Interview with Chris on the set of Revenge of the Nerds
Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA – Oct 10, 2006
We were incredibly lucky and had the chance to meet up with Chris on the set of the remake of Revenge of the Nerds in October 2006, when Tina was visiting Deb in Atlanta, GA. He gave us an interview that lasted almost 40 minutes. Here are some more links related to the wonderful day we spent on the set.
….. PART 1 ….. PART 2
The second part of this interview took place about 8 pm, after shooting wrapped for the day. We caught Chris as he left the building and headed away from the set. I asked if he was leaving and he said he was looking for us to ask if we could come back the next day to finish the interview. It would’ve been difficult since Tina was heading home to Germany that day. So we promised to only take a few more minutes of his time, 5 or 10 maybe. Even though his call was for 7 am and he had been given three new pages to learn, he agreed to hang out just a little while longer.
We went back into the building and sat on tables in the hallway. We thought everyone was pretty much gone, but there was a lot of traffic through there as we tried to finish our interview. And we soon learned that we were sitting right beside the men’s room. Ain’t Hollywood glamorous?
Right before we got started, Tina gave Chris a little card that we had made up from the Strong Medicine collage she did. You can see it here.
He got a big kick out of it. I wish the tape had been running. I asked him if he realized how much he had grown up over the course of the show. He looked at the card and said, “No, not really. Wow.” Soon Tina started the tape. I hadn’t really planned to ask about that show but I’m glad it came up.
Deb:
How did that all that work anyway? Because it seemed like you always went back whenever they wanted you and you could.
He tried to hand Tina back the print-out.
Tina:
You can keep that.
Chris:
Oh yeah? That’s great.
Oh yeah? That’s great.
Just then, someone spoke on an intercom and a bunch of people passed through and Chris spoke to them all as they left. And he apologized to us for the interruption, then right back to the question.
Chris:
Um, how did that— Strong Medicine work?
Deb:
Yeah, ’cause with everything you were doing you still came back.
Chris:
Yeah. No, I always worked it out. Those people are like family to me, all those people, so you know eventually, it’s like whatever I was doing, Strong Medicine would call and they’d say, “Look, you know in December, we want to do an episode or two.” And so if I’d ever booked anything else, then we’d say well, he’s busy for these two weeks, but somehow we’d always kinda work it out. There was a few times where we couldn’t, which kinda sucked. And then I kinda disappeared from that show for a while.
Deb:
I wondered if there were any specific shows that you couldn’t do.
Chris:
Yeah, there’s been a few things I haven’t been able to do, unfortunately, but definitely a lot of Strong Medicine episodes I was in.
Deb:
It took us a long time to see that last one.
Chris:
Oh really?
Deb:
Yeah, in fact I just finally caught it about two months ago. And of course everybody went crazy when they saw it. It was like, oh my God, he’s so grown up.
Chris: (Laughs)
Yeah, I hadn’t been on that show in like, a year so it was pretty cool, that episode.
At this point the noise got really annoying so I went about closing all the doors around us to hopefully cut down on the disruptions.
Deb:
I used to work production so I’m not shy about these things.
Chris:
Gotcha. OK, cool. No, can’t be shy in production.
Deb:
Not at all. We want to finish up with the movie questions we have before get into TV a little bit. The thing that I’m really curious about, I got really excited about Calvin Marshall.
Chris:
Yeah.
Deb:
Cause I love baseball.
Chris:
Oh yeah. OK.
Deb:
So I was wondering if you were still committed to that, even though it’s taking a really long time.
Chris:
I am, yeah. I don’t know exactly what’s gonna happen with it, but I am definitely committed to it.
Tina:
We might know more than you do, because we e-mailed with Gary Lundgren.
Chris:
Oh, no way. You met him?
Deb:
Only over e-mail.
Tina:
He said that it might happen early next year.
Chris:
Yeah, that’s what they were saying, is probably early next year. But then again, it depends on you know I think like a couple of other people that are in the movie too, so… Really, God knows. I think that’s the plan, is like maybe February next year or March next year, but I don’t really know.
