By Christina Radish

Co-stars Zachary Levi & Joshua Gomez at the 25th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival held at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, Calif. on March 18, 2008.

With Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) of the Nation Security Agency protecting Chuck, and with Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski), the CIA’s top agent, as his partner, the former slacker finds himself with new confidence in Season 2. Show star Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez, who plays Morgan Grimes, Chuck’s goofy best friend and co-worker, spoke with MediaBlvd Magazine about the growth of their characters in the new season.

MediaBlvd Magazine> With the writers’ strike cutting your first season short, is a lot of what we’ll see on the second season stuff that was intended for the first season, or are you just starting off from scratch with the second season?

Joshua Gomez> It’s starting from scratch. There are probably ideas being used that were intended for last season, but it was all rearranged, rewritten and reorganized when it was put into the new season. It wasn’t like, “Here, these are episodes that we didn’t get to.” There’s a whole mythos and reason why everything is happening, and there is a whole planned goal, at the end of the show. Either that, or there’s no plan whatsoever and we’re just winging it.

Zachary Levi> You’re not supposed to say that.        

MediaBlvd> Chuck is very reminiscent of Get Smart, as far as the nature of the writing. Did the show creators ever talk to you about what shaped their ideas for the show, or what inspired them, as far as just the premise and the overall feel of the series?

Zachary> Interestingly enough, what I do know is that they don’t want it to be Get Smart, but we definitely do have elements of that. There is some absurdity to some of the missions we go on. It’s just really a very tough line to walk, when you have the comedy and the action. When those two worlds collide, it can be very fun, very funny and entertaining. But, I think it really came out of Josh and Chris having known each other for awhile. They were both writers at USC and they wanted to make a quarter-life, mid-20s to late 30s, crisis that was a, “What are you doing with your life?” premise. Everybody has a take on that, so it was about finding a fresh take, and a fresh take would be that you’re wrapped up in espionage. That’s a heck of a quarter-life crisis, right there. And, because Chris is such a huge fan of great action movies, like Die Hard and Total Recall, I think that’s where he’s drawing a lot of his influence from. And, Josh was so successful with finding that young audience, and that pop culture buzz, with The O.C. So, if you take The O.C., Die Hard, Get Smart, The Bourne Identity and The Office, and all these various genres and influences, and throw them altogether, that’s Chuck.

MediaBlvd> Your chemistry together is fantastic. What do you guys like about working with each other?

Zachary> I wish there was something I could say to that, but he’s really just a horrible person. No. Honestly, it’s been there from day one, when I first met Josh. I had been cast in the role of Chuck, and then they had me come in and do chemistry reads in the auditioning process, with various other characters. Morgan was one of them, so I got the privilege to meet Josh before he got the role. And, the first time we ever read together, immediately there was a really great chemistry. We have very similar comedic styles, and he’s just an all-around great dude. Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, McG and the powers-that-be saw that in the room, and Josh got the role, as he should have. Right after that, we were sitting around, just talking about life and getting to know one another, and immediately we came to the realization that we’re both avid and rabid video game players. And so, because of that, and because both Chuck and Morgan are avid video game players in our fictitious world, we hit it off, like peas and carrots, I suppose, to quote the genius, Forrest Gump.

Joshua> The chemistry you see on camera is natural and it’s for real, and it’s what happens off camera as well. It’s just a pleasure to work with Zach. Not only was I lucky enough to get this gig, and then have the show get on the air, and then have it picked up, and people like it and it’s actually a good show, but I’m lucky enough to have the head guy be Zach. The guy should teach a class in Hollywood on how to treat people on a set, and how they should conduct themselves, and how to just make everybody feel like a family and that they’re welcome. It’s just a pleasure, every day. I may start to cry, so I’m going to cut it there.

MediaBlvd> Josh, what is Morgan going to be up to, this season? How is he going to fit into all of the action and romance, or will he mostly be at the store?

Joshua> It’s going to be very Buy More centric. Morgan’s very heavy in the Buy More. He’s taking a little bit of the reigns over there at the store because Chuck finds himself more and more wrapped up in the spy world. He becomes less and less present at the store, which actually is one of the side stories, where we have this new guy, Emmett, played by the very, very funny and very talented Tony Hale. He comes in and says, “How come I hear all this great stuff about this Chuck Bartowski, and yet he’s never here?” And, I do my best, as a friend, to cover for Chuck. We had a great guest star with Michael Strahan, who came in with a David and Goliath type scenario, where Morgan has to face off against this mammoth human being who works next door at this Sports Chalet type of place, called the Mighty Jocks. He just keeps coming in and using our video games. He and his jock friends are playing games in our home theater room. I have to kick them out and it doesn’t go well. The Buy More is definitely heavily featured this season.

