TVLINE | You’re back working with Bill Lawrence on “Rooster,” 25 years after you last worked together on “Spin City.” What was that reunion like — and did you find that creative shorthand with him still very much intact?
Not to overstate it, but it was incredible — 30 years after we worked together on our first-ever TV jobs, because it was the first one for me, and it was the first [show he co-created].
I can tell you, for me, I was literally learning how to act as in front of three cameras with one of the best comedy casts ever. They were all my teachers. I kind of went into it thinking, “Oh, it’s just going to be like theater,” because that was my background. “It’ll be great because there’s a live audience.” I really was learning on the job. And Bill, it was also his first thing. At the time, I was like, “Who’s this bro?” And all of his jokes were so dude-centric. But we also had [co-creator] Gary David Goldberg, who is the gold standard, and Michael J. Fox, also the gold standard. So I think he and I were both really getting our chops on that show.
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Coming back to do this with [Bill], and seeing what an incredible creator and showrunner he has become — I mean, truly — and the way that I experienced that is by the set that they create, and the environment that they are able to create. You could attribute it to, “Oh, it’s great writing,” but it’s not just great writing. It’s great writing, it’s great casting, it’s knowing exactly what the tone is, and the best way to establish that tone for everybody involved, for the cast and the crew alike.
The environment on this set is just so joyous and loving. Every single person there is thrilled to be there and feels a real sense of ownership and discovery. And so Bill and I, when we were on set together, we would joke — we both kind of were, like, he said to me, “Yeah, it turns out you got to be pretty good at this.” And I’m like, “Yeah, so did you.” It was wonderful to have that kind of bookend with him. You end up feeling very grateful to have been able to come so far, but ultimately grateful for your roots. And I think he feels the same. I take none of that for granted. I look back on that experience, and I know how much I learned, and I think he learned a lot, too. Gary David Goldberg was the best of the best. And Bill is now the best of the best. It’s pretty exciting to see.