By his own admission, actor Lonny Ross says his alter ego, Josh Girard of NBC's 30 Rock, is not so different from himself: "We are both dudes who do weird voices, make funny faces and enjoy wearing hoodies." But stripped to their cores, Lonny and Josh are simply two young actors-slash-writers who appear on a popular weekly-televised comedy.
Perhaps more coincidental is that roughly seven years ago, Ross worked behind-the-scenes for Sex and the City at the Silvercup Studios, the same soundstage in Queens where much of 30 Rock is shot. A native of Wantagh, N.Y. ("The Gateway to Jones Beach"), Ross also spent a number of years as a production assistant for Late Night With Conan O'Brien, followed by a few roles in comedy flicks "College Road Trip" and "Good Luck Chuck."
The Apiary recently snagged Ross for a hot minute to ask him about getting booked for the show, his celebrity-impersonation skills and what it's like to make Tina Fey laugh.
The Wikipedia entry for Josh Girard is twice as long as the entry for Lonny Ross. What do you make of that?
Tina and I were talking during one of the first episodes we ever shot about who would be more popular in the real world, Josh Girard from TGS with Tracy Jordan, or Lonny Ross from 30 Rock. Because essentially, we are both actors on comedy shows. But being that 30 Rock is on in primetime, and TGS would be on Friday night, we assumed it would be Lonny Ross ... but perhaps that is not the case. And Wikipedia would know, too. After all, they are the most trusted and well respected faux encyclopedia on the net.
Maybe it's because Josh is an easy character to relate with -- most of us want nothing more than to avoid our boss's glare. Are there elements to Josh's character that are your own creations?
Well, I was the one who decided that he be devilishly handsome. So I take credit for that. I think when Tina was casting for the show, I just really fit the profile of what she was looking for in the character -- energetic, young actor who could be believed as being a cast member on a sketch comedy show. But I really did go into the audition just being myself. So in that case, I guess there aren't many differences -- we are both dudes who do weird voices, make funny faces, and enjoy wearing hoodies. I do, however, like to be believe I'm not as dimwitted as Josh. I guess I'm not because Josh might not know what the word "dimwitted" means.
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Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 9:00AM 