‘Odd Couple’ funnyman rises above disappointments
COSTARS Thomas Lennon (left) and Matthew Perry
“My career is very much all over the place,” actor-screenwriter Thomas Lennon candidly mused about his eclectic TV and film career in a recent phone interview.
“I’ve directed and written a lot of films—some are intermediate and some were absolutely horrible disasters,” he told the Inquirer.
But Lennon, 45, added that he continues to enjoy and learn from his connected careers. Some of his prominent screenwriting credits include “Night at the Museum,” “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and “The Pacifier.”
He cocreated, wrote episodes and starred in “Reno 911,” a popular cop comedy series that ran from 2003 to 2009. He also voiced characters in animated series, “Bob’s Burgers,” “Archer” and “American Dad.”
He currently stars opposite Matthew Perry in the reboot of “The Odd Couple” (Fridays, 9:55 p.m., RTL CBS Entertainment), a sitcom about mismatched roomies. He plays the tense, neat freak Felix, while Perry portrays his opposite, the easygoing Oscar.
Excerpts from the interview:
What’s the secret to playing Felix, and how do you relate to him?
There’s so much of the character that I have brought to it. I was making a real effort not to mimic Tony Randall’s performance [in the 1970s show], and I have tried to bring a lot of my own persona to it. So all of Felix’s yoga aspects, that’s all me. The notion that he plays the cello, that’s me.
The only difference between myself and Felix is … he has really good posture. I stand like a meerkat—always sort of stretched out as tall as [I] could be and kind of looking around.
Of all the comedies you’ve starred in, which project would you say is the most popular and why?
“Odd Couple” is certainly being seen by more people than anything I’ve ever done, but the character I played in “Reno 911” for six seasons, Lieutenant Dangle, had the most notoriety.
It’s a pretty popular Halloween costume in the States. So, when I walk down the streets, they yell out at me, “Hey! Where’s your shorts?!” I would always respond, “Don’t worry, I got them underneath in case of emergency.”
LENNON as Lt. Dangle in “Reno 911”
What’s the most important thing about writing a screenplay?
When I’m writing in films, it’s a process that I love. Writing for a series can be maddening. [Screenwriting] is something that I really enjoy—the process of sitting and writing.
What significant change have you seen on TV lately?
Certainly, the biggest challenge was doing something that was worthwhile in its own regard. “The Odd Couple” wasn’t just a replication of Tony Randall and Jack Klugman’s show, which was amazing. And I know in the United States, it’s a moderate hit. It seems to have connected with people.
What’s the most difficult thing that you had to endure to become successful?
One of the many things I’ve learned is … I enjoy being a screenwriter and an actor, playing small roles. And what I learned along the way is, I’m always trying to keep it interesting for myself.
I’m always lucky to do something a little different. One thing you’ll learn in the different jobs I went through is there’s a ton of disappointment.
Most of those are the toughest jobs in the world, and they often don’t work out. In this profession, we need to keep changing and not always [put] all our eggs in one basket to stay mentally healthy.