MediaBlvd> Morgan’s whole world is different from Chuck’s. He just seems totally happy, working in the Buy More. How do you see Morgan overall? What kind of person is he?

Joshua> At heart, he’s just a good kid. He’s sweet-natured, but he’s not so goal-oriented. He’s a little lazy, and he just wants to do as little work as possible, hang out with his buddy, play some video games and not cause too much trouble. The simple things make Morgan happy, like a sandwich and a nice video game.

MediaBlvd> And, he’s lusted for Chuck’s sister his whole life, hasn’t he?

Joshua> Yeah. That’s his best friend’s older sister. I feel like there are a lot of guys that can relate to that. It’s just that first love thing. It’s sweet. It’s a little boy’s infatuation that’s just carried on a little too long.

MediaBlvd> Because of the nature of Chuck, do you get hooked up when you go to Best Buy or Comp USA, or places like that?

Joshua> I wish. I go to Best Buys all over, just to see if that will happen and it doesn’t. I go, “No, it didn’t happen at this one,” and I cross it off my list. Then, I drive to the next one, and it doesn’t happen there either. No. It’s weird to walk in there because our set is so amazing that it looks like you’re in a Best Buy, or some other electronic store. When I go into Best Buy, I feel like I’m at work, only I’m not that tired.

Zachary> I wish, too. Maybe after the show has been on a little bit longer, and if people don’t mind losing their jobs by giving us free stuff, then maybe we’ll get something. Honestly, it’s just cool to walk into a Best Buy and have them know who we are because they watch the show. That’s the biggest compliment you can get. If you’re emulating somebody else in their profession, and what their life must be like at work, and they dig it and think you’re doing a good job, then clearly we’re doing something right. The last time I went into a Best Buy, there was a whole gaggle of employees that I took pictures with and signed some stuff for. At the Buy More, we’re really just a bunch of slackers. I don’t know if we really accomplish anything. I don’t know how anything is sold in that store. And yet, when I go into Best Buy, everyone says, “Oh, you’ve nailed us! You’ve got it!” I don’t know if that should inspire confidence in employment, but it’s really cool. It’s a great compliment to have the people that you are representing feel good about what you’re doing.

MediaBlvd> Do you ever have video game battles, on or off the set?

Zachary> During the pilot, we brought an Xbox to the set and were playing. McG would be like, “Guys, come on! We’re about to shoot.” So, we’d run over and do our shot, and then we’d go back and start playing again. But, we had a little bit more time for the pilot. When you’re in the season, you’ve got nine days to accomplish what you should have a month to do. We’re making a mini-movie every week, so there’s not a tremendous amount of time to be playing video games. But, if we get a little bit more time and get some cool set-ups, then we’ll be rocking out, doing some Gears of War II.                                          

MediaBlvd> How much fun do you have, doing your scenes with Adam Baldwin?

Zachary> Adam is so dedicated to the character and shares many aspects with him, but I would also say that Adam’s probably the biggest surprise because he can get sillier than almost anyone on set. He’ll do funny voices and joke around, and he’ll bust out some Full Metal Jacket stories. He’s such a veteran, and he’s been around the block, numerous times. He’s our rock.

Joshua> The biggest surprise was that he plays this characters while the cameras are rolling, and he’s polishing his gun and grunting at Chuck, but when the cameras aren’t rolling, he could be the biggest teddy bear you’ve probably ever met. He loves his cast, and he loves his family. He’s just the biggest sweetheart. He’s mush.

MediaBlvd> Will Casey and Chuck be getting closer this season?

