David Fynn – Undateable

By starrymag | October 23, 2015

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I have been doind a lot of writing and I’ve got some meetings coming up about those projects quite soon. Of course, I have “Undateable.” I shot a movie during the hiatus, which is coming out in the next couple of months as well. It’s the first lead I’ve had in a movie called Married Young. It has Gary Cole, Max Beesley and Vanessa Lengies.

Q) Where do things pick up this season on “Undateable?”

A) Things pick up where Justin (Brent Morin) and Candace (Bridgit Mendler) left off at last season. That is kind of starting to get in the way of Danny (Chris D’Elia) and Justin’s friendship a little. I think Danny is secretly jealous, deep down. It’s no longer the bromance anymore. It’s an actual romance. As far as the rest of us, my character is hooking up with some dudes. It’s just kind of more of the same for the other guys. I think with the live aspect it is a lot of new things coming into play for the characters. We are kind of breaking the fourth wall a little bit and connecting with the audience more visually. We’re kind of really trying to connect with the audience by social media as well. Rick [Glassman] and I both Periscope’d live in the scene the other night. There is all kinds of unprofessionalism and we’re actually encouraged to do it. It’s a great way to bring people to the show. I did a Periscope the other day and a few people said they didn’t know about “Undateable” and this brought them to the show. So, it’s definitely a great way of reaching new viewers.

Q) What your were your first thoughts when you were told each week the show would be live?

A) The finale of last season was so fun and it felt like such a big event because it was our first live show. I thought it could only be a fun thing. It puts more pressure on us, but I think it is a cast that thrives on pressure because the four other boys are standups. I’ve done a lot of theater, Bridgit is a performer and Bianca [Kajlich] has done a bit of theater as well. So, it’s definitely a cast where we probably are going to mess up, but then we’re probably the cast that would be best at getting it back on track. Everyone is used to handling live situations so I think it can only be a good thing. It sets us apart from other shows as well. We’re the first live sitcom since the last 25 years. So, it’s nice to kind of be trailblazing in a way, to be doing something new. There is no blueprint for the format so we are finding it as we go. It’sa real journey of us and the writers because I think we are still figuring it out as we go. We’re not sure if we are doing one show every week or two. We try to accommodate the band and the guest leads. We’re still trying to figure out the format.

Q) As for Brett’s love interests this season, who are some of the types of guys we’ll be meeting?

A) We only see one script in advance so we don’t know where the season is going to go. He’s already mentioned hooking up with guys, but I think that might be a nice area to get some nice guests in. Not that we are aiming to high, but I think Zac Efron might be cool. I have been described as a “fat Zac Efron” so I think that might be a fun way to go. I’ve been described as a “fast Zac Efron” and a “fat Colin Farrell.” They both have strong faces. We don’t see too far in advance, but I’m sure there will be something fun.

Q) Who would you love to see guest star on the show?

A) Bill Murray would be a dream. I think Bill Murray and The Rock. I think The Rock would be amazing.

Q) Who would they play?

A) Bill would have to play someone’s dad. The only dad we have met is Justin’s. So, I think he would be good at being Rick or Chris and Bianca’s dad. I don’t know who The Rock would play. Maybe he could play a DJ in the bar.

Q) Who was one of your favorite guest stars on the show?

A) Having Ed Sheeran was amazing and I think it was a master stroke of genius to have him in the scenes. It ended up with a bit of improv and kissing Brett on the mouth, which is nice.

Q) What have been some of your favorite moments from the live shows?

A) For me, the best one so far was the Scott Foley thing. On the East Coast version, there was a bit where Bianca kissed Scott, but didn’t tell anyone she was going to do it. So, she kissed Scott and then Scott did this amazing ad lib just loud enough to be heard where he went, “I like her. I like her a lot.” I just absolutely lost my shit. I had to walk out of the shot because I was laughing too much. I had to go hide behind the bar. I’m never the one to break and I was like, “Oh, it’s the first one of the season and I’m the first one to go!” That, for me, was my favorite moment. Kodaline were amazing! They are such an amazing band and they played for us in the second episode. It was great having those guys there and being five feet away when they played because I’ve been a fan of theirs for a while now. And they are from my homeland, Ireland. It was great to see them live.

Q) Are there any rules to your live performances?

A) Bill Lawrence has always said that if we laugh don’t try and stifle it because friends standing around and laughing at each other is a real thing. The characters make these jokes about each other and they make fun of each other. It’d be weird if no one laughed or responded. So, he’s always said to go with it. Then, obviously, it goes a little too far (like what I did with Scott). I think in those moments you just have to get a grip or get out of the shot. The only real rule is don’t curse because we get huge fines if we curse. So, that’s the only rule really. Usually, we are used to get three or four takes and your instinct is to swear. Now, we just can’t do that. If we do, it’s a lot of money. Occasionally, we run over or under and Bill will stand in our eye line and make a gesture to either stretch it out or cut it short. There was a moment where Chris had to pretend he was crying and Bill had to tell him to stretch it because we were twenty seconds short. So, Chris had to do this long crying moment to make the episode meet the time because otherwise the commercials come in too soon and there is going to be dead air. But it all tied into the fun, pressure and adrenaline of the live show.

Q) What has the response been to your character from gay community?

A) The feedback has been amazing, really overwhelming. I’ve had such a nice response from the gay community. Someone sent me a message on Twitter or Instagram that said, “Your representation of a gay character is the best I’ve ever seen and as a gay man I’m really proud and happy to see you on TV.” When you get things like that, you forget it is important and you have to treat it with such respect because it is such a privilege to represent the gay community. Not being a gay guy, how I wanted to approach it was to not let that be his defining characteristic. In the 80’s and 90’s it was like, “Oh, he’s the gay guy.” I don’t think it is about that. He’s a human being with thoughts and feelings. It’s kind of more about how he fits into this group of friends and his insecurities as a person – not just a gay man. I think if that is his defining characteristic, it is the thing we’ve seen a million times before. I think it is kind of playing the humanity of it as opposed to playing his sexuality that is the key. The gay community has been so lovely. There is actually a list on IMDB of gay characters on TV and I made the list. So, I think I am officially in the club.

Q) Is there anything else you want us to be sure we share with fans?

A) We have some amazing collaborations coming out that we haven’t announced yet. The Danny phone – we released a phone number on air. We have the phone on set all day, every day during rehearsals so if anyone wants to text the cast we are sending pictures and messages from the cast to fans. Also, they can hit us up on Twitter and Instragram. There is an” Undateable” Periscope every day at 4:30pm. You can hit us up if you want to give us your thoughts and feedback on the show.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of your work and the show?

A) Thank you very much! You are the reason we’re on Season 3. Keep telling friends and family so they can keep us on the air!