Community’s Danny Pudi Webisode Interview

So far, my experience has been that Community is pretty solidly in the love/hate arena of television. I haven't heard anyone describe it in any way other than polar extremes. I actually find myself in the love camp, and one of the things I love about the show is the variety of oddness to be found. Part of the extra oddness comes by way of the webisodes the show puts together, and Danny Pudi (Abed) recently shared his thoughts on the show and webisodes.

The webisodes, which largely feature Abed and Spanish assignments, take the outlandish to new extremes. If you haven't managed to catch any of these yet, I've embedded one below, but you can find them at the show's website here.

Enjoy.

Are you as knowledgeable about pop culture as Abed is?

Danny Pudi: Absolutely not. Abed’s an encyclopedia. He’s kind of a genius. I mean I grew up with a lot of this - a lot of the same movies and music and stuff. Even like the like the Starburns: El Star Prince was the minute we started working on that I just was having flashbacks to Starman back in the day; Jeff Bridges and the TV show.

So a lot of these things I did grow up with, but Abed is a type of guy who he didn’t just grow up with it but he remembers word for word every scene, character, what they worked on prior to that, cinematographer, he gripped. And not only that, he’s able to apply it to everyday world situations and see, you know, where I guess similar situations are taking place and learn from it.

So it’s kind of the fun, challenging thing about this role is that I’m often given scripts with references that I don’t necessarily remember or get until then the next thing you know, you’ll see me Googling My Bodyguard for instance and being like what was this movie about? Or going to Blockbuster and renting all these movies just to make sure I know what I’m talking about.

And then there’s certain ones I definitely know because like Goodfellas last week, that was you know, it’s definitely one of my favorite movies or like when we referenced Indiana Jones. Indiana Jones is probably one of my top five movies that no matter where it’s on, I have to watch it.

So even if I’m at Best Buy or Radio Shack and it’s playing on a sample TV, I’ll sit there and stand until it’s over. There’s a little bit of that in me. But I think Abed’s a little bit - he’s a little bit more of an encyclopedia.

Have you found any new personal favorites from the stuff you’ve discovered that you didn’t know before?

Danny Pudi: That’s a good question. I’m trying to think of what are some of the references that I really like. I mean it’s fun going back and like watching all the movies. There’s actually a brief bio and I think it’s on the Web site maybe and also on so flyers that said what are my favorite - my favorite movie is and it’s a list of like thirty movies, including Ghost Busters, Goonies, Blade Runner, Indiana Jones I through III, Back to the Future and I did go through before and while we were shooting, and just kind of re-watched all of them. And I do have a re - I guess a re-appreciation for Goonies. I love that movie. Man that movie’s fun. You know. Gosh that movie is so fun.

So that’s - that was kind of one of those that I wouldn’t say I forgot but I kind of did maybe a little bit forget how fun that was to watch as a little kid. And then of course all the John Hughes stuff going through and re-watching Breakfast Club and, you know, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Especially Breakfast Club II I think just because it is such - I feel like, you know, instead of our theme song, it’s kind of our theme movie and re-watching that a number of times, you know, my appreciation for all of John Hughes films definitely has grown.

I was wondering if you had been given this assignment in high school back in Chicago back in the day, and you can choose the language and the theme, what would you have done.

Danny Pudi: Well, I think definitely it would have been Polish because I speak Polish and it’s something I connect to. I feel like I can reference. What I would have probably done back in the day would have been something about the solidarity movement and I think kind of like the shipyards of (Kanash) would have been in the house and there probably would have been a little bit of heavy metal in there because it would probably have been like, you know, late nineties. Kind of a good heavy metal time. Maybe some Pantera or something would be in there with maybe some hip-hop.

I would have probably tried to use some Wu-Tang Clan with a little bit of Polish solidarity and existential like Polish poetry in there. It would have been weird. It would have been like waiting for (Gadel) to hip hop version; something like that.

Why do you think it is that they chose to pair up Senior Chang and Abed for these Webisodes?

Danny Pudi: You know I think that this was kind of the perfect - the perfect pairing in many ways. A couple of episodes back we had movie night in Abed’s dorm room and Senior Chang was there and we’re Netflix buddies, we briefly mentioned that, and I just think it’s kind of a perfect thing where Senior Chang is all about drama.

He loves - he’s like (TMP). He loves drama and Starburns is just such an interesting character that’s become kind of his fan favorite so I think pairing these characters who are a little bit off their kilter, you know, slightly off but also kind of these like kind of cultish pairs. You kind of want to just see how they’d react in terms of these films.

And obviously Senior Chang would want to be involved in anything that’s a little bit crazy. So to me it just made perfect sense.