Zachary> I definitely think so. They want to show that Casey isn’t just a robot. We touched a little bit upon that last season. And, they want to show that a part of Chuck’s charm is that, no matter how irritating he may be to his handlers -- particularly John Casey -- he’s like an infectious disease. Casey has no choice but to just embrace him. As many times as Casey has saved Chuck’s life, Chuck has also saved Casey’s and Sarah’s in return, albeit in some clumsy, un-thought out way. Casey is privy to Chuck’s whole personal life, and his sister and friends, and he knows that Chuck is a good dude, just trying to do his best in the world. Chuck has been thrown into this situation, completely outside of his own control. So, you definitely see Casey hesitating on the orders that he’s given, and he’s relieved that he doesn’t have to follow through with it.                                                                             

MediaBlvd> What is going on with Chuck and Sarah this season? Will their relationship develop at all, or are they going to be kept apart?

Zachary> That is one of those questions that everybody wants to know about. Are they finally going to have their chance to be together? Fortunately or unfortunately, the best television keeps you on the edge of your seat, so they’re going to string it out as long as they can. I don’t blame them because, if you look at another NBC classic, Friends, and think about the Ross and Rachel storyline, everyone was like, “Oh, my gosh, are they going to get together?” Then, they finally do and the ratings took a dip. So, they broke them up again, and everybody was watching the show again. People want to see the tension. They’re rooting for Chuck and Sarah to get together, but we can’t go there yet. We’re all hoping that we’ll have a healthy span of five to seven seasons, god willing. But, you’ll definitely see lots of good stuff that will satiate your desire for Chuck and Sarah. And, we have a little define-the-relationship discussion, a couple episodes in. That helps set the tone as well.

MediaBlvd> Now that Chuck and Sarah have the potential to get more intimate, do you think you’ll be able to handle some more make out scenes with Yvonne?

Zachary> Man, I don’t know. That’s a really tough question. I consider myself a team player. I really do. But, have you been watching the show? She was good looking last season, but a lot has happened in the hiatus. No. Are you kidding me? I would gladly put my lips on her lips, or whatever they put in the script. She is one of the most beautiful girls in the world. And, it’s fun because she’s also a big tomboy, in a lot of ways. She’s really down-to-earth. If I have to, I will take a barrage of bullets to the chest.

MediaBlvd> What was it like to work with Michael Clarke Duncan?

Zachary> Oh, it was awesome! Our first episode back, we had a bona fide movie star. That’s really everything you can hope for. When you’re doing a television show, you hope that you’re making a product that other actors and directors, of a certain caliber, watch and appreciate themselves. So, it was really an honor that he decided to come and play in our sandbox. He was a really sweet dude. Like with Adam, from the outside, he’s very imposing, and he’s this strong, rough guy. But, on the inside, he’s a big teddy bear. I don’t know him as well as I know Adam, but he seemed to be just really laid-back and down-to-earth. He had a good time shooting the episode, and he was easy to talk to, really professional, and very, very imposing. He is a large man. 

MediaBlvd> Are there any guest stars that you would personally like to see on one of the episodes?

Joshua> I would love to see ALF, but I know that’s not going to happen. He’d be great in the Buy More.

Zachary> For me, I just love seeing actors that I love and respect. That’s the great thing about television, as opposed to film. If you do a film, you get to work with your cast and that’s the experience. But, in television, you get to work with new actors and directors, all the time. So, I would just love for more solid, awesome actors and actresses to come through. We just had Gary Cole, who has done all kinds of work. He’s one of those great character actors that maybe not everybody is familiar with the name of, but they’re familiar with his face. And, I was over the moon to work with him. He’s such a great actor, and he killed the role. He plays a great character.

MediaBlvd> You pretty much have the same wardrobe on all season. Do you ever get tired of the green or white shirts?

Joshua> You have no idea! The green polo is not the most flattering thing that you could wear,  day in and day out. And, try having a beard for four years. I wind up in the same thing, probably more often than even Chuck. Once in awhile, Chuck gets to wear a nice little date outfit, or a nice shirt.

Zachary> If I’m going to be stuck in one outfit that’s going to be my superhero costume, it’s not a bad one to be stuck in. It’s not long-sleeved. It’s nice. I get some simple black slacks, and I get to wear my Chucks. They’re my favorite shoe. I’ve been wearing them for years. My family and friends all thought something was wrong with me because I never wanted to wear anything other than my Chucks, even at red carpet things. My publicist would literally yell about putting on some nice shoes. They put Morgan in a polo. That’s nice. I got a whole button up. His is easy. He just gets to pull it right over his head. And then, on top of that, he gets to wear all kinds of casual, cool, funny t-shirts.

