26 | SEPTEMBER.7.2012 | FRIDAY WEEKENDER LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER | LEXGO.COM

STAYING IN » TV | DVD | VIDEO GAMES | ALBUMS IT’S BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR CHRIS MESSINA

MARY ELLEN MATTHEWS | FOX ELLEN MATTHEWS MARY Actor goes from ‘Newsroom’ to ‘Mindy Project’

By Yvonne Villarreal I came from New York theater where Los Angeles Times I played all these great characters, and Chris Messina, at 38, is the It Boy of then I came here and I got Six Feet 2012. Under and I played a Republican lawyer The summer saw him in two movies — everyone thought he was a jerk, but (Ruby Sparks and Celeste and Jesse then he ended up being a good guy. Forever), and soon, he’ll appear in Ben Then I got cast in Vicky Cristina Affleck’s Argo, out Oct. 12. On the TV Barcelona as Doug, who people front, he’s appeared on the final season sometimes thought was a jerk, but he of DirecTV’s Damages and plays ratings- really loved his wife. obsessed bad guy Reese Lansing on And then I played such a nice guy HBO’s The Newsroom, which wrapped on Julie and Julia, so I think I’ve kind its first season last month. of been rebelling and finding these roles This fall, he will costar in The like The Newsroom to really get in Mindy Project, a new Fox comedy there. from The Office alum Mindy Kaling, as Q: But will we see the nice side of insufferable, anti-romantic-comedy The Newsroom’s Reese, because I don’t co-worker Danny Castellano. It see it happening. premieres Sept. 25. A; Yeah, I understand. He’s such Question: You have photos of a bastard, isn’t he? Yeah, he’s such a Harrison Ford and Judd Hirsch in your bastard. ... He’s constantly pushing trailer. Can I ask what that’s about? everybody’s buttons, you know? But it’s Answer: They’re both sort of fun to play that role, especially when inspirations for my character on The everyone else on it is so into aspiring Mindy Project. I’ve been watching a lot to be better and hold news to a high of Taxi — it’s amazing. Judd Hirsch is a standard. It’s sort of fun to be the big inspiration. antagonist of it all. Because I haven’t done a lot of Q: What was your goal when you set comedy, I sort of look to him as how I out to be an actor? want to come across. Yeah, he is really, A: I grew up wanting to do Dog really funny, but he’s also honest and Day Afternoon, so sometimes I’m real, so that’s why I have him up on my like, what the hell am I doing on The wall, to sort of remind myself to not Mindy Project? What the hell happened push. He never pushed for laughs, and I here? But you know, I think, look, like his character (Alex Reiger on Taxi) it’s obviously a different time. It’s the so much because he’s so flawed and golden age of TV. I watch a lot more dark and complicated. TV shows now than I go to the movies I think we’re trying to do the same — sometimes I’m hard-pressed to find a with Danny. He’s got secrets and a movie I want to see. broken heart — his divorce really And then, when I did Damages and shattered him. I did The Newsroom, I kind of loved As for the image of Harrison Ford as being able to take a character over a Han Solo from Star Wars: I just think long time, so I did read a lot of scripts he has a swagger that I like. And it’s a this pilot season and when I read the reminder to have fun with the character, script for The Mindy Project, I was to not make him just grouchy. laughing out loud. I saw that it was Q: You have quite a few grouchy jerks complicated. It wasn’t just joke, joke, in your career. joke. There was a lot of heart to it and I A: Well, you know, it’s funny because felt I could do something with Danny.