An Interview with Rob Benedict: Finding the Moments within the Moments Part II
would like to thank Rob Benedict for taking the time to do this interview. It was a pleasure to talk to not only a great and talented actor and musician, but to one of the most charming, kindest and down-to-earth individuals around. I really do hope more fans get the opportunity to talk with him like I did, because I can guarantee you will have one of the best conversations of your life.
In this second and final part of the interview, Rob talks about Supernatural, his character Chuck, Comic-Con and upcoming projects.
**************************
AM: Switching gears to Supernatural, many guest stars have stated that the atmosphere on set is a very close knit environment and that the cast and crew get along very well. Was that the type of experience you had when first stepping into the role of Chuck?
Rob: Yes, absolutely! From the crew, to the producers, to the actors, to the guy who does craft service everyone has this great rapport. I think it really filters down from Jensen and Jared too, because they are really good guys and not Hollywood at all. They are just two dudes from Texas. I really do believe that it does filter down to everybody and it really is like a group a friends. So by the time I came to do the show, that environment was already established and there was a great welcoming atmosphere. Then every time I came back up to do another episode, it was like seeing old friends again. It’s a really great feeling to experience as an actor, because it is not like that on every set. There are a lot of sets that feel more like a job and if you are a guest star, like I do a lot, it can sometimes feel like the first day of school, where you don’t know anybody. It can be really awkward, but on Supernatural it wasn’t that way at all. I never once felt like that and it’s cool because I still feel that way when I see Jared and Jensen at these conventions. It’s seeing old friends again.
AM: After you read the first script, what line or character description was the “Ah-Ha moment” that helped you identify who Chuck was and how to play him?
Rob: [laughs] One of the scenes I used to audition with was the one with Chuck speaking to the boys and apologizing for Bugs. It was like the writers were making a joke about themselves. That whole scene was the “Ah Ha moment” for me, I felt I really understood who Chuck was. Also, I loved the fact that Chuck’s only way of coping is to drink and I love when Chuck states, “I must be a god, a cruel capricious god.” [laughs] There is so much humor in the character and in the writing. That’s why I love the Prophet Episode, where he goes ‘’I am the Prophet Chuck!’’[laughs] It was a great moment. Chuck is this self-deprecating writer, who hates himself and his writing and then someone drops this bomb on him. It’s a cool journey that he gets to takes through those episodes.
AM: Were you surprised as much as the Supernatural Fandom was with the evolution of Chuck, from writer, to Prophet and then to ‘God’?
Rob: The “God” thing was such a big deal. The prophet was something that was dealt with in the first episode, so that was something that was always fun to play around with. Then when I got that last script, I didn’t even get it at first, specifically that part where it is detailed that Chuck vanishes. So when I got up to the set and one of the crew guys goes to me and say “so you are God”….I had to go back in look and reread the script again, because I wasn’t really sure what the heck was going. I talked to Kripke and he verified that. So I was definitely shocked like everyone else. I think it was a really beautiful episode and Chuck’s speech was a real love-letter to the show. I felt really lucky to be a part of it all.
AM: What was your favorite aspect of playing the character?
Rob: I love the humor in Chuck and his self-deprecating ways; every day is tough day for Chuck. I loved the evolution of his feelings of love for the boys. He almost considered himself a father to the boys by the end. I loved playing him. I loved the scene where Chuck has a molar in his hair and he goes “It was such a stressful day.” [laughs] I also like the episode when Dean into the future and we met Future Chuck and he was sort of like Radar from M*A*S*H, with the whole horde toilet paper thing. He isn’t the one to go to battle; he is the guy who will stay back and count the inventory. [laughs]
AM: You and Richard Speight Jr. were at Comic-Con hosting a LiveCam Tour for Gamespot . What would you say was the highlight for you attending this year’s Comic-Con? 
