I recently chatted with Gary Weeks (Cop 1) and Steve Seagren (Cop 2). They were the duo who arrived to break up the "Dinner Party" on the Office episode of the same name.
Gary Weeks has been seen in everything from Major League 3: Back to the Minors, to The Kid to television shows including The O.C., Chuck, 24, Summerland, Veronica Mars and much more.
Steve Seagren has popped up in Yes,Dear, Still Standing, ER, Cold Case, Arrested Development, Elizabethtown, Curb Your Enthusiasm, My Name is Earl and many more shows.Continue Reading...
Here's what they have to say for themselves:
ReplyDeleteScrantonBranchOffice: Can you tell TheTwoCents readers about yourself and how you started in "show biz"?
Gary Weeks: I grew up in small town in south Georgia. I was so far removed from anything resembling professional acting that I never realized that someone like me could actually make a living doing it. I always created shows and made movies for fun, but it was mid-college before I realized acting was the path I was supposed to take. Fast forward a few years and I moved to L. A. , and I have been extremely fortunate to get consistent work. I love what I do.
Steve Seagren: I am originally from Chicago where I was a stand up comic from 1983 to 1998. That's when I signed with a manager in LA so I moved out west and I got started in acting. Nowadays that's pretty much all I do. Well, I still do stand up maybe a couple times a year but I get more of a bang out of the acting thing.
SBO: Having appeared in so many television shows, what path led you to playing the role of a cop in the "Dinner Party" episode of "The Office"?
GW: It’s actually pretty funny. I had the OFFICE audition the same day I was shooting an episode of CHUCK, so I was sure I was going to have to miss the audition completely. But someone up top must have been smiling over me because CHUCK turned out to be one of the fastest shoots I’ve ever done and my day wrapped much earlier than I thought it would. I jumped in my truck and broke some speed barriers to get there (of course very late). The great casting people were so nice to wait for me... I ran in, looked at the pages, read for them, then next thing you know, I’m on one of my favorite shows on TV.
SS: Ha! A funny question. I read for the pilot episode of "The Office". I can't remember the character's name. I think it was Larry and he worked in the warehouse. I didnt get the part. But, they kept having me back to read for other parts like the part of a pretzel vendor, or a visiting executive. I read for the part of a police chief in the episode where Dwight became a volunteer cop - they wrote the part out so I didn't get that one either. I even read for the part of Bob Vance (Phyllis' boyfriend / fiance the refrigerator guy)....... didn't get that one either.
In all, they probably had me read for The Office maybe 11 times. I figured they must have liked something about me otherwise they would just say don't bring in that guy anymore. Then I got the part of Cop 2 ....... right before the writers went on strike, so I had to wait 4 months before we shot it, but it was worth the wait!
SBO: What was the experience like working on a hit show like "The Office" and getting to be in a scene in that episode with the shows' big stars?
GW: First of all, let me tell you - This is a fantastic group. It seemed like each and every one of the cast and crew came up and introduced themselves personally and were just genuinely nice people. I don’t think there’s an actor out there who hasn’t worked on sets where members of the cast have become jaded and forgotten how blessed they are to be doing this - it was such a good feeling to see that these guys not only still respected it, but they actually seemed to know that this show is something pretty special. I just kinda forgot I was working and just had fun watching them create and enjoying my time bouncing off of them.
SS: Fantastic! Everyone there, the cast, the crew, everyone was extrememly nice. The cast all introduced themselves to us (which doesn't always happen on other projects) and made us feel welcome. There were a number of times when various cast members, including myself, had to struggle to keep from cracking up when we were shooting. In fact, in one of the takes they used in the episode, Dwight says something like "Michael you're sleeping with me" and steps in front of me. Thank god he did because it was getting hard to keep a straight face and I needed that moment to regain my composure.
So, all in all, it was a BLAST! I know that Cop 2 was a small part but I have gotten more attention for that than just about anything else I've done. It's kinda fun. I'm not used to it. A lot of people watch that show in case you didn't know.
SBO: Many of the fans are dying to know, and since you were there you can give us the definitive answer. Was Greg Daniels in your scene's background as the concerned neighbor?
GW: I can neither confirm nor deny whether Greg was in the scene (haha). I will say that the neighbor with the dog (see deleted scenes) was a hired actor (Fred). I’ve also had a lot of questions about the Police uniforms (especially the hats) that Steve and I wore. So just for the record, we wore the authentic uniforms of Scranton Police Department- Very cool touch.
SS: No, that wasn't Greg Daniels. That was another actor they hired. One of the writers of the episode, Gene Stupnitsky, was the other guy. The scene was originally a little longer than what was aired. Jan yells at the neighbor something about a dog and he yells back. It was pretty funny but I guess the scene was running a little long so they had to trim it.
SBO: What can we look forward to seeing you in soon?
GW: I have an episode of SHARK coming up on April 29th, but most of my energy for the past year has been focused on my post-apocalyptic movie called DEADLAND. I wrote the screenplay, produced it, and played a lead role. It should be out late this summer (check out the trailer at www.DeadlandTheMovie.com or on myspace at www.myspace.com/deadlandmovie). Also, 29 REASONS TO RUN (a road-trip buddy comedy) will be released on DVD soon, so keep an eye for that. And hopefully, someone on THE OFFICE will do something illegal soon that requires Scranton P. D. to make another visit. I have a feeling this wasn’t the last time we see Michael Scott on our most wanted list.
SS: I am in the film "Semi-Pro" which I think is still in theaters right now. If not than soon to be out on dvd. You can catch me on "Bones" next week, April 28th, on Fox. And I am shooting an episode of "Everybody Hates Chris" staring tomorrow.
**Bonus Question**
SBO: If someone were to climb off a desert island and only have time to watch five movies to learn what American cinema is all about, what five movies would you show them?
GW: Wow. Really tough question. I’m definitely not the prototype for film-school answers here because I think the best movies are ones you can watch 100 times and still get totally immersed in them, so I’ll just name a few that I personally would like to show people over and over from my lifetime: A few would be Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan and Swingers. But I’d probably sneak a few more DVDs in a hidden compartment in my backpack so I could squeak out a few more like Good Will Hunting, Fletch, Braveheart, 40-Year old Virgin, Die Hard, Anchorman, Rocky, Dumb and Dumber, and about 6229 more movies. And yes... It’s a pretty big secret compartment.
SS: Ok, first one of them has to be a Capra film. I would say "Meet John Doe" but maybe "It's a Wonderful Life". Either one. Moving on "Singing in the Rain". Then "Dr. Strangelove". Then of one of the Godfathers, either one or two and finally Goodfellas because Scorsese has be on any list involving American cinema.
WOW! It was a thrill to talk to Gary and Steve and we can't thank them enough for their time! It's always fun to get to the people who make our favorite show happen! If you catch either of these guys on MySpace or anywhere else - tell them you read about them on ScrantonBranchOffice.com!
That was great KP! Thanks!
ReplyDeletei love it when you're able to get interviews with these guest stars. it really helps expand the office world. thanks! keep it up! (that's what she said)
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