Bobby Cannavale at the premiere of "Snakes on a Plane" held at the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif. on August 17, 2006.

On ABC’s romantic dramedy Cupid, Trevor Pierce (Bobby Cannavale) insists that he is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He claims that he has been sent to New York City by Zeus to bring 100 romantically challenged couples together before being allowed to return to Mt. Olympus. His persistence eventually lands him in a mental institution. Three months later, Trevor is found to be harmless to himself and others and is released, but under certain conditions. Placed under the care of psychiatrist and self-help author Dr. Claire McCrae (Sarah Paulson), he must attend her singles group therapy sessions on a regular basis, so that she can monitor his progress while he works as a bartender and creates an atmosphere for singles looking for lasting love.

New Jersey native Bobby Cannavale spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about this remake of the 1998 cult favorite, that originally starred Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall.

MediaBlvd Magazine> What is your approach to this character and this material?

Bobby Cannavale> I approached it as a completely new piece of material because I didn’t see the original at all. What attracted me most to the part was the endless possibilities you could play. Is he crazy, or is he a god? If he’s crazy, it’s a new kind of crazy that the doctors can’t explain, so I can have fun with that and let the writers worry about diagnosing what kind of crazy he is. Or, I could play a god and control everything. I’ve definitely chosen one of those things, but either one works. The great thing about the first conversation I had with (show creator/executive producer) Rob Thomas was that that question never came up. I never asked him, “Is he crazy, or is he a god?,” and he never asked me, “Do you think he’s crazy?” We both agreed that it doesn’t matter, really. We can play it either way. The possibilities are endless to me, and that is what made it exciting. I never felt like I’d be acting my way into a corner with this part. If we say he’s one or the other, then it takes the mystery out of it, and I very much like playing something very specific in my head because the writing supports it either way. Having said that, I haven’t flown yet, or done anything magical. The first time I read it, I knew it was going to be a secret I’d keep to myself, and that I’d have a really good time playing it.

MediaBlvd> Does the history of this show scare you a little, when you hear the idea that they want to remake something that didn’t work the first time?

Bobby> No ‘cause I never watched it. They remake movies all the time. And, I’ve been in revivals of plays, and never really thought, “This person played it,” or “That person played it.” It never occurred to me.

MediaBlvd> You talked about enjoying knowing the specifics of your character, but not telling viewers. Can you talk about the fun of keeping a secret for what could be a multi-year run of a show?

Bobby> It’s the best. It’s what you want, as an actor. You want to always have a secret. You want to be able to have an active inner life. For me, this is the ultimate part to be able to do that. I don’t ever have to reveal what I’m playing. It’s exactly the kind of part I want to play.

MediaBlvd> What do you look for in a girl?

Bobby> Good feet.

MediaBlvd> What advice would you give a guy looking for someone?

Bobby> Look at her feet. Make sure she’s got good shoes on.

MediaBlvd> Are you a romantic yourself? Can you relate to that aspect of your character?

Bobby> Yeah. I relate to the aspect of being in the moment, all the time. Trevor’s philosophy is being open to being in the moment, and I’m exactly like that.

MediaBlvd> Have you bartended before?

Bobby> Yeah, for many years. I started bartending for T.G.I. Friday’s, right around the time that movie Cocktail came out, which is why I flip all those bottles. To work at T.G.I. Friday’s, you have to learn how to flip bottles because they have these contests, and I did it for a lot of years.

MediaBlvd> How would you describe the comedy rhythm on this show?

Bobby> It’s written very well, and I have a great partner in Sarah Paulson. Sarah and I don’t do a lot of talking before we go in front of the camera. We just let it go. And, she’s the perfect partner. She’s the perfect straight woman, and I can be her straight man. The back and forth between she and I is the important thing about these characters. Every week, we’re going to see new couples get together, but what we have to keep our eye on is this relationship and the way these people push each other’s buttons. We’re going to spend however many years with them, so we want to see this relationship evolve. The way they push each other’s buttons, is it the way friends push each other’s buttons, or is it the way lovers push each other’s buttons? To me, how that evolves is where the meat of the show is.

MediaBlvd> What do you do to stay in shape and keep fit?

