My name is Binki Shapiro, and I play in the band Little Joy. In an effort to raise money for the relief efforts in earthquake-devastated Haiti, I’ve rallied a bunch of artists to contribute custom-made artwork — t-shirts, tote bags and other personalized items — for the Crafts For A Cause auction. All proceeds will go to Artists for Peace and Justice, an amazing charitable organization founded by my dear friend Paul Haggis.
One item up for auction is the infamous “Shapes” painting from Parks and Recreation’s “The Camel” signed by Aziz Ansari, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Schneider, Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt.
How much does the cast improv?
They encourage you to improv if you’re funny. There have been times when I’ve improv’d and they say, “You know, let’s just do it as it’s scripted.” We’re allowed to do five or six takes the way it’s written, and then a couple more where we get to make things up and have fun. I think the writers get frustrated with the question. “Yeah, the whole show is improv, huh?” And the writers are like, “What the fuck”?
Do you do your own stunts?
I’ve done a lot of my own stunts. There’s one major stunt that I definitely did not do — I’ve got a great stuntman, he’s remarkable, the things that he can do, and the diving into the pit, it was definitely a stuntman. I’ve done things. I dove over the hedge.
You and Nick Offerman have managed to become fan favorites. Have you bonded?
You know, the unique bond I have with Nick comes down to this … it was under some really brilliant advice from my friend and acting coach Ben Davis, who said, “Always pick someone to watch who you think you can learn from.” On this show, Nick Offerman is that for me. I just want to watch him work. And we have a unique bond in that we’re both definitely dudes. Sort of men’s men.
Andy Dwyer has become the show’s breakout character; it seems like the more of him we see, the better the episode. Did you have any inkling when you got the part that it might work out that way?
No, at first it was given to me as a guest-star role for six episodes. I had a pretty good idea that by the end of his run, Rashida’s character would break up with him, so I thought I could just have fun with it, and that would be that. There were no guarantees. But they told me if the show got picked up, and if they brought Andy back, it would be as a regular; I guess that was kind of the carrot that you dangle in front of the actor. “Hey, there’s a chance you can come back as a regular!” But they didn’t have to, so I was just assuming they wouldn’t bring him back. As the episodes went on, though, it was more and more apparent that they were writing really funny stuff for the character.
Do you think it was their plan all along to give Andy more screen time, or do you think it was because of how the character was received?
I think it’s a testament to Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who created the show, that a lot of what they planned gets thrown out the window when it becomes clear how things are developing. We’re obviously working from a plan, but they’re very willing to just throw everything out there, see what’s working, and see who has chemistry. With a cast like this, too, you see a lot of freestyling, a lot of improvisation, and they really swing with it when they go forward. So there just happened to be this ridiculous character, Andy, who kept getting laughs, and that’s been why he’s gotten more scenes. And I think that’s going to happen with more and more characters—I think everyone’s going to get their moments and find their groove, it’s just a matter of letting it work itself out. It’s not something that’s possible to plan, but it wasn’t planned with me, either.
Will we be seeing any more of (Mouse Rat)?
Man, I sure hope so. If it was up to me, Andy would team up with Ron, playing Duke Silver—he’d be blowing the saxophone and Andy would provide the guitar and piano, and they’d go on tour together. Of course, I always pitch stuff like that, and the writers just look at me and go, “Uh, yeah, I don’t think so.”
Andy might not work if he was super-thin and handsome. Part of what’s funny about him is that he’s this type of guy that everyone’s met, this sort of band schlub who mooches off his girlfriend, he’s not too good-looking…
I think if Andy were super-fit and buff, people would really hate his guts. That’s another reason that he stays likeable—he thinks he’s really handsome, but he’s just this dude with a double chin and a belly, who sits around and drinks beer and eats pizza and doesn’t really work toward anything. It was Nick Offerman who told me this first, and I really liked it: he said “Andy is living the American dream—the new American dream, which is do as little as possible and get as much in return as possible.”
Highlights from a conference call with Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt:
Rashida on the possibility of Ann and Andy getting back together: You know, I don’t think it’s an impossibility. I think there’s still love in Ann’s heart for Andy. I think so much would have to change for him to be OK with her. But I don’t think it’s an impossibility.
Chris on whether Andy will start dating: I think that Andy’s undying devotion toward Ann is one of the only things that sort of redeems him, so I hope not. I hope that he just keeps pining after Ann for 10 seasons to come. That would be the best for me.
Chris on the nude scenes: Yeah, let’s just say there was a dance belt included and it was uncomfortable. They kind of just are these little things that cover up your junk, but it was almost as if I was wearing nothing at all. Yeah.
Rashida on the show clicking more in the second season: It just takes time. I think for the actors, for the writers, for the audience, you just need some time to settle into what the characters actually are, and what’s funny about their dynamics. And I’m super grateful that people gave us a shot to get there but I definitely think it takes about 10 episodes to even know what anything is, you know? I mean, you watch some early Seinfeld, you watch some early Sex and the City, it’s nothing like the show turned out to be; the things that people loved about that show did not exist at the beginning of that show, you know.
This VIP card gives you exclusive access to the investment opportunity of a lifetime. Where? Multipurpose room F. When? 3 p.m. Dress code? Black tie optional. Just like life.
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