How do you think Abed has evolved as a person?

Danny Pudi: You know I think I’m very fortunate, because I think the writers have given me so much rich, rich stuff to work on and expand on. And I think, you know, it’s - you kind of never know in a comedy, you know, how things are going to kind of roll out in terms of like being a side character, you know.

Because I’m technically kind of one of the ensemble, you know. And to be given all these great, rich kind of things to work on and I think if you just look at it and think like, oh he’s a pop culture (bum) and that kind of thing. But the thing about Abed is that he uses all these pop culture references and in terms of - it comes from a real place because it’s how he views the world and it’s how he connects things.

So they’re not just gratuitous references for the sake of references. It’s because he piecing together something that he’s noticed going on around him. And I think last week’s episode was very - a great example of that in terms of it being a parity of Goodfellas and some of the mob movies but at the end, I think there was a very heartfelt scene with Joel and I which actually was one of my favorite scenes that I’ve done this season.

Where he really learns the lesson?

Danny Pudi: Yeah. And I think it’s - that scene really kind of typifies what’s special about our show because it really kind of gives you in a very brief moment what makes these characters tick and they’re very honest about it. And then, you know, we go right back to a Sixteen Candles moment but there was something very - I think that’s very genuine and sweet about that where it’s fun for me to be able to play this character who has such a fun time in the world.

It’s very much a video game in some ways but he’s also a real person on the inside who’s challenged and trying to connect with people and I think that really resonates so it makes the comedy that much better.

What’s it like working with that many comedians in one show?

Danny Pudi: There are a lot of comedians on this show but what’s great about this show is that the writing is so rich and balanced and also the people who are comedians on this show, I mean everybody in terms of the ensemble, are really excellent actors, you know.

And I think people have sometimes overlooked that the range that some of these people have, you know. I mean like Gillian Jacobs for instance has done a lot of drama. When I first met her I actually had seen her in a movie that was pretty dark and to be able to see her in this role is kind of, it’s really a testament to the range that people have.

And Alison’s working on Mad Men this week. And it’s just all these people are incredibly just able to shift, you know, from doing comedy to drama, to doing something absurd and I think because of that, where everyone’s able to adapt and move together as a funny ameba I guess. That’s what we’re doing.

Your character has certainly had an arc and a lot of range in there. What’s been your favorite part about playing Abed?

Danny Pudi: You know, it’s - this is - it’s one of those things where I feel so fortunate because every week I feel like I get to work on something new and different, you know. And I think that is so - it’s so rare in terms of any kind of project, you know.

I feel like I’m in an acting class every week because I’m given like in this episode, oh my goodness, I have to master a Christian Bale impersonation. And in the next episode I have to - after that I have to work on doing an African American police chief impersonation.

And that was super fun for me because I grew up with all those movies; Beverly Hills Cops and Axel Foley, get your ass in here. I mean that every once in a while, like when I see Cops, that just pops into my head.

But beyond that, you know, I get to do things like in actually last week’s episode, which is one of my favorite scenes of the season, was when I was with Joel’s character, Jeff and making tater tots and it was like a really heartfelt scene at the end of the parity episode about chicken fingers; talking about why, you know, I guess how power really can kind of take over both of our characters.

And so there’s - the nice thing about this show is I’m able to do really like honest, earnest scenes and then, on top of that, do some crazy things like playing an African American police chief and then in an episode I might be tap dancing on a stage.

And so I’m constantly working on a wide variety of things which definitely keeps me challenged and fresh and that to me is the most exciting thing is I get to really just work on so many different things and improve. And then also just learn from all the amazing artists around me who are all I think smarter than me and funnier than me.

Where would you like to see your character Abed go in the next few months or maybe even next season. What would you like to see when the screen editors give you a script and you read it, where would you like that character to end up?

Danny Pudi: You know, I don’t know. And it’s hard for me to - I’m really open about this. I feel so already challenged and fortunate in terms of what I’ve been given and I’m just thankful that my character is not just a one dimensional character. There’s a lot to him, you know.

I think times have changed a lot from the days of, you know, of back in the early 90s when I was growing up and you had (Mel Siemen) Street Fighter or Abu on the Simpsons or, you know, magic rocks protecting Indian villages in Indiana Jones. And the fact that I get to play a character that’s really well rounded and kind of odd and quirky and exploring the world, it’s just so wonderful because I always feel like every week is going to be a fun, new adventure.