Deb:
Was that what you kinda gained some weight for?
Chris:
I started to. Yeah, I gained about eighteen pounds, and I was supposed to do that movie, and instead I did Fanboys ’cause that movie fell through, and I had to play the dying kid, so I drank water and didn’t work out for about two and a half months and then lost all the weight again. So I’m looking forward to getting it back, to be completely honest, like somehow I just haven’t had time to go back and get in the gym and I’ve also been really lazy, so I went and did you know like two movies and now this third one in which I was like planning on getting back in the gym, and I started for a couple of weeks, and then I’m like, now you gotta be the biggest nerd in the world. Oh yeah, great, so I stopped working out, right? And it makes my life easier, actually. So now I eat pizza and drink lots of Coca Cola and go to bed late.
Deb:
There you go.
Chris:
Yeah, so— (shrugs)
Deb:
Do you like baseball at all?
Chris:
I do. Yeah, I like baseball. I’ve always been a soccer guy. So I’ve always been huge on soccer. That was my sport as a kid. I played baseball, I played basketball, but I sucked at all of them. Well, except for soccer. Soccer, I was pretty decent at. I’m not as good as I was when I was a kid, but I still can play.
Deb:
Any rooting interest in the World Series this year?
Chris:
Um, I’m not a huge… Nah, you know, I’m always someone who’s like really into it when it starts happening, but like to follow it all… I mean, I don’t even have cable, so I don’t watch any TV. If there’s a game, a really exciting game, I’ll go over to a friend’s house and watch it.
Deb:
It’s gotta be a healthier lifestyle anyway.
I meant not watching a lot of TV. He apparently thought I meant being a sporto.
Chris:
Yeah, maybe, I don’t know. People who are into sports tend to like, you know they’re all athletic and shit. They’re always healthy and they eat well. And I’m like OK, cool. Maybe I should start looking at sports and stop eating Taco Bell.
Deb:
If I could break that habit…
Chris:
Yeah, exactly.
(Laughter)
Deb:
We read online that you might be producing a remake of My Tutor, is that true?
Chris:
Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening anymore, but then again, you know it could be. You know it was something like a while a ago, something you know right after I did Girl Next Door. That was something I was supposed to do, and so they started writing it and I was helping out on it and then… I sorta never heard anything back. So I don’t know if that’s really gonna keep going.
Deb:
That’s weird. The news just came out.
Chris:
Really?
Deb:
Yeah, just a couple of months ago.
Chris:
Really?
Deb:
Mmhm, like it’s a new project.
Chris:
Really?
Deb:
And so we were like, ahhh! And we were wondering if you were gonna play the lead if it had happened.
Chris:
Yeah, it was supposed to be, but then they had a pitch too, that like, you know, the original idea for it was like me and this tutor fall in love, and they changed the idea, and the last time I heard — it could be totally different now, God knows — but the last time I heard, they changed the idea where somebody like Bernie Mack comes in and it becomes like a whole class full of tutors.
We kind of turn our noses up at that stupid idea.
Chris:
Yeah, I know. So it’s like kinda…
Laughter breaks out as he shrugs in agreement and explains.
Chris:
You know, kinda like a rag tag bunch of kids, like Revenge of the Nerds in a sense, where it’s like all these little white kids who Bernie Mack teaches to be cool. And they go up against the jocks and everybody cool in the school, so if that’s the case, I’d produce it, I don’t think I’d be in it, but uh… then again, who knows?
Deb:
We’re gonna turn to TV for a second.
Chris:
Cool.
Deb:
This is about Joan, the season two box set is coming out next month.
Chris:
Oh, it is? Oh, cool. OK.
Deb:
Yeah, and we were wondering if you did any commentaries for it.
Chris:
I didn’t. No. I didn’t.
We expressed our regret about that.
Chris:
No, no, you have no idea, they— No, that was one of the shows I was more involved in in my heart than anything else. Like, for some reason, like, you know, they took — You know, I think I did one photo session, one time. But that’s it.
