Left, Jesse Plemons; right, Alan Tudyk Photo: Gary Miller
Alan Tudyk is the perfect actor for our current, content-saturated moment of Peak TV and streaming wars. The versatile, Juilliard-trained performer slips readily and frequently between on-screen character roles and animated voice work. He’s lately become something a lucky charm for Walt Disney Animation Studios, appearing in every single one of its feature-length efforts since Wreck-It Ralph. His time as wisecracking pilot Hoban “Wash” Washburne on the beloved space Western Firefly, meanwhile, ensures him a place in any number of genre projects and future cult classics, from the galactic big leagues—where he played the droid K2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story—to comics adaptations like Deadpool 2, Young Justice, and The Tick. In his latest panel-to-screen turn, Tudyk inhabits the fractured mind and anatomy of Mr. Nobody, the anarchic, self-aware antagonist of DC Universe’s take on Doom Patrol, which premieres Friday, February 15. While appearing at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, Tudyk kicked off the 2019 edition of 11 Questions.
1. What’s your favorite fast food menu item?
Alan Tudyk: God, I could go two ways here. To be honest, it’s french fries.
The A.V. Club: From anywhere specific?
AT: McDonald’s. That is so tediously boring. That is so obvious.
AVC: It’s hard to do french fries wrong.
AT: Are you kidding me? You know who does them wrong is In-N-Out. What the hell is that? “But they’re fresh potatoes.” Well they shouldn’t be. We should freeze them first, and then you should fry them. It changes it. They get crispy on the outside that way. Otherwise they’re like this weird, soggy—you can taste what a raw potato tastes like at the same time. There’s not enough ketchup to make that thing palatable.
AVC: This might be a counterargument to your feeling that McDonald’s fries are a tedious answer—McDonald’s has perfected the fry.
AT: They’re good at it. As fast food goes, that’s the way to go. I used to say Wendy’s—they have a very fine salting, but the last time I had it, it was too fine, it was too much, it was too intense. So I think I’ve passed my Wendy’s years and I’ve moved into the comfort and the predictability of McDonald’s.
2. If you could re-live an event or moment in your own life, what would it be?
AT: Oh, there’s a lot of them, I would hope. I remembered this not too long ago, so I’ll say it because it’s the first thing that came to mind: The first big movie I ever did was Patch Adams with Robin Williams. It was a very small role. Michael Jeter was also in the same scenes as me, and we were standing around waiting to shoot something, and I went up to him and I said, “What you doing?” And in this old-timey, old-man voice he said, [Adopts old-timey, old-man voice.] “Oh, just hanging out by the window, enjoyin’ the sunshine.” And then I, in a similar old-timey voice, said, [Adopts similar old-timey voice.] “Ooh, but you got to worry about the sunshine—it makes your moles grow.” And then Robin Williams came over, and he said, [Adopts Williams’ old-timey voice.] “What are we talkin’ about?” And we said, “Moles.” And then he said, “I’ve got a mole problem in my yard!” And then somehow it changed to an English accent, and then it changed to this bizarre choreographer that Robin was doing, and we were all doing bizarre choreographers, and then we were in a disco, and we just went from character to character to character playing around, [improvising]. And there was a moment where I was standing there doing it and standing beside myself, poking myself, going, “Oh my god.” I was doing characters that I think I learned originally from [Williams] as a kid. I would love to re-live that.
AVC: What else in your career had you done before that?
AT: I had done two off-Broadway plays, a couple of plays out of town, and a casting director called me in to meet Tom Shadyac because of the first play I did, where I played 24 characters. I think I was reading the Philip Seymour Hoffman role [in Patch Adams], and [Shadyac], in the room, was like, “You’re not going to get this. But if you can do 24 characters, I’m sure I could find a character to put you in.” And he followed through. I went to San Francisco. I had hives—I’d eaten some bad Chinese food the night before, and my throat started to close up as I went to set. They took me to a doctor because I was covered in these hives and my windpipe was closing up. I couldn’t breathe. The doctor gave me a shot of adrenaline, and they took me back to set, and then, “Action!”