Bobby> I work 15 hours a day. I don’t have any time to go to the gym. I walk everywhere, and I do run.

MediaBlvd> How important a character is New York to this show?

Bobby> I think it’s huge. First of all, I wouldn’t have done it, if it wasn’t in New York. I’ve worked in New York for my whole career, and New York is the perfect character in this show. You’ve got seven million people, on top of each other. It’s a Petrie dish for a guy like Trevor, who’s got to match up 100 people. That’s pretty easy to find. It’s not like he’s out in L.A., and he’s got to run on the freeway, next to cars. He needs to match up 100 couples, or until they cancel us.                                                                                                         

MediaBlvd> How has it been to work with Sarah Paulson?

Bobby> Sarah makes me laugh so much. We’ll read the script and I won’t think her lines are supposed to be particularly funny, but she’ll make me laugh. She’s unpredictable, in the way she plays this character. She’s not just a buttoned-down psychologist who adheres to her philosophy. She’s a human being with a past, and who’s been burned, but who is actually more open than most people who might be playing that character. I’m always being surprised by her, at the things that she makes funny. Nobody is better at it than Sarah. She’s very, very funny.

MediaBlvd> Can you talk about the contrast of accelerating the story of a couple in each episode, in comparison to your character’s relationship with Sarah’s character taking a bit longer to develop?

Bobby> I think that’s a good conceit for a show. We know that we have to match up 100 couples before I’m allowed back to Mt. Olympus. Trevor believes he is who he says he is. Everything he says, he believes 100%. So, if we’re going to believe what he’s saying, he’s got to match up 100 couples before he’s allowed to go back, so there’s an urgency there. He’s got a job to do. So, anthologically, that works as a show. Every week, we know we’re going to see a new couple get matched up or not, and what’s nice about it is the time that Rob Thomas is taking, in developing this relationship with Trevor and Claire. I get to be wild and crazy and frenetic, in the service of the urgency that this character has, to get back home. And, at the same time, he’s got to sit down for an hour, every day, and talk to this woman, who he’s clearly attracted to. It’s really fun to play.

MediaBlvd> Some episodes will end with couples not getting together, right?

Bobby> Yeah. And, there are some red herring shows, where you think it’s going to be one couple and then it ends up being another couple, so that’s kind of fun.

MediaBlvd> Who are some of your favorite couples so far?

Bobby> I liked the “My Fair Masseuse” episode. I love Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, and it’s the same story, just modernized. That’s my favorite one, so far. Basically, there’s a masseuse, who’s this woman from Queens with a really strong accent, and she wants to get in with her fiance’s family. They’re from Connecticut, and they’re sort of upper crust. So, I match her up with a linguist to teach her how to speak, and they end up together.                          

MediaBlvd> Have you ever had a Cupid-like experience yourself, either playing Cupid or having  someone play Cupid for you?

Bobby> That’s tricky. No. I’ve been asked to set people up, but I don’t want to deal with that, so no.

MediaBlvd> Why do you think everyone wants a happily ever after?

Bobby> I don’t think everybody does want a happily ever after. I think there are realists, and there are people who live in the moment and take it as it comes, and whatever happens, happens. I just don’t want people to expect the same thing, every episode. We’re going to delve into complicated relationships. We’re going to delve into relationships where, a lot of times, we get involved with something and we think it’s love at first sight, and it’s not at all. A lot of times, we meet somebody and we think we hate them, and we end up matched with that person. I’m hoping that we’re going to show that love is a little more complicated than you see on TV.

MediaBlvd> Does it have to be romantic love? Can it also just be platonic love?

Bobby> Yeah, absolutely. I think that Claire and Trevor are like that. Right now, Claire and Trevor are platonic, and they’re trying to develop a friendship and see where that goes.

MediaBlvd> Haven’t you also done some films recently?

Bobby> I did Paul Blart: Mall Cop. And, I had Brief Interviews with Hideous Men at Sundance this year.

MediaBlvd> How was doing Mall Cop?

Bobby> It was great! Kevin James is a genius. He’s a great guy. I played the SWAT commander, who takes over the operation. He used to bully Kevin in high school.

MediaBlvd> Who do you play in Hideous Men?

Bobby> I play one of the hideous men.