Tina:
We were hoping for a commentary on Trial & Error.
Chris:
I know, I know. Yeah. I really would have loved that.
Deb:
Somebody needs to explain that episode.
Chris:
I could. I’ll do something with you guys one day, and explain that.
Deb:
That would be great because one of the questions I have in here is what did you think when you first read that script?
Chris:
Which episode is that again?
Deb:
Trial & Error is the one where Adam cheats.
Chris:
Oh, yeah! Oh, you have no idea! I hated it! I got in the biggest argument with all the producers. You have no idea. I was like: You’re going to ruin me… as an actor. Because like, you don’t understand, anybody who ever likes me on the show is because of my relationship with Joan. And I was like, and there is absolutely no reason why he should do this. I fought that for about two weeks when I first got the script, and then when I went in, I even fought about, like OK, well I guess if he has to cheat, what exactly are we gonna do with it then? Is it all gonna be in vain, is there like a—? You know, I tried to make a reason, you know? I tried to find some kind of reason, to make him a bit more immature, and a bit more like he’s just, it’s kind of like he’s got tons of hormones and he’s a teenager, and some girl just lays herself out and he just has to? You know? And that still didn’t really come across, so, to be honest, it really didn’t—
We get interrupted again by some chick and her posse leaving the building. Chris stops to say goodbye and he shakes her hand.
Chris:
It was nice to meet you, Alex.
Chick:
What was your name?
Chris:
Chris.
Chick:
Chris.
Chris:
Yeah.
Chick:
Thanks. See you tomorrow, Chris.
Chris:
Have a good night, guys.
I get up and make sure the last remaining door is closed.
Deb:
“What’s your name?” “Chris, only the main part in the film.”
Chris:
Yeah. (Laughs) Oh, I don’t expect anybody… Are you kidding me?
Tina:
You know, the fans hated that episode.
Chris:
Yeah, I bet they did. And that’s what I told them! And so I’m glad to finally know, because I kept telling them. I was like guys, they’re gonna— You don’t understand, this makes no sense. And to be honest, you know, what they wanted is, they wanted, the studio, those people, wanted to make the show for kids. They wanted to make it for young kids. Literally, I think they wanted to make it like The O.C. And so the idea was like make people cheat on people. And like make people heartbroken. And you know, if there’s any decent character, make him an asshole. You know, and it was like why are you gonna do that to these nice people with this decent relationship? At the same time the only thing nice about it, the only thing that they sorta convinced me was nice about it, they said after a while, you guys are kinda like an old married couple. And I was like, I can kinda see that. And they’re like so we’re kinda— that was their thing to me. Which, to be honest, was kinda hiding the fact that they just, you know were trying to make us The O.C. But at the same time, it was like, OK, this is what it has to be. You have no idea, I really… I went through, like, a lot of hell with that episode, you have no— Yeah, I really did.
Deb:
I gotta tell you two things. First thing, you just confirmed everything that I ever believed about what went on behind the scenes.
Chris:
Oh, good. Yeah.
Deb:
I told her (Tina), they were trying to make it like the O.C. I said those words.
Chris:
Yeah, yeah.
Deb:
And I also said I don’t think that the actors probably… None of them—
Chris:
Yeah, we were all upset. You have no— Amber and I sat down with Jim Hayman and Peter Schindler, and uh, a couple— I forgot exactly who wrote that episode because the writers all switched so much. But we sat down with all five of them and we were like we can’t do this. I don’t know what you guys are doing, but we can’t do this. Like, I mean, you want us to break up, we’ll break up, but don’t like have him cheat on her. Amber was upset, I was upset, everybody was. It really didn’t make any sense. Michael Welch came to me, Jason Ritter came to me, even Mary Steenburgen, everybody came and was like, I don’t understand why they’re doing it. I was like, me either! I keep telling ’em, so… Everybody was completely against it. It really was…
Deb:
It’s great that you’re getting to say that to people, because we’ve been wanting to hear your side.