And if you ever see the opening couple of scenes of Patch Adams, where I’m one of the guys in group therapy, I am as high as a kite on adrenaline. My eyes were about to roll back into my head. It’s a great acting tool, adrenaline. You watch it and you’re like, “Oh, yeah, he’s completely whacked out.” Because I had had, like, four cups of coffee before that.
AVC: As your first movie role, you were probably already experiencing an adrenaline rush anyway.
AT: Absolutely. Everything was brand new. There’s craft service! And there’s Robin Williams. There was Robin Williams. I was in San Francisco staying in a nice hotel. My girlfriend came to visit—like, “You got to come be part of this! It’s too great!” And she brought me chocolates, which is the last thing you should eat when you have hives. The doctor’s like, “Whatever you do, don’t have any brown liquors or chocolate.” I’m like, “You just described my dinner.”
3. Who’s your favorite fictional villain?
AVC: An appropriate question for Doom Patrol.
AT: Mr. Nobody’s pretty great, but I’m getting to know him. He’s like the Joker, but he’s not so serious.
AVC: He’s a real wild card. He’s breaking the fourth wall all over the place.
AT: That’s great. To be able to comment on the world and himself and everyone around him.
As far as villains go, the Joker is just amazing. I guess that’s it: the Joker, and then also, Mr. Nobody. Forget that: Mr. Nobody wins! I got to talk to Grant Morrison—I called him on the phone, because I know some comic book folk who are very cool. They’re like, “Yeah, I got his number. He’s in Scotland!” So I called him and he said, “The thing about Nobody is it’s a perspective. He’s absurdist. It’s like if you find a dollar bill on the ground, what is that worth? Now you see that it’s signed by Andy Warhol and it’s a piece of found art. Now what is it worth? Now you find out that the signature’s a forgery. Now what is it worth? Then you find out that it’s Picasso who forged the signature. Now what is it worth?” He said, “That kind of ‘nothing matters’ perspective on the world—it’s all fungible—that’s where he lives.” Ah, it’s fun.
AVC: What does it mean as an actor to have a part that’s like that?
AT: Doesn’t that make your brain tickle? That makes my brain kind of squirm.
What’s really fun is working with Timothy Dalton. I do a lot with him because I kidnap him in the first episode. The bulk of my stuff is with him, and it’s just two actors in a space trying to out-maneuver one another, but I had the upper hand so that’s even that much more fun, because he’ll never beat me. He’s a fantastic actor. He works on stage a lot, so you don’t see him as much as we should, because he’s doing it for live audiences. He’s a Shakespearean actor, and I started reading Shakespeare again because I’m working with him. We’ve been talking about it so much, I thought, “I need to get that back. I need to start working that muscle again.” For an actor, it’s a blast. The stakes are super high. I’m working with great actors who want to work on the scene. I’m a nerd about the craft of acting, so I’m really enjoying it.
4. What’s a line from film or television that you’ve incorporated into your personal vocabulary?
AVC: You’ve been someone who’s spoken a lot of quotable lines on screen—especially in Firefly.
AT: I’ve seen a few tattoos that say, “I’m a leaf on the wind,” for sure.
The word “seda-give” exists in my vocabulary—said with a shrill, question mark on the end: “Seda-give?”—from Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein. I was just the other day talking to my wife, saying, “From now on, I’m going to try to be the same,” which is a line from What’s Up, Doc? It’s a line that Barbra Streisand has with Ryan O’Neal. It is such a funny movie. The play is, “From now on, I’m going to try to be the same.”
“The same as what?”
“The same as people who aren’t different.”
5. Who would play you in the movie of your life?
AT: If I’m lucky, Jesse Plemons. He’s such a good actor, and he’s got a whole ginger thing going on.
6. What’s a movie that you’ll always stop and watch if you’re flipping channels?
AT: My favorite movie’s All That Jazz. I would definitely stop if I saw it. I never see it, though. That movie’s great.
AVC: Are you excited about that Fosse/Verdon miniseries?
AT: Yes. Sam Rockwell’s an incredible actor, and because of All That Jazz, I’m a huge fan of Bob Fosse.