MediaBlvd> Which regular cast member is most likely to laugh during a scene?

Joshua> Zach and I are both equally prone to laughing. We are also both equally prone to slapping each other across the face to stop us from laughing. That’s our normal cure-all. When it happens about four or five times, slaps are coming. It usually surprises the crew because they’re loud, they’re hard and they’re for real. I kid you not!

Zachary> I think we’re all equally as prone to laugh just because we’re always having a great time. But, the person who has the hardest time getting the giggles out is Yvonne. If Yvonne gets going, she’s done. You’ve got to cut. With Josh and I, pain normally helps take away the happies.

MediaBlvd> What is the most fun thing you’ve gotten to do so far on the show?

Zachary> For me, the comedy is always fun. Being able to just riff with Josh and Tony Hale is great. And, the stunt stuff, like car chases and fights and getting dropped off buildings is so much fun. That’s just stuff that you don’t get to do. There’s no other profession, aside from actually being a real spy, that you get to go and do this stuff. I just hope that, as the seasons progress, he gets better and better, and finds more footing in this new world of his. I hope he gets to do more of the stuff. I want to go shoot a gun. When are they going to teach Chuck how to shoot? He has to defend himself.

Joshua> For me, I don’t know because I’m not in that world. Anytime you can get put in a harness, it’s a bonus. I was rigged up and Michael Strahan had to manhandle me. He had to pick me up and do whatever, so they put this harness on me. It was so much fun! We were just cracking up and he was almost in tears because I would let my body go limp and he would just swing me around like a rag doll. It was pretty cool, and pretty fun.

MediaBlvd> Zach, do you have a favorite fight scene that you’ve been involved in, or maybe even a favorite one that you’ve watched from the sidelines?

Zachary> In the first season, Chuck was always either dropping to the ground, or running away, screaming like a girl. Those are my defense mechanisms, both in life and on camera, so it was really easy to play. But, my favorite fight scene was probably actually that scene that we won the Emmy for, where Chuck and Casey were strapped together, back to back, and he’s using my long, limber legs as a weapon, and knocking dudes out. That was really the first time that Chuck saw combat, in any way, even though it wasn’t something that Casey wanted to do. As far as watching fights, the fight between Yvonne and Nicole Richie, in Episode 4, is probably one of our best. It’s two girls in a catfight, in a shower, in a girls locker room. It doesn’t really get better than that!

MediaBlvd> Of the Season 2 episodes that have shot so far, in what ways have you both seen your characters further grow and develop? And, what have been some of the acting challenges?

Josh> There is definitely some growth with Morgan. He is left a little bit more responsibility, by Chuck at the Buy More, right in the beginning of the season, but he still does things the Morgan way. There’s usually some sort of crazy scheme. When Chuck asks Morgan to be the Assistant Manager, in the beginning of the season, he has a steel cage match, a la Thunderdome. That’s Morgan maturing, right there. But, he gets the job done. And, Morgan and Anna start to develop even more. There are a lot of decisions he has to make about that. He’s forced to look down the road, even though all he’s ever tried to do is avoid those roads. Hard work and adulthood are things that he tries to avoid, and now has to come face-to-face with. There’s a lot of that happening for Morgan this season.

Zachary> For Chuck, it’s him just finding himself, trying to become more comfortable and more familiar with this world of espionage, and just finding better footing and maturing as a spy. Whether he likes it or not, he has become a spy. He’s not just someone that Sarah and Casey will go to when they need him. They need him all the time now. You’ll see that, as the episodes progress, and as the seasons progresses. God willing, if we get to go enough seasons, I think the idea is that he’s got the potential to be a Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer). It just has to be brought out of him, and that’s a long road. I’m looking forward to the CIA/NSA training montage, where he’s getting the crap beat out of him in Kung Fu class, and slowly but surely, he’s getting closer and closer to the target, as he’s shooting at it. But, that’s a long road to hoe. This season, he’s finding a little bit more confidence in just who he is, as a man. Sarah has inspired a lot of that in him. Though the tension between them is going to continue, and it’s not going to pay off the way that he would like it to, it does still inspire him, in growing up. It’s something that he wants to do, and that Morgan doesn’t want to do, but it’s being forced upon both of them.

MediaBlvd> So, Chuck will continue to get more involved and gain more confidence in himself?