Chris:
Yeah, no, I know. Yeah.
Deb:
And I gotta tell you also, this is really important that you understand this.
Chris:
Yes.
Deb:
We never stopped loving you.
Chris:
(Laughs) Oh, good! I’m so glad!
Deb:
As an actor or Adam.
Chris:
Yeah. Oh, good!
Deb:
It was like we wanted to slap Adam, we wanted to hug you.
Chris:
(Laughs) Oh, thank you, oh thank you, thank you very much.
Deb:
What you did in that episode was so overwhelmingly powerful, I hope you know that.
Chris:
Really? Thank you.
Deb:
And I hope you know how gut-wrenching it is to watch that thing and we would love for it never to have happened—
Chris:
Yeah.
Tina:
You know, you started me on writing fan fiction after that episode.
Chris:
Really?
Tina:
Yep. I wrote so much about Adam not being the asshole and trying to justify it some way.
Chris:
Thank you.
Deb:
And she’s not the only one.
Chris:
Thank you. Wow. Well, that’s awesome. Thank you.
We get interrupted yet again by a PA.
PA:
Can I interrupt? I’m so sorry.
Chris:
That’s all right.
PA:
Um, are you gonna head back any time soon?
Chris: (Looks at us) Yeah, probably like about, what do you guys need?
Deb:
Like about five minutes, ten minutes.
Chris:
About ten minutes.
PA:
I’m gonna go there right now, and make sure they don’t leave without me.
Chris:
Cool.
PA:
Like I’ll hang out there.
Chris:
Cool. All right, cool. Thanks, man.
Deb:
One more question about Joan, something that we’ve always been curious about, who is more responsible for making Adam the character that he was, you know, prior to Trial & Error? You or the writing staff?
Chris:
Um, I’d say it was a collaboration of both. I don’t wanna be somebody who like takes credit for something, but at the same time it started off you know, I was just supposed to do one episode. Like that’s all it was supposed to be. I was supposed to do that one episode and then leave. And after the second day of shooting, they were like, Would you do one more? And I was like, Yeah, yeah, I’ll do one more. And then after that they were like, Can you do, like, four? And I was like, yeah, I’ll do four, and after four they were like, Would you be a series regular? And I was like, Whoa, really? And so they couldn’t make it official until the second season. They can’t change the beginning credits and everything and our posters and everything until like next season. I was like sure. So then I was credited as guest star, but from that moment on it just kinda became like… You know, they wrote most of everything. You know a lot of that show— It was not my improv or anything like that. You know, that was all really just good writing. But at the same time I think I pushed as hard as I could for making him sort of like this sensitive artist guy. You know, after a while it became more me than anything. And then that was the stuff they started writing. I mean, there was some ridiculous stuff I remember saying on that show. I think one of the first lines I ever had was like, “You kidding me? I don’t smoke booyah schwag.”
Deb:
Yeah.
(Laugter)
Chris:
And I know I said like, “Did I really say booyah schwag?” And I think they kept that in. And it was like, really? I don’t know. But it was stuff like that that you kinda fight against.
Tina:
People started saying “unchallenged” and “yo” and stuff.
(Laughter)
Chris:
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah, unchallenged and yo. Yeah.
Deb:
He changed a little in the second season. You kinda grew him up a little bit.
Chris:
Yeah, yeah, I did.
Deb:
Second season Adam is really different.
Chris:
Yeah, I know. Very different, yeah.
Deb:
And that’s the character that we all pretty much loved.
Chris: (Whispers, like he’s awed and surprised by that.)
Oh. Oh, cool, OK.
Oh. Oh, cool, OK.
Deb:
A little bit bolder, we liked that.
Chris:
Yeah, yeah, he got a little bit more confident, a little more out of his shell. Yeah. That’s the way we kinda wanted to do it for that season. It’s what we wanted to do, so, glad that came across.
Deb:
Yeah, absolutely. We’re gonna jump to Huff for just one second.
Chris:
Sure, yeah.
