I'm just thankful for gigs.
— Tony Hale
'Veep' has been one of the best rides of my life.
I don't think this business encourages you to be present. This is a business that's always pushing you to think about your next thing.
I'm doing 'Alvin and the Chipmunks.' I get to play the bad guy. That's a nice change of pace.
My character on 'Veep' doesn't have an ounce of rebellion.
I think anytime in someone's faith journey, my faith journey also, you go through doubting... I think you kind of have to go through that, honestly, just to ask the tough questions... I mean, life is crazy, and to know that, honestly, a loving God is walking through it with me is very comforting for me.
If I ever stop being grateful for gigs, I just need to stop. Because this business is... you know, it's just so kind of job-to-job, and the fact that I've continued working... I'm just incredibly thankful for it. And I never, ever take it for granted.
Even if a kid doesn't go into acting or the arts like I did, some kids need that environment to find themselves and find what they love to do.
If a D.C. event doesn't have crab cakes, it's low-rent and you need to flee.
I was telling somebody just the other day, there's technically such a hierarchy in this business. You have film, that's the ideal; then you have TV, and things like web series do not claim as much cred, but the fact is, if the material is solid and I believe and trust in the team that's involved, I don't care what format it is.
I kinda like Florida. It's hot as hell, but we moved to Tallahassee, which is so close to Georgia. It really wasn't Florida the way people think of Florida. It wasn't south Florida. But you could still easily drive to Panama City Beach and get a little bit of Redneck Riviera if you want that. Get some airbrushed T-shirts on, and you're done.
I've had the opportunity to do a wide range of stuff, a lot of different characters and they've all had their own kind of thing.
It's very rare to have rehearsal time on a television show: You get scripts, you show up, and you do it.
But I will say that Harve Presnell... he was one of those guys who, when you're standing in a room with him... he's such an older masculine force that I remember thinking, 'Wow, his voice makes me sound like Pee-Wee Herman.'
I remember kids in high school and middle school who - I was kind of an insecure mess - I think there were those kids who really stepped out and paid attention to the kids that weren't as popular, and I see those kids as leaders.
Personally, I have struggled with anxiety in my history, so I think maybe anxiety or worrying about the future came naturally.
I remember when I was watching 'Lost,' which I loved. I didn't know what was going on, but I still loved it.
What I always got excited about with 'Arrested Development' was the element of surprise.
I'm sounding like Oprah, but if you're not practicing contentment where you are now, you're not getting contentment when you get what you want.
There's a reason why I do anxious characters - it comes from a lot of personal anxiety. The great thing is, having that history, it's really fun to bring that into the characters... and play with it.
It's just that, with comedy, the circumstances are just crazy-heightened, and you have these crazy things thrown at you. But you still have to do it truthfully, because that's where the humor comes from.
I was a creative kid; I wasn't really into sports, and sports in the South are a pretty big deal. It's like a religion down there.
The only bipartisan place in D.C. is Brooks Brothers.
What would be a show that I would rescue? If I could bring anything back, it would be 'The Carol Burnett Show'. Tim Conway is just... I just watched him so many times do stuff over and over. He's just so amazing.
My family was very supportive of whatever I wanted because my grandfather was an opera singer. My dad's dad. So my dad has an appreciation for the arts, and he let me choose my own path.
The Eisenhower Building - the furniture is mismatched; everything is just bad decor and bad quality. Everybody's looking down at their Blackberry. It's a really frantic, mismatched environment. But on the exterior, it's this whitewashed, gorgeous building. It's a fascinating contrast.
Look, if I ever stop being grateful for gigs, I just need to stop. Because this business is... you know, it's just so kind of job-to-job, and the fact that I've continued working... I'm just incredibly thankful for it. And I never, ever take it for granted.
A lot of times, you feel like you're walking on eggshells in a creative environment, because everyone's having to watch out for egos so much of the time.
I think, probably like a lot of people, I kind of root for the underdog.
When I booked 'Arrested Development,' which was a fantastic job, and I was working with an amazing cast and some of the best writing I've ever done, I still found myself looking for the next thing.
There's a little mourning process when you leave a show.
I was kind of a spastic, creative kid.
I think prayerful meditation, being still in a space, being still with God, I don't do that enough. It's crazy, because when I do do it, I always walk away from it going, 'Why the hell am I not doing that more?'
I guess I just do 'emasculated' and 'meek' very well.
I didn't act at all in college.
My dad was in the Army, and we moved, I think, eight times before I was in the seventh grade. We landed in Tallahassee when my dad retired from the Army and started working for the state.
I always admire people who do commercials because they have to put together a beginning, a middle, and an end in 30 seconds.
There are things that can only be said with a good string of cussing. I'm definitely fond of a few choice words. They say things that nothing else can say. Gotta love it.
It's always a surprise! This business is always an adventure.
What's fascinating about D.C., the exteriors are these elaborate structures, this gorgeous architecture and beautiful stonework, and then you go inside and it's crap-looking - apart from the White House, which is beautiful.
And you know, whether it's drama or comedy, the best work is based on truth. It's just that, with comedy, the circumstances are just crazy-heightened, and you have these crazy things thrown at you. But you still have to do it truthfully, because that's where the humor comes from. So it's not that difficult to cross over.