7. What possession can you not get rid of?
AT: My Xbox. My Halo game.
8. What specific skill would you bring to a post-apocalyptic society?
AT: Acute smart-assery.
AVC: It’s a situation that’s going to need some humor, right?
AT: Please. Yes. I’ll get killed very quickly in a post-apocalyptic world, because they’ll be like, “Shut up that smartass. I can’t take it anymore.” But I’ll bring it.
9. Who is the most underrated person in your industry right now?
AT: Austin Pendleton. One of my favorite actors. That’s right, probably very few people know who Austin Pendleton is. He has his own energy. He has his own frequency that he operates on. He can just say a line that’s funny, and it isn’t written funny, but because of him, it is. You may remember him from My Cousin Vinny. He played the lawyer that [Mitchell Whitfield] gets because he’s like, “Your cousin’s a terrible lawyer.” And [Pendleton’s] like, “I got this,” and he gets up, and he has—only when he’s speaking to the jury—a debilitating stutter. He is a phenomenal actor.
10. If you could be in any band, past or present, which one would it be?
AT: The Beatles! C’mon. I’ll play the theremin. That’s what was missing in most of their music. There wasn’t enough theremin.
11. What would you do during The Purge?
AT: I’ve never seen a Purge. I know the idea of a Purge. I am opposed to The Purge movies. I’m opposed to the idea of all of it.
AVC: So you’d be protesting it?
AT: Hell no! That’d be, like, the No. 1 target. I would be hiding. I’d be on a boat. I take a boat out with a group of friends who hate the Purge just as much as me, and we’d have a nice time. We’d watch All That Jazz and maybe a Mel Brooks marathon.
AVC: You’re getting yourself into a completely different case of lawlessness there, though, because it’s maritime law.
AT: I’m not bringing any jackass who wants to kill anybody! I hope not. Maybe it’s just me and my wife. I can’t trust her. [Laughs.] No, I’m kidding, I’m kidding.
AVC: What would you like to ask the next person?
AT: “If you could play any role in any film, and re-create your own version of it, what would it be?”
100 Comments
Alan Tudyk is fantastic and now I know that we have a lot of common interests, because All That Jazz is my favorite movie, too. Austin Pendleton also was phenomenal in What’s Up, Doc?
I haven’t seen as many movies as I want to. I remember Pendleton from “The Muppet Movie.”
Good interview, but did you not make Tudyk answer his own 11th question?
Good interview, but did you not make Tudyk answer his own 11th question?I came here to ask that very question. It’s a great question and our lives are all a little darker for not knowing his answer.
Here’s hoping Doom Patrol does a straight adaptation of The Painting that Ate Paris.
I definitely would like to see a Brotherhood of Dada and Sleepwalk and The Fog in particular.
As an aside, if WB wants the DCEU to stand out from the MCU they should be looking towards stuff like Morrison’s Animal Man run.
Not a bad idea, considering Warner Brothers already owns the main character of Coyote Gospel.
…how? I wouldn’t know where to begin with bringing that into live action.Which is also my general problem with the Doom Patrol TV show – half of the best stuff from the comic I not only can’t imagine working in live action, I can’t imagine how they’d even try.
Huge respect for ‘fungible’.
I never realised what a talented actor he was until I saw Dollhouse. I mean, the show itself was obviously pretty flawed but his performance in the S1 finale when he switches split-second from a weird hacker trope into the villain is one of the more chilling things I’ve seen, and one of my favourite moments from a Whedon show
Yeah, I was expecting that in the opening paragraph. That seemed like a watershed for people taking notice of his all around acting skill.
I really like the flashback where he’s talking to Whiskey and says, “Let Echo be number one.” And then just immediately slashes her across the face with no change in his demeanour.
Amy Acker is goddamn incredible in that character too, though that can go without saying really
It’s the best Joker performance by someone not actually playing The Joker.
Well, he’s going to be in the new Harley Quinn animated series.