Rob: It was awesome and so much fun! It was a great way to experience Comic-Con. It s always fun being around Richard, we had a blast. It is really mind-blowing how people get dressed up and really play the part. You are not interviewing someone in a costume, you are interviewing someone who really believes they are that character for that day. It’s like an acting thing, you are your character. Richard and I set out not to make fun of anybody when doing those types of interviews, because we have a lot of respect for those dressing up and acting as their character, because it is acting. I was just so impressed how everyone was so dedicated to the roles they were playing and how creative they were. There is a whole fandom subculture that I was unaware of like comic-book fandom, characters that I didn’t even know. It was epic! Truly epic!
AM: You and Richard Speight attended the Supernatural Panel in Hall H. How was your experience like being in the crowd with the fans, when you are normally the one on stage?
Rob: It was cool! I didn’t really know what to expect. First of all, there was like 10,000 people in Hall H…it was crazy! It was really impressive of how many people were there. It was really an interesting experience to sort of be in the audience during a panel. I was curious of how they would answer questions too. I was like, “ah good questions, how will they answer that one?” It was fun to see them sorta dance around, because they really couldn’t say much. It was also fun to see the writers up there too, because you normally don’t get to see them alongside the leads. There was this cool moment where they pointed out me and Richard in the audience that was really nice. [laughs] It was hilarious though, when Misha said we would give out free autographs and kisses! [laughs] Richard and I made our escape during the gag reel at the end. 10,000 kisses could have been coming down my way…I did not want to get kissed to death! [laughs] But in all, it was a neat experience and fun to be a part of.
AM: What current projects are you working on that you are able to share and what does the band have coming up for the rest of 2012?
Rob: Well the band is going on a mini-Midwest tour and then in August we have a couple of gigs. In the fall, our hope is to do another couple of traveling tours on the East coast. We would love to go back to Europe again, possible at the end of the year going back to Germany. It was such a fun experience last time, which we would love to do it again. We might make a couple more videos. There are plans to shoot a couple more videos for some of the songs off of Eskimo. Acting wise things are just getting started again with the TV shows in development. There is a possibility that I can go back to Touch, but we are not for sure yet. There are a couple of movie things up in the air, but nothing is definite as of now, but in the mean time I have been writing a lot. There is another short that I might be doing and a TV show that I have written with a friend who is a TV writer that we are taking out and pitching, fingers crossed!
***************************
*30 Second Round Up*
AM: What is the most embarrassing song you have on your iPod?
Rob: I have two small children, so it would be A Whole New World from the Disney movie Aladdin. You lose your indie cred when you are with your buddies listening to music and then a princess song comes on. [laughs]
AM: How did it feel to be chased by Kiefer Sutherland in your first episode of Touch? Did you keep thinking ‘I am being chased by Jack Bauer!’
Rob: Yes! It was my first day of shooting and I remember looking back over my shoulder during the chase and all I kept thinking that this was totally 24! He runs like Jack Bauer with his robot hands…I kept on breaking out of character!
AM: What is your favorite movie one-liner?
Rob: “The Dude Abides.”
AM: If you could be any character from any television series or movie, who would it be and why?
Rob: I think I would be Peter Dinklage’s character from Game of Thrones because I used to work with Peter on Threshold and he is a badass. He is a great person, a great actor and I think that is the best role on TV right now. It doesn’t get any cooler with that role.
AM: What is one thing that your fans would be surprised to learn about you?
Rob: I wish there was away I could dream myself into being the point guard for the Clippers. I love playing basketball and that is the one thing that I never had the height for. I never had the height to play basketball. I used to dream that I could stretch my legs or one day I would wake up and I never miss a shot. If I could be any professional athlete that would be so awesome…at least for me! [laughs]
********************
Once again, I would like to extend my thanks to Rob Benedict for taking the time to answer my questions. You can find Rob and Louden Swain:
Twitter: @RobBenedict
Facebook: Louden Swain
Tumblr: Louden Swain
Originally posted on Affairs Magazine
