By Christina Radish

Dan Fogler at the premiere of "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" held at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, Calif. on March 8, 2008.

It’s the Halloween party they’ve all been waiting for, to have fun with friends and hang out with fellow Star Wars fans. However, events take a turn when one of their bunch, who long ago outgrew his old gang and took on adult responsibilities in the family business, is suddenly in their midst again. Reconnecting is not easy, but soon Eric (Sam Huntington), Windows (Jay Baruchel), Hutch (Tony Award winner Dan Fogler) and Zoe (Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell) realize that Linus (Chris Marquette) will not live long enough to experience what’s been on their minds for ages: The long-awaited theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode I, which is still several months away. When Linus once again suggests to his friends what he’s been scheming since fifth grade -- breaking into Skywalker Ranch, this time to steal a print of the movie -- his friends initially think he’s crazy, but quickly understand that it might be the only way for Linus to see the movie before he dies. So, as insane as it sounds, they take Hutch’s van and embark on a mission to drive across the country to the Ranch.

Starring as Hutch, the most overzealous of the group of fans, Dan Fogler spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about paying homage to his childhood.

MediaBlvd Magazine> You were attached to Fanboys, from the beginning. Did you do it because it was a fun script, or because you were a Star Wars fan?

Dan Fogler> When I got the script, I was like, “My God, this is paying homage to almost every single aspect of my childhood, and every movie I’ve ever loved,” and not just Star Wars, but Star Trek, although I love Star Wars more, so I signed on right away. I was like, “This is great!” I love paying homage to stuff that I grew up on. Balls of Fury is basically Enter the Dragon. I got to work with Christopher Walken, who is an idol of mine. Also, I did a movie called Young Americans, which takes place in the ‘80s. I just have a real love affair with the time that I grew up in, in general. Everybody gets nostalgic. And, Fanboys was the perfect opportunity to play out all those fantasies that I had as a kid. When are you ever going to be able to dive through a glass door with a ray gun? The best parts of the movie were when we were re-enacting those great parts from the Star Wars series that I love, like the van with the light speed. All of those moments were really cool.

MediaBlvd> When the cast got together, was there anybody who just didn’t quite get the whole fanboy thing?

Dan> I think there were different levels. We would sit down and have these little marathons of Star Wars through Return of the Jedi, and I’d be the guy sitting in the back, quoting every single second. Jay Baruchel, who plays Windows, had only seen Star Wars. He didn’t know about The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi. And then, once he saw Empire, he was like, “How did I miss out on this?” My favorite movie ever is The Empire Strikes Back. We all started on different levels, but by the end, Kyle Newman immersed us in all things in the geekdom world.

MediaBlvd> As a kid, did you collect any Star Wars stuff?

Dan> Oh God, as a kid, I had so many toys, piles of comic books, GI Joe dolls and Star Wars stuff. It was relevant. If those movies came out today, you would still be blown away. George Lucas was so ahead of his time, when those movies came out. What else can you compare them to?                                   

MediaBlvd> Your character is so manic and insane. How did you find this guy? Do you know people like him?

Dan> He’s very much like me, in a parallel universe. I was manic, when I was in high school. In college, I was a lunatic. I definitely have friends that are wild and so passionate about something that they do ludicrous things, mostly with rock bands. And, we met a lot of guys, in preparation for the movie, who build their own costumes and literally transform their houses into Death Stars, and stuff like that. It wasn’t hard to base Hutch on someone because they were right there.

MediaBlvd> Did you have anything to say about what Hutch was going to wear and look like?

Dan> Definitely. I wanted him to look like, if he somehow got sucked into a vortex and was in Star Wars, that he would be fine. When I was in college, I wore black jeans and vests and a lot of chains, so that was a cross between trying to pay homage to how I looked like when I was in college, but also like how I think this guy would dress. His closet would be filled with all the same outfit. You know how some people say, “If I could be born in the 60's . . .,” or “I would love to have been alive during the Roarin’ 20's”? He would have loved to have been alive during Star Wars, in that galaxy far, far away.   

MediaBlvd> Did Kristen Bell help keep you guys grounded, or was she just one of the guys?

Dan> She was one of the guys. It’s also not hard to have a crush on the lady, so whenever she was around the boys would get riled up, definitely. But then, she is also a consummate professional, and was probably the most professional person on the set. She was our queen bee, so I would definitely look to her for her experience because it was my first movie, after doing Spelling Bee.

MediaBlvd> Out of all of the actors that did cameos in the film, who was the one you were most excited about working with?

Dan> Billy Dee Williams was really cool. And, of course, seeing Carrie Fisher, who is Princess Leia, joking around on set with us, as a normal human being, was amazing. The coolest part was to see that these legends are just people.

MediaBlvd> Did you ask them if they had any stories from the set?

Dan> I never got a chance to ask anybody any specific stuff. It’s tough because how many times must they have been asked those questions, over the years? And then, suddenly, you’re on set and you’re playing a fanboy, but you don’t want to be one. With a lot celebrities, the less you make it about what they’ve done, and the more you make it about being in the moment, the more you get along.

MediaBlvd> If you were talking to a Star Wars fan, why would you tell them to go see this movie?

Dan> From beginning to end, they will find numerous things that will warm their hearts. It’s so nostalgic. It pays homage, not just to Star Wars, but all the movies that I watched growing up, and I think they’ll identify with a lot of the characters and they’ll see themselves in the film. There isn’t a movie out there that is for them, and that reveres them. There are some documentaries, but this is really a celebration.

MediaBlvd> How do you think Star Trek fans are going to react?

Dan> I think that they’ll dig it, too. It’s for them as well. There is a rivalry with the Star Wars guys and the Trekkies, and it would be so cool if, after the movie, suddenly there was a West Side Story thing and the rivalry grew. They may get a little pissy with the treatment of the Trekkies, but what are you going to do?

MediaBlvd> What did you think of Star Wars: Episode I, when you saw it?

Dan> I grew up on Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, so I feel like the technology was impressive. I saw what he was trying to do. But, there are certain aspects of the technology that were tough, especially when you’re dealing with organic creatures that are not puppets. They don’t feel tangible and you don’t feel you can hug them. Even though Yoda now is spinning and flipping, back in the day you were like, “That reminds me of the muppets and Frank Oz. I can hug Chewbacca.”

MediaBlvd> You won a Tony Award for Spelling Bee. Are you looking for other musicals to do?

Dan> Yeah. I have a theatre company, called Stage 13, in Manhattan. We do our own plays, and we make movies. I’ve got a movie, called Hysterical Psycho, that I wrote and directed, and it’s hitting the festival circuit right now. I totally see myself doing Broadway, at some point, down the line, but mostly I’m focusing on doing plays with my own company.

MediaBlvd> What do you have coming up next, film wise?

Dan> I’ve got a couple of movies coming out. Young Americans is from Topher Grace’s production company. And then, I have Taking Woodstock, the Ang Lee movie, the following summer. And, I did Traveling, the Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart movie. I’ve got a lot of stuff percolating.

MediaBlvd> Aren’t you also going to play Wolfman Jack, with Kyle Newman as the director?

Dan> It’s in the preliminary stages, but yeah. It’s when Wolfman was first starting out as a disc jockey. He created this legend for himself at this mysterious radio station, out in the middle of Mexico. And so, the movie is basically about a week in his life, where he created this legend. I’m so excited about it.