Matt posted again on the IHTSBIH movie blog, this time he shares the story of his trip to New Orleans with Jesse Bradford and Geoff Stults (they play his best friends in the film); which includes piss, dangerous guitar playing, alcoholic beverages, strippers, and gay porn. The piece is written Tucker Max-style.
“ Yo. I just spent the last fuckin five minutes on Bourbon St, trying to put a fuckin plastic hand grenade around my necklace. Hey!! Here they are! Put it on the blog.……this is Geoff. ” ~ Matt Czuchry
Tucker Max himself has lots of great things to say about Matt’s acting…
In real life, he could not be less like me–where I am a narcissist, he is incredibly empathetic. Where I am outgoing and boisterous, he is shy and reserved. Where I am aggressive and physical, he is calm and reasoned. But he is playing me, so he not only has to act, he has to become someone he has very little in common with in his personal experience. And beyond that, he has to play a character that has never really been before in modern cinema. With all those chips stacked against him, he’s STILL turning in a transcendent performance, and THAT is the mark of a great actor–to excel even when you are playing a character whose emotional range is outside of your own.
I’m back from the Philippines and as Sandra already mentioned I took “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell” with me! The book’s hilarious, I love it! It showed me how easy women are.
On August 22nd, GilmoreGirlsNews.com had the opportunity to do a phone interview with Matt:
Matt says he’s enjoyed working on “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell” and a couple moments from the film have made their way into his list of the “Top 5 Weirdest Experiences” of his life.
Matt says he had not read IHTSBIH prior to receiving Tucker Max’s screenplay, but has since gone back to read it. Matt describes the movie as following one of the short stories of the book, though structured differently with narrative written around it.
I asked what about this story and Tucker Max attracted him to the film. Matt Czuchry says, “Tucker has this energy and a love for living in the moment. He has a rawness and authenticity about him.” Matt says it was this “energy and passion” that attracted him to the movie. Because he and Tucker Max are so different, Matt says that “just knowing what it would take to do this role” was a challenge he was eager for.
Matt says that he and Tucker share that love of the moment; that Tucker “live[s] life in a way that’s honest,” which is something Matt himself tries to do. When it comes to comparing himself to the scripted Tucker Max, the character he plays in the movie, Matt says “We’re quite a bit different. How we are with friends, with women, how we treat others…”
Matt talked earlier about trying to make the character “redeemable and lovable“, and his success in that he leaves up to the audience. “I try to make sure the character has motivations for what he does,” Matt says, which he hopes will ultimately make the Tucker Max-on-film authentic and likable.
Matt Czuchry spent the last 3 months with his acting coach and with Tucker Max trying to develop the character on film. He would spend time with Tucker asking him the “why” and the “how” questions and adding his own interpretation to that. Given that Tucker Max and Matt Czuchry differ so greatly as individuals, Matt had to put himself into a new “headspace“, as he describes it. The evolution of Tucker Max-on-film came out of trying to put the character into his own life.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell will be released in Spring of 2009.
When asked what kinds of characters he’d like to play, Matt says it’s hard to think about other roles while immersed in I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. That said, Matt notes that “I like to seek different projects. From theater to guest arcs on shows I love like Friday Night Lights.”
When asked if he’d be back for this season of Friday Night Lights, Matt says no. He says that a lot will make sense to viewers of Friday Night Lights when the season resumes, in terms of why his character is no longer a part of the show.
For those of you familiar with Matt Czuchry’s work, you’ll know he signed on for the pilot of a new show called Gravity. I asked Matt about the status of this project and, despite rumors to the contrary, Matt says “The pilot was never shot.” Matt says he was attached to the project to shoot the pilot, but it never made it to that stage. He’s no longer attached to the project. If the pilot were to go forward now, it would be a whole new series of negotiations.
When asked if he was happy with the ending of Gilmore Girls, Matt Czuchry says, “You know, it was hard, creatively. We didn’t know if it was going to be a season finale or a series finale. I think that affected the show. The storylines had an ‘in between’ feeling’. There wasn’t as much closure.” I asked Matt what kind of future he saw for Logan & Rory. Matt says, “It’s hard to say, since the show ended the way it ended. I think Logan was positively changed by her [Rory] and wanted more, but she was not ready for more. It’s hard to say what would have happened.” Did Matt enjoy working on Gilmore Girls? “Yes, of course. I was there three years. It’s a big part of who I am now.”
As to whether or not Matt keeps in touch with other Gilmore Girls cast & crew, he says that there are some he keeps in touch with, but others he watches from a distance. “I follow most from a distance. Like Alexis & Lauren, I like to follow what they’re up to.”
Matt is scheduled to participate in the Hollywood Knights USO Tour. The basketball team will play in Germany and Belgium from September 19 through September 28.
Also scheduled: Geoff Stults (his co-star in I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell ); Brad Beyer from Jericho; Paul Johansson from One Tree Hill; Justice, and Titan from American Gladiators; and Eric Millegan from Bones.
This is the second time Matt is joining the Hollywood Knights for an international game; the first time was in 2006 in Norway; raising funds for the Norwegian Cancer Society and the Preservation of Bergen Ancient Monuments.
I’ll let you guys know when more info is available/tickets go on sale!
Here’s some pictures of the 2006 Norway trip (Thanks to HollywoodKnights.com):
With Karin still on vacation (she took the “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell” book, I might add), I did a full scan of the site and noticed that the contact forms weren’t working! (I’m sorry for that). All is resolved now.
Surprisingly enough, I received a submission even before posting this entry: Claire picked her favorite Matt hairstyle. Thanks Claire!
I’ll change the hairstyle pics next week, keep voting!
Tomorrow I’m going on vacation so I won’t be able to update this site for 4 weeks (until August 23). Sandra will post the latest news while I’m gone and she will take care of this site and answer your emails.
My hope is that our dreams, each of our lives, can connect to create something that blows our minds. That our creativity together, that our life’s work, that our view of the world, can unite to exceed all our individual expectations. That all the work, drive, and passion adds up to a living breathing thing that exceeds all of our wildest hopes and dreams.
~Matt
The IHTSBIH’s Channel has updated with a video of Matt where he talks about the rehearsal process and how it is important for the making of the movie. If you like, you can send your questions for Matt and he’s going to answer them on video. Click here to submit them, or here (you can read the questions already asked). Thanks to ihopetheyservebeerinhell.com
And remember to check out the IHTSBIH’s photostream for daily behind the scenes pictures!
); Brad Beyer from Jericho; Paul Johansson from One Tree Hill; Justice, and Titan from American Gladiators; and Eric Millegan from Bones.