Deb:
We just loved seeing you in a little bit of a darker kind of role.
Chris:
Oh, yeah?
Deb:
Yeah—
Chris:
Yeah, but they dimmed it down. You know, it was a lot darker originally and they dimmed it down. Yeah, it was this great— Like the first scene I ever had in there, I did this insanely creepy thing and it was great and they cut it all out. I like show him this little thing in my hand, and I have him touch it and pick it up, and he smells it, and he’s like, “What is this?”
Tina:
Who, Byrd?
Chris:
Yeah, Byrd. Uh, and Byrd sits there, smelling it, and he’s like, “What’re you doin’?” So I’m just eyeing him this whole time. And um, I forgot what exactly I was saying but it was all creepy stuff, and I finally admit to him it’s my umbilical cord.
Tina:
Eeeewwwwww.
Chris:
Yeah, like my mother kept my umbilical cord. And he just freaks out and throws it down, and I get all upset at him and I start— you know, we have this like argument. And it was this great scene, and they cut it all right before that.
Deb:
Was that supposed to be the day that you guys meet?
Chris:
Yeah, that’s like I tackle him, and it goes away from the scene when it comes back to the scene, I’m sitting there talking to him on the couch, like I offer him a Coca Cola or something. Originally, like, about ten seconds after that, fifteen seconds, I give him my umbilical cord.
(Laughter)
Chris:
So it sort of, it just started off much creepier and much darker and they just dimmed it all down, unfortunately, but, yeah.
Deb:
Well, we were wondering if they cut anything and so you just answered my question.
Chris:
Yeah, they did. Yeah. And I haven’t seen all the episodes, so I don’t know what else they cut but I’m sure they did.
Tina:
How did it end? I mean, they beat him up and he disappears.
Chris:
And that’s it. Yeah. You know, originally there was supposed to be something else, and I left to go shoot something. So they couldn’t get me back to get together, so they sort of picked up that other character, the guy, his name is Jesse Head, I forget the name of his character.
Deb:
Ely.
Chris:
Ely, yeah, so they sort of picked up with him instead of me because I had gone away, but uh…
Tina:
What happened to James after they beat him up?
Chris:
I don’t know! I have no idea! They didn’t write it. They were supposed to do one more episode, and then they never wrote it and they said don’t worry about it, you know? And that was it.
Deb:
That seems to be the theme of the whole second season.
Chris:
Yeah, just kinda like, let it go? Yeah, I think to be honest, they were just expecting that they were definitely gonna have a third season, and so they didn’t. And that’s where they were gonna tie everything back in. ‘Cause for the third season they were talking to me about doing a few more episodes.
Deb:
Do you have any interest in playing a darker role like that?
Chris:
Yeah. Oh, yeah. No, I mean the object of the game is that after this movie, is like not playing a nerd ever again. And uh, you know I wanna go older and definitely for sure, I think a bit darker. You know, I’ve been like— You know, I think it’s interesting to be an actor and explore different parts of who you are through your acting. And you know, I’ve explored how sensitive I can be. I’ve explored I think how kind I can be. And now I’ve been wondering about my anger, and uh, you know, about how mean I can be, so… Uh, so I think that’s a whole other side of myself that I haven’t touched on too much. I think it’ll be interesting to. I just wanna scream at somebody.
Tina:
Would you do another TV role if it was really interesting?
Chris:
If it was really interesting, possibly. The hard part with TV is that it’s really, uh, it’s… I mean, you could possibly do the same part for six years in a row. And that’s really difficult to sign on to. You know, I signed on to Joan because I really started to love that part. I realized after about a year and a half, I was like, I might have to play the same character for six years, and I’d never done that before. Every character you play, you take on everything and you let it go. And you leave your project and you let all those things go and you forget about it and they sort of become a part of you in a way and that’s it, you move on. To do a part, after a while I felt like I’m not doing my job. I was like, I’m just being this character, and I don’t know if it’s the character or me anymore, I couldn’t tell. So it’s just one of those things of like, you know, well this is it. I’m doing my job, it’s not challenging anymore, it’s easy. If my job’s easy, I feel like I’m not doing my job. So, it’s a hard commitment to make. It’s like you know, do you wanna go be comfortable for six years? Well, if I’m comfortable, am I really gaining anything? Am I moving in a certain direction? So that’s the hard part. That’s the challenging— So, I don’t know. At this point in my career, I really don’t think I would.