Zachary> Yeah, I definitely think so. With a television series, you can’t change the show too drastically, otherwise audiences will say, “That doesn’t make any sense. It’s not believable.” But, at the same time, you do have to have a maturation, and a progression of your characters and of the writing that is believable and does make sense, and that keeps the momentum going, so that it’s not just stagnant. With sitcoms, it’s a little easier because they’re all just self-contained episodes. But, with a show like this, that’s got a lot of heart, and a lot of drama and relationships, we’re trying to make the characters real. Maybe they’re all just complete caricatures and we’re hacks. I couldn’t really tell you. But, in the writing, they’ve tweaked it a little bit, so that Chuck is a little bit more comfortable. When I was starting to approach the role, at the beginning of the season, I wanted to do that as well. I don’t want it to be exactly the same Chuck that we all came to know last season. I wanted to be basically the same, but have viewers see a little bit more. He does have a little bit more confidence. He has more confidence in Sarah and Casey because he trusts them much more now. He’s seen how they work, and he’s seen the things that he’s been able to bumble through. He’s able to buy a little bit more time, or have a little bit more confidence. In the first episode, when he comes up with this plan, he walks right up to Michael Clarke Duncan and says, “I’m Charles Carmichael and this is my trap.” That’s something that, in the first season, Chuck might not have had the cojones to do. But, in this season, he tries it, and it ends up working.     

MediaBlvd> What were some of your favorite shows, growing up?

Zachary> There were the action standards. Magnum, P.I., A-Team and MacGyver were probably the top three, in my book. There were always the cartoons. But then, there were shows like Three’s Company. I didn’t even understand the premise of Three’s Company when I was watching it, but I knew that John Ritter was a genius. I would watch him fall around in the apartment, tripping over couches, and just wanted to do that. I thought, “That looks incredible!” He was so good at it. And then, there was The Facts of Life, Different Strokes, Family Ties, Growing Pains, Step by Step and Family Matters. I have an Urkel lunchbox, to this day.

Joshua> It was MacGyver all the way, for me. That was huge! And, A-Team, absolutely. I was a huge Muppet Show fan too, by the way.

MediaBlvd> DC and WildStorm Comics are currently putting out a comic book based on the show. How does it feel to have your image in the pages of a comic book?

Joshua> It’s so freakin’ cool to be in a comic book! It’s a great way to expand the storyline, in ways that, frankly, we probably could never afford to do on film. I have gotten a chance to look at it and I think they’re all doing an amazing job. The covers are so cool. It’s just a great way to expand the mythos and go deeper, revisit characters, and go to these exotic locations that, of course, we could never go to right now. It’s a cool way to take the reigns off of Chuck.

Zachary> I think the artists are great. It’s drawn and colored very excellently, and they capture the voices of our characters pretty well. The dialogue is pretty spot-on. They can go to Paris. They can go to Japan. They can go to all these places that, monetarily and time wise, we just can’t do. But, I’m hoping that Season 3 will include episodes like “Chuck versus the Bahamas.” That would be great.

MediaBlvd> Were either of you comic book fans, growing up?

Joshua> Yeah, I was a huge comic book fan, growing up. As I’ve gotten a little older, I’ve definitely tapered off and I don’t follow it as much as I probably should. But, as a kid, I was a gigantic X-Men fan, and I was a huge Batman fan.

Zachary> I was a big comic book fan as well. Me and my buddies would go out and play superhero. I was also a big X-Men fan. One friend would be running at me, pretending to be Wolverine and slicing me up with his claws. I chose to be Gambit. I was very much into that whole thing with charging up his playing cards and throwing them at people. When I was in middle school and I was weighing all my career options for when I was going to be an adult, comic book artist was one of them, although I’m horrible at drawing.

MediaBlvd> How psyched are you to have already been given the back nine episodes for the season, before any of the episodes started airing?

Joshua> We couldn’t be happier! When I got the call, I was just really happy. You can’t hear better news. And, it’s unprecedented, which I thought was really, really cool. It’s really rare to get that this early, just based off of what the network and the studio have seen. It feels really good. It just gives you that confidence. You think, “Okay, we’re doing something right.” So, now we go forward with a little more swagger in our steps, and we feel confident that we’re on the right path.

Zachary> I’m really only in this acting game to work my way into info-mercials. I was hoping that the 13 episodes would just wrap up and I could get on with my dream. But, nine more episodes is fine.