A) Probably what is challenging about my character is the fact he is a pretty sort of even keeled down to Earth guy. There is always a desire or a tendency to want to play the really glamorous stars, the handsome leading man or the super hero, whoever it might be. To play the every man, the every day guy, the challenge in that is keeping it simple. I think it is just hard to do that and keep it simple. I think it's the biggest challenge, but I think I've done well with that.
Q) Does comedic timing come natural or is it something that you work at?
A) I would say that it is something that, I guess, comes easy. I always thought that I would do well in the world of one hour dramas. I would have never imagined I would be on a sitcom as a regular cast member, let alone be on it for nine seasons. I wish I could sit here and lie to you and say it is something that comes naturally to me or that it is something that I work very hard at. I think that it just so happened to be the right show for the right actor. The show sensibilities are not very different from my own sensibilities. It just turned out to be a perfect match more than anything else.
Q) What is it like working with Kevin James and Leah Remini?
A) I think it's great! They both have their area of expertise. Kevin has spent a lot of years as a standup comedian so it is great to observe his process and see. He has a very strong knack of knowing right away what is going to work story wise, what is not going to work story wise, what's going to be funny and what's not going to be funny. I think a lot of that has to do with his background as a standup comedian. It is just sort of great to observe that aspect of him because I've never worked with a standup comedian before. It is great with Leah because she's been at it for a while. She started out very young, as a teenager, doing shows so she is sort of like the seasoned veteran (her and Jerry Stiller) to this business. It is great to watch her professionalism and how she handles herself, in terms of being prepared and ready to go. If anything, I think she is the most natural on the show. It just really comes easy to her or she makes it look very easy.
Q) What is your most memorable moment from filming?
A) It's been nine years so I don't know if I can find the most memorable one. We did an episode called "Inner Tube" and it was great! We did a flashback where we got to play characters from old shows. We did a flashback to "The Honeymooner's" and Brian's Song. We did a flashback to an older episode of "The Young and the Restless" and of "Wheel of Fortune." It was sort of this dream sequence with all of these shows and we got to play these different characters on soap operas and old classic shows. It was a lot of fun to get to play all of these different roles.
Q) Why does the show continue to draw in so many viewers?
A) I think it's because it is just regular guys. It's just regular guys and regular family people. Leah is a legal secretary who is married to a delivery guy. It is just normal people just trying to live a normal, happy and healthy life. It might not be glamorous or anything, but it is what most people can relate to and aspire to. We all sort of want the simple things.
Q) What do you do in your spare time?
A) Since I moved to California, I have taken up golf. I love to golf. I like to go to movies a lot, actually. I would say primarily movies and golfing.
Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?
A) Thank you so much! It has been nine seasons. It is the type of show that easily could be missed, but somehow we found a following. We jumped around on the schedule. Sometimes we were on Monday, sometimes we were on Wednesday, sometimes we were on at 8 o'clock and sometimes we were on 10 o'clock. Sometimes they would take us off the air for three months and then we'd come back. No matter what, our audience always followed us and always watched us. Without question, our audience has made us a hit. It wasn't shoved down anyone's throat. People found it and they liked the show. I can't thank the viewers enough!