Deb:
Not even a guest role?
Chris:
I would do guest roles. Yeah, for sure. I almost, like uh… I was thinkin’ about doing this cool role on ER, a few weeks ago.
Deb:
That woulda been great.
Chris:
Yeah, and it woulda been soon. Um, but I don’t even know if they were really that interested in me, to be honest.
Tina:
Come on, give us something, so we don’t have to wait years for your movies.
Chris:
No, I know! No, I definitely would do some cool guest stars. I mean, there’s nothing coming up right now. To be honest, it’s been like— I had this last month off, but you know, I need to like, you know (Take a vacation. Say it Chris!) Before that, it was Education of Charlie Banks. That was, like, two and a half months straight. A week before I started that, I finished The Beautiful Ordinary, and then a week before that, I finished Fanboys. It’s like a non-stop thing. And to do… just, you know, The Beautiful Ordinary is like a completely different character than I ever played.
Deb:
Really?
Chris:
Yeah, it’s totally different.
Deb:
How so?
Chris:
I play, like uh, almost like a crackhead.
Deb:
Really?
Here’s where you’d hear the men’s room getting a workout if you were listening to the audio.
Chris:
Yeah. I play like this guy who’s like all over the place, he’s like really wiry, and he’s like constantly smoking a ton of drugs. And he’s just like, uh they let me, it’s great there’s like this endless— I don’t know how it’ll come out, but at the time I was really proud of it. It’s like one scene where they let me— I told them, I was like, will you just let me tell a story? And they were like, What do you mean? I had one line in the thing, and it was something like “Oh yeah.” That’s all I say, is like two words. And I was like, Will you just let me tell a story right here, and they’re like, Sure. So I started telling this crazy story and they just let me keep going and going and going and going and finally it ended, and everybody was, all the others actors were kinda sitting there like, Oh-kay! It was really funny, and they said they loved it and kept it in the movie. So hopefully it will be something really cool, but totally different. And, uh, you know, Education of Charlie Banks is totally different. I play like this Guido New York guy who thinks he’s like, a real badass. You know, just thinks he’s really tough.
Deb:
That’ll be fun.
Chris:
Yeah, it was fun. And it takes place in the 80’s, so I had to wear all these like tight, like you know, the white jeans and all this crazy stuff and I look like I’m a big fan of the Ramones. But it’s cool. It’s really good.
Deb:
And there was another one in there, Choose Connor.
Chris:
Choose Connor, that was one of my dearest friends, Luke Eberl, who wrote that and directed it. I’ve known him since I was fourteen, he’s younger than I am. And my friend Andrew, who’s working on this, Andrew McFarlane, produced it along with my other good friend Aaron (Himelstein). So it’s sort of like I’ve got six or seven really close friends and —.
And then they came and interrupted us for the last time that night. I swear I never really imagined that he would be mother-henned off to Base Camp like he was still a little kid or something, but I guess it’s good to have people to look after you.
Lady PA:
So sorry.
Chris:
That’s all right.
Lady PA:
They really need you at Base Camp.
Chris:
OK. Gotcha. I’m sorry.
Deb:
No, you given us more than we ever expected.
Chris:
Well, I still have tons to say, so I’ll give you guys— Well, how do I get a hold of you guys?
The recording ends there, although I wish it didn’t. He hung around for probably another five minutes. I gave him my business card, with the website URL and my e-mail address on the back. Now, it’s only up to him to use it, so we can get you guys more exclusive material.
Before we lost him, we got a few things signed, got our picture taken with him and got goodbye hugs. Then, he was gone. But, man, what a sweetie pie!