David Duchovny co-stars as Nia Vardalos' confused love interest. Even though Duchovny's character is the straight guy in the comedy mix, director Lembeck chose Duchovny partly because of his comic abilities. "David is a warm, funny, beguiling guy with a bawdy sense of humor. This role gives him license to exhibit some of those qualities," explains Lembeck.
INTERVIEW WITH DAVID DUCHOVNY ('Jeff'):
Is this character similar to you?
I don't know if it’s similar to me but what I like about the script, and the experience that I was thinking I might have, is I like Nia’s voice a lot, her voice as a writer. I liked her persona as a performer. I love the story of how “Big Fat Greek Wedding” just became a huge monster, whatever it was, for nothing. So I liked all those things and I knew the director, Michael Lembeck, because he’s a neighbor as well. So those two things just kind of cued me into the picture and that’s what I wanted to do.
I suppose there are [similarities], but in my history from “Twin Peaks,” I’m the one usually wearing the dress, which is what I would’ve preferred, but they wouldn’t let me. It’s been 15 years since I did that and my ass isn’t as good as it used to be.
Do you still have to box your way out of “X-Files”-type roles?
For sure. I’m always joking with my manager about how people always say to me, “I didn’t know you were funny.” It’s like, “I didn’t know you had a third arm.” Which wasn’t funny, you see, so obviously I’m not funny. It’s just part of the baggage of being on a show that was that big. It doesn’t make any sense to run from it or deny it. It just is what it is. I’m proud of “The X-Files.” I’m happy, happy that it made so much happen for me as a person, as an actor. I wouldn’t want it any other way, but it also brings these other barriers. If you look at it the right way, it can be fun to overcome because you can surprise people.
So how tough is it to be the ‘serious’ part of a comedy movie?
Well, that part of the film was very attractive to me in considering whether I wanted to be involved in the film. I saw the fun kind of Cyrano part of falling in love with a woman that you think is a man, [the] “Shakespeare in Love” part, and I thought that was fun and classic comedy set up in a way. But on top of that or below that was this relationship with the brother. I thought that was really interesting.
One of the difficult things in trying to do the performance that I think Michael Lembeck, the director, handled really well was to strike a tone in the movie, and in the performances, that could withstand or hold both the wacky comedy aspect but also the very real kind of family situation and two brothers coming together. I think it’s a testament to Michael and Nia’s writing and hopefully to Stephen [Spinella] and I having some basis of reality as actors as we’re working that the movie can have both those things. I think it’s nice when a movie can do both that kind of thing.
You have more experience than anyone else in this movie…
Yes, I’m glad somebody said it.
With being in drag...
Oh, with drag.
Were you able to give any drag pointers?
I tried, but they wouldn’t listen. They were real drag queens though. I’m just a dilettante, a dabbler. I’d done it on “Twin Peaks’ and really enjoyed doing the character, and thought I was decent at it. But these guys, they were real performers. I wanted to show them, I wanted the chance to dress up and dance and sing, but they wouldn’t let me.
Not even between takes?
Well, it’s really hard to all of a sudden bust out in a dress and a wig. It’s not something you can do, just give me 30 seconds and I’ll come back with my own drag name. No, it didn’t happen, but maybe if there’s a sequel – “Connie and Carla and That Guy.”
PAGE 2: David Duchovny on Auditioning, Pranks, and Drag Research
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Interview with Nia Vardalos
"Connie and Carla" Photo Gallery
"Connie and Carla" Production News, Trailer, and Credits