Recently rewatched Rogue One and man, is he great as K-S20. The visual effects are a big part too but his timing and tone are hilarious, until they’re not. He’s a talented guy, I’ve thought for ages now he would make a great Grofield in an adaptation of the Richard Stark books.
Basically Alan Tudyk and the battle at the end were the only salvageable parts of that film.
Grofield in an adaptation of the Richard Stark booksMan, he would be so great as Grofield….! He could bring a perfect mix of actorly ego/ambition, criminal smarts and pragmatism. But who for Parker? (because I wanna see The Score). I can’t think of anyone offhand nowadays…
It’s that mix of comedy and ruthlessness that would make Tudyk shine there. Parker is just ruthless, my go-tos for a long time have been either Nicky Katt or Harry Lennix. Less sure but possibly more likely considering his action background: Frank Grillo.
Just caught up with the latest season of The Punisher, and Beranthal would make a great Parker — but I doubt he’d do it if asked. “Oh, I get to be ruthless and kill anyone in the way? pretty much done…”
Ooh, interesting — I like Beranthal a lot as the Punisher but he’d have to dial back the soulful torment for Parker.
I have only read the Parker graphic novel adaptations by Darwin Cooke but for some reason I always got a Michael Shannon vibe for Parker.
The Cooke adaptations are so fucking good. Check out the books too! And Shannon has menace but wears his emotions openly, either in freakout mode (something entirely antithetical to Parker) or repressing them. I think he’s a great actor, particularly in Take Shelter, but the wrong fit here.
I love that movie. The way they stitched it right up to the very beginning of the saga is inspiring. Darth is such an ass-kicker in those scenes.
Fingers crossed K2 is back for the Cassian Andor series on Disney+, I just want to see me some new K2!
‘Alyn Tudyk was pumped full of adrenaline”That sentence could have two very different meanings, depending on which tense and voice the author intended.
I’ve never experienced someone using “fungible” in a spoken response. I’m very impressed. (I already thought he was very talented, but that puts a cherry on top.)
(Donald Rumsfeld curses at laptop; logs off)
Ha! I’d forgotten that.
I believe he was quoting Grant Morrison – who is absolutely the kind of guy to use ‘fungible’ in a spoken response. Also probably ‘hypersigil’, etc.
He is great on Star Trek: Discovery.
…Pretty sure you’re thinking of Anthony Rapp.
Oh. No. You. DIDN’T!
Ah yes. Someone looks like someone else. Hilarious joke.
Well, in his defense it was mildly amusing in a “now that you mention it” kinda way …
It’s a well-known joke online that these two actors are often mistaken for each other. I’m sorry this was your first day on the internet and you were unaware of this.
Watching the first episode of Discovery, I was like, “Hey, they cast off-brand Alan Tudyk!” Then I felt bad because I realised Rapp is a really good actor and one of my favourite parts of the show now.
Great actor, right about French fries, Patch Adams is one of the worst mainstream movies ever made.
I liked that he was clearly very passionate about the fry discussion. “Are you kidding me?”
Saw Austin Pendleton on a subway once. He seemed to give a riveting, weird performance just riding on a subway.
You got to fry the fries twice to get them right. Baking also works.
He’s spot-on about In N Out fries. They’re a soggy heap.Anyway – everyone’s favorite fast food item? For me it’s old-school Taco Bell taco supremes.
I’ve never had In N Out, I’m in the northeast, so I can’t say myself.I like the chicken related ones like chicken sandwiches and tenders.
Most chicken tenders and breast sandwiches are real food. If I’m trashing my body with junk, it’s TB every time.
TB Supremes are…well…supreme. Damn it, now I want Taco Bell and the closest one to me is 45 minutes away!
Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich
He’s spot-on about In N Out fries. They’re a soggy heap Yes… but I always ask for them well done and they work out fine. I imagine they just keep them in the fryer twice as long, or whatever. It may not be one of their real unofficial extra menu items, but they’ll do it if I ask.
I’m pretty sure it’s a well known non menu item. At least I’ve read it on sites before. I’ve never ordered it because I don’t have a problem with their fries but it might help Alan.
