Zachary Levi Talks About His Geeky Side
Posted by taylor blue on December 23, 2009
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Zachary Levi hits the big screen today in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. My kids were bugging me to go see it..and I would have if I wasn’t so sick today. And why not. Zach is in it. And since Zach plays a geek in the movie and in the TV show, Chuck he has to learn to embrace it. In one of my favorite interviews with Parade he talks about how he embraces his inner geek. Here are the highlights:
On exploring his inner geek: “I know that kind of awkward guy is in me. That’s what I draw upon for Chuck and that’s what I drew upon for Toby, who is definitely even more of a nerd. I was kind of Toby in junior high school which was a rough patch of life for me. By high school I was okay, even though I had some spotty times. But, it was never as bad for me as it is for Toby in the movie. He’s getting the worst of the worst.”
On relating to his co-stars, talking chipmunks: “There really is no way of preparing to work with talking chipmunks. You can’t find chipmunks at pet stores. How many domesticated chipmunks are there? You have to be inventive. I just went into the woods in the buff, living off nature, eating nothing but twigs and nuts and various berries that I could find. I became one with the animal kingdom and of course, chipmunks — none of whom ever talked to me.”
On talking to the imaginary chipmunks: “They’re never there on the set. Instead of chipmunks in my scenes, I was looking at a tennis ball on a stick. The little critters are added later with CGI. You’re working with thin air, which is what it’s like for me before I go out on audition and I’m just, like, running lines with myself in a mirror. So it’s not a totally alien concept, I suppose. Occasionally, you have to work with actors that don’t really give you all that much either, so I guess it’s kind of similar in that way too.”
On where the show is going: “The idea is that, God willing, if we get to go seven years or however long NBC will have us, Chuck becomes basically like Jason Bourne. Well, sort of like him. He has all that in him. It just needs to be brought out of him as he finds his footing in this new espionage world. It’s got to be a slow burn. Chuck can’t get there too quick, otherwise you’ve got nowhere to go.”
I NEED an interview with Zach, there is so many things I could ask him!
[Image by Roger Wong/INFphoto.com]
Tags: Alvin And The Chipmunks, Chuck, Geek, Movies, The Squeakquel, TV Shows, Where Chuck Is Headed, Working With Imaginary Chipmunks, Zachary Levi
Filed Under: Movies, TV Shows, Zachary Levi
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