So I’m excited to see what happens. You know I think one of the cool things that we’ve been exploring is Abed’s progression as a film maker, including these Webisodes. And in the episode, I don’t know if you recall, the Valentine’s Day episode where I help Joel’s character, Jeff Winger, make a really, a really believable drunk (dial) to Britta and I think you get to see a little bit more of Abed’s directing skills there.

So I’m excited to see more of that, you know, and to see kind of where that takes him. That’s always a - that’s a fun thing for me to explore. And also because I didn’t go to school for film, I feel like I really am learning a little bit more about film making so it’s kind of a great job.

So a lot of shows now are starting to do these Web spinoffs and Community obviously is one that’s doing it best. What are some of the most fun and maybe the most challenging aspects of shooting something for the Web versus television in your opinion?

Danny Pudi: Well, I think that I’ll start with fun. There’s a simple freedom when it comes to the Web stuff that we’re shooting in that you really you kind of just kind of go for it a little bit more. With a lot of the Web stuff, it’s really - it’s designed for our generation in terms of being quick, funny and let’s see if we can grab your attention fast.

So you know there’s a little bit of that there which makes it kind of freeing, you know. I kind of feel like it’s the same thing when we do our tags at the end of every episode. We’re not really constricted to the story per se but we’re able to kind of just - as long you have very specific characters and points of view, you can kind of go anywhere. So I love that.

The - I guess what’s tricky is that, you know, because they’re designed to be so short, you really have to - it’s almost like Twitter too. You’ve got to - it’s good practice in terms of let’s see how quickly you can condense a joke; give it a beginning, a middle and an end, but also it’s like you also don’t have a lot of time for really honest, slow, patient moments.

You know, like in last week’s episode, when Joel’s character walks in on me by the tater tot machine and he’s about to sabotage the fry machine, there’s probably a good ten to fifteen seconds of quiet - of silence, you know. And that’s something that’s tricky in terms of Web stuff.

You can’t have a lot of those silent, slow, you know, kind of beats because I think people will probably tune out. So I think those are I guess the challenges and it’s also kind of the advantage that we have is that we’re able to do both and I feel very lucky that I can do both.

And Abed is directing. He directed the Spanish video. So is that something that you think you want to try your hand at?

Danny Pudi: As Danny Pudi?

Yeah.

Danny Pudi: Yeah. I think someday yeah. More and more. I mean the more I work on - the more and more I work on the show, the more I’m fascinated and also just kind of blown away by everyone’s talents. I mean this - these Webisodes are written and directed by (David Sieger). He directed it and (Tom Kauffman) co-wrote it with him. And (David)’s incredibly talented.

And just watching more and more of these directors come through, I think that’s the really cool thing that people don’t realize about a TV show is that they’re not all directed by the same person. And so like the pilot and many of the other episodes were directed by the Russo Brothers who are amazing. They did Arrested Development among other things. And, you know, beyond that, we’ve worked with Justin Lynne a few times who directed Fast and the Furious. He did our Halloween episode. He’s also the one who directed our episode that airs next which I think is going to probably be my favorite episode of the season.

And, you know, we’ve worked just a handful of amazing directors. You know, Gail Mancuso and (Trishton Shapiro) who directed last week’s chicken fingers episode; a British director. And to be able to kind of like, you know, be working closely with all these people and seeing how they operate differently and how they work with, you know, actors as well as kind of their - in terms of shot composition and that kind of thing. This is all - that’s all new to me because I didn’t go to film school.

You know, I’m strictly an actor and comedian but it’s something that I’m definitely - my appreciation for it is growing and I could definitely see - I would love to get into that down the road. Yeah.

What would you say are the main similarities and differences between you and Abed?

Danny Pudi: Okay. As far as, you know, I guess the similarities - you know there’s definitely certain things. You know, I have a little - some I guess neuroses like maybe the vacuuming and things like that. I tend to - I could I guess - I think Abed speaks a little bit more quickly and has a little bit more of an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture than I do definitely.

He tends to remember things and put pieces - he doesn’t miss much. Abed is very observant.

There was an episode - I don’t remember how long ago back but where some bagels fell off a table and it was a quick jump but I loved it where we mixed on Britta’s character for saying (begel). And we say “You say that funny.” but she drops the bag and I just say 13 because I was able to count those bagels so quickly, you know.

And I think that’s very Abed; like to be so observant and also to not let anything go by without acknowledging it.

I tend to miss things a little bit more. I think I’m a little bit more aloof than Abed. What else. I’m married and Abed isn’t married yet. Who knows, maybe in Season 2 that will happen? And you know I think those are kind of the I guess similarities/differences. I think as the season goes on, both of us tend to kind of merge together as the writers incorporate more from our personal lives into these characters which is equally frightening and exhilarating.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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