It’s an official secret menu option
I see what you mean, but well done is such a funny term for fries. Makes me imagine asking for medium rare ones. “Still a little pink inside.”
It would be hard to overstate how disappointing all of In-N-Out is. I do not understand how it’s even popular. It’s like cafeteria food.A Shake Shack burger is hard to beat, but I might just barely give the edge to Popeye’s spicy chicken leg as my absolute favorite.
I didn’t realize I needed another reason to love Tudyk, and then he goes and shits on In N Out fries, which are objectively the worst.
They’re so bad that having them for the first time made me realize how much the quality of fries matters drastically more to me than the burger. Like I can live with an iffy burger, but anyone who calls the cardboard starch sticks that In N Out serves ‘fries’ is dead to me.
Crunchwrap Supreme, hands-down. Perfect combo of every part of Taco Bell in the least-messy form they offer!
Even In-N-Out fans will admit their fries are garbage.
Fry them with VERY HOT oil, and don’t close them up in a bag.
Beef fat. http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/19-mcdonalds-broke-my-heart
just ask for them well done at In N Out, that fixes the sogginess and they are amazing that way
My dad used to have a three step chip process that made great fries. First he’d boil the potatoes, and then I can’t remember if it was bake>fry or fry>bake. But they were amazing. I’ll have to check with him.
I did something similar when I tried to make potato chips, but I only baked. I should try it with my fries.
Alan “2 $hedz” Tudyk . . .
I hope Dirk Gently gets picked up by someone because I wanted to see where his character(and all the characters honestly) were going next!
In 8th grade summer break was just starting and I was looking for something to do. I saw a bootleg DVD my brother was lent legitimate, legal DVD set of Firefly. I was instantly smitten. I went through that DVD set in about 4 days, and considering this was pre-netflix this was pretty impressive binging for me. Little did I know it was already too late.
The cast of Firefly put so much of themselves in the role that it makes you feel like you know them, even though obviously you don’t. But I have felt connected to each actor & actress from that show. Like middle-aged moms across America I still have a crush on Nathan Fillion. But Alan Tudyk will always make me laugh. His very first scene is just iconic, and he’s continued to make me laugh since then. He does have dramatic chops but rarely gets to exercise them – hopefully at some point we’ll get to see more of that side of him. I’ve continued to follow a lot of the cast in their various roles, and it always makes me happy to see them in something I didn’t expect (like Arrested Development, or Deadpool, etc.) Anyway, I sound like I’m writing an obituary comment for him, goodness. Great interview!
I have met a good portion of the cast before (except, sadly, Ron Glass) and they are all genuinely nice folk but Alan Tudyk was the one who most clearly stays in my mind for his fan geniality. At DragonCon one year, after they had just put out a book of Firefly episode scripts and costuming, I was having Alan and Summer Glau sign it and Alan took it and was like “Is this new? This is so cool. Hey, Summer, have you seen this?” and just thumbed through it for a few moments before “Oh, I guess I should sign it, yeah?” and he signed it and gave it back and said thank you to me. THAT is a good dude, 100%. (Morena Baccarin is a close second as I had a chat with her about plays that was pretty memorable, too. Jewel Staite gets a honorable mention for dropping in an F-bomb while telling a joke at her signing)
I saw him go into his Wreck-it Ralph character, holding up the picture in front of his face to entertain a five year-old who came threw his line in New Orleans. He just seemed like a guy who enjoyed his fans.
his Wreck-it Ralph characterMan, I have to see that movie again. I loved it, but didn’t know it was Tudyk until after. I just thought, like people around my age would, that they got a really great Ed Wynn impersonator. Which I guess they did, but it was also Alan Tudyk.The movie 42 isn’t great, a standard sports biopic (with a great cast including Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson and Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey) but Tudyk is a standout playing Ben Chapman. His casual (therefore more calculatedly cruel) racism is chilling… the more so because you can’t imagine Wash (or even Alpha) saying such stuff.
I have been meaning the watch the web series “Con Man” (about actor going to fan conventions) that Alan Tudyk did with Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day and Mindy Sterling
It’s got so many fun cameos like Nolan North and Michael Dorn as well.
He and Gina Torres really had pretty great chemistry, on paper they shouldn’t have worked, but they did (at least once Wash shaved the mustache)
Commander Harken : Is there any particular reason you don’t wish to discuss your marriage?Zoe: Don’t see that it’s any of your business, is all. We’re very private people.
still not entirely sure how he dies in Serenity. The ship has stopped, nothing is moving, then that spike comes out of nowhere…
Oh man, he is so dead on about In and Out fries. Every time I eat them (yes, even well done) I’m just perplexed at why they are that way. Also why are they cut so short and stubby? Arrgh!Anyways I first knew Tudyck from 28 Days and then A Knight’s Tale, released in quick succession, and always thought he was German actor. It took me forever to start noticing everything else he was in and how effortlessly he assumed different roles.I hadn’t been paying attention to the 11 Questions overhaul and I have to say I like this new batch of questions.
He’ll always be Pirate Steve to me.
He’ll always be Wash to me, but Steve the Pirate and the only decent part of I, Robot are on the podium.
Who’s Steve the Pirate?
Dodgeball.
Wait, there was a character in Dodgeball who thought he was a pirate?
Yes, Alan Tudyk.
Alan Tudyk was in Dodgeball dressed as a pirate?!
Oh hey! Look! It’s Steve the Pirate!
Oh hey, it’s Alan Tudyk as Steve the Pirate.
The first thing that comes to mind for me with him is Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, and now I need to go watch it again…
He seems a good man, this Johnny Twodicks.
The guy says he can’t give up his Xbox because of Halo and there’s not a follow-up question about his thoughts on playing Halo:ODST, a game he voices a prominent character in?!
I know AV Club isn’t interested in this level of clarity or subtlety, but he wasn’t pumped full of adrenaline FOR Patch Adams. He just happened to have been pumped full of adrenaline for medical reasons while he was working on Patch Adams.
Permitted for pun reasons?
For a hopeless alcoholic, he’s very talented.
Great set of answers on these new 11 Questions (I haven’t seen it in a long time any maybe I forgot the questions).
I would love to spend time talking theatre, acting, and Shakespeare with Timothy Dalton. That’s awesome.
In N Out’s fries are bad. Burgers, are good, not as great as Culver’s or even, to me, Original Tommy’s in L.A., but they’re good. Let’s not get in a giant burger battle here. I like them fine. I try to have one when I’m in CA. and living in L.A. for 8 years, I did enjoy them. Thanks.
GREAT answer on the stupid PURGE. What a gross, stupid, despicable concept.
Austin Pendelton is AMAZING. I’ve loved him since seeing WHAT’S UP DOC when I was 11, and then whenever he’d pop up, in CATCH-22, THE MUPPET MOVIE, in MY COUSIN VINNY, anything, he was one of my favorite: “Oh its THAT guy” actors forever. He’s also a wonderful voiceover artist, as he’s the voice of Gurgle, the fish terrified of germs in FINDING NEMO. Hilarious. Did people know he was the original Motel in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF on Broadway back in the 1960’s? Amazing.
I wish I could have played around doing voices and improv with Robin Williams and Michael Jeter. Wow.
Really enjoyed this 11 Questions. Thanks.
GREAT answer on the stupid PURGE. What a gross, stupid, despicable concept. The Purge is one of those high concept movies that doesn’t bear any sort of close scrutiny.
And is pointless as a question after already asking about a post-apocolyptic one.
Someone needs to tell Alan about getting fries well done at In N Out… it makes them a million times better
Imagine getting to speak to an actor and only asking shitty meme questions. This is just a waste of time
Austin Pendleton is in one of the most under-rated movies ever, Guarding Tess.
Hearing him say he wants to do Shakespeare makes me want that rumored Whedon Hamlet movie even worse than I already did! He’d be an awesome Polonius, I think. I know people’d want him as either Rosencrantz or Guildenstern, or as the Gravekeeper, but I think Polonius is an interesting enough and layered role to really utilize all of his abilities, not just his comedic ones.
Are we calling it “adrenaline” nowadays