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| (Alex Skuby & Kevin James) |
In the second and final part of our conversation with Skuby, we dive into his role as Doug Pruzan on King of Queens, how it came together and some backstories during his time on set.
Zach Catanzareti: Your most well-known position was in King of Queens as Doug Pruzan. You were on it from 2000 to 2003, a show that hit off around the country. I wanted to know when that started for you. Where did you first hear about that show?
Alex Skuby: I didn’t really watch much TV back then. I never watched the show and they brought me in their first season for a part, a guest star role. I went in over at Sony Studios and I didn’t book it. Then, they brought me in again for another totally different role, didn’t book it. Two more times they did that. So, by the fifth time I finally watched the show and [I said], 'Oh, this is a funny show. This guy, Kevin James, he's funny.'
The fifth time they brought me in, my agent said that King of Queens wanted to see me again for another part. I’m like, 'What? Is this a joke?' Because after you go in a few times, you’re like, 'OK, why do they keep bringing me in if they’re not hiring me?'
What I realized was, they were looking for something more for me to do, so it wasn’t just one episode -- they would keep bringing me back, which was wonderful.
And I booked it. I booked Doug Pruzan, the goofy, high-anxiety attorney. It was a good accomplishment.
You talked about it there but the auditioning process, did they give you who Doug Pruzan was going to be? Or was it open-ended and they wanted to see what talents you had?
There is a character description, pages from the script you audition with. But it's up to the actor to make the choices and what they want to do. They had brought me in before so many times that I think they already had a knowledge of who I am as an actor.
When I went in with the producers that day, there were about 15 other actors who were recognizable who went in for that part. Again, it's a crapshoot, you’re sitting there going, 'Well, one of us is going to get it.'
It worked out in my way.
There are a lot of big talents on that show, led by Kevin James. Can you recall your first encounter with him, when you met?
He was in the audition room when I auditioned for the part. I got to talk to him. That pretty much steered our relationship throughout the entire show. I didn't -- Kevin was nice, a nice dude -- I didn’t build a relationship with him but he was cool.
Overall, you were in 13 episodes. Your first was "Big Dougie" where Carrie accidentally says she loves you over the phone. That first experience on set, reading over the script, multiple takes, all the work that goes into it. Was it something you fell for?
I tell you man, it was a blast. Leah Remini is great, very friendly, very sweet person. Patton Oswalt is an amazing dude, Jerry Stiller was phenomenal to me, Victor Williams is great. I’m actually still friends with Larry Romano, who was on the first season on that show.
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| (Skuby with Remini & James on King of Queens) |
That first episode, again, it's a new gig, I was... nervous. You do a table read on Monday then you start rehearsing on the soundstage. Tuesday, you do another rehearsal, Wednesday is a network walkthrough, so the whole network comes to watch the show that is going to be put up Friday night in front of a live audience.
And you’re not off-book yet because they're constantly changing lines to make it funnier or better. By the time the live audience came in I was prepared but it was my first half-hour sitcom with a live audience.
But that's where theatre comes in. Because theatre is a live audience. And the best thing about a half-hour comedy is that you can cut and do another take [laughs] whereas theatre, you can’t do that.
It was a great experience. I had a pretty wonderful experience all around.
You got to work with Jerry Stiller a lot. He was in that episode "Work Related" with you and Leah. I see him as a master of delivery when it comes to his comedy. Was he someone you watched beforehand or on set when it came to having that skill?
I didn’t know much about Jerry Stiller other than he was married to Anne Meara and they had their comedy routine years and years ago. I knew of him but not him, I didn’t know his work.
But I will say this: Jerry is one of the most amazing, just a big heart, a great person. I learned a lot by watching him work and his delivery like you said. He was really good, man [laughs] really good.
There are some people out there who just get it -- comedy is not easy to do. It's not. It's easier to make people cry than it is to make them laugh. Jerry said to me one day, we were in his dressing room just chatting and he said, 'Comedy is more dramatic than drama... because in comedy, every scene is life-or-death.'
I was like, 'Man, that’s good!'
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| (Skuby pictured with Jerry Stiller) |
Oh yeah, he was someone to admire. Like any person you admire in any field, sport or whatever -- in this field, he was an icon. And of course being able to work with him was an honor. It was just awesome.
What I liked more than working with him was the conversations we had. The show is over, the audience has left, we're still on stage. I'd hang out with him, Anne Meara would be there. I'd listen to them talk and I'd have conversations with them. That's where you learned. It's not just about watching their act. Off the stage, you get a little more insight.
After that, your next episode was "Better Camera" one of the more popular ones around Christmas time. I believe you had only one line for that episode and...
That was so long ago, I don’t remember what I did in that.
You were only in one scene, that's when Carrie gets the big camera from Doug and you gave her a small one.
Oh, the scamp! [laughs] That was long ago, man.
You had just the one line: "It's a good little camera for a good little worker." And that was it. Was the preparation ever different when you have one small line compared to other episodes where you had a lot.
Sometimes it's harder to have one or two lines because you don’t know where you’re supposed to come in. It can get kind of confusing. But yeah, once you’re there... only one line? And I get paid the same amount as if I had 100 lines? This is great!
That changed a lot with "High-Def Jam" the Super Bowl episode. Multiple sets, you were in the office, the movie theater, the Heffernan house and also your house. Was this one of your favorite episodes? You got a lot of screen time.
Yeah, it was a lot more fun because I was in more of it. It was a fun episode, the co-star, Ricki Lake, she was great, a lot of fun. Didn't I tell her to sit on pappy's lappy?
It's smooth like a western saddle!
There you go! You know the lines better than me, man! [laughs] And Lou Ferrigno was wonderful. That dude is awesome. He is a great guy.
I was going to ask you about him. Do you ever foresee playing in a part alongside him?
Hell, no. I grew up on The Hulk, David Banner, Bill Bixby played him. I remember the first day I was there -- I'm 6'5 and he's the same height but he's this mountain. Still, even on an old age, he's working out like he used to. He was physically impressive human being.
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"Pull it together, Pruzan. Pull it together."
Skuby, King of Queens.
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We learned how odd of a characters Doug Pruzan really was. Was it an exciting challenge to match a strange character? Not only funny but you had this weird side.
The fact I collect marionettes? [laughs] It's all the dialogue, whatever they write, you’re going to do. I thought I played that kind of crazy person but once you write it down and say the line, it all seems to work out.
They wrote some really good stuff for me. There was one episode where I wanted [Carrie] to cut me up a banana real thin. I thought that was so wonderful they wrote that because it defines the character. It shows you what he is, his personality. A banana sliced real thin? That's such an odd request.
Speaking on talents you worked with, Leah was the big one. Pretty much every scene you were in she was also there. To me, you two had great chemistry. One scene, you came in and you always sat on her desk. And she didn’t like that, so she put that small tower on her desk. Did you gel with her like you thought you would?
I did. She's an East Coast girl. She was reminding me of my cousin, who is from New Jersey. They kind of had the same personality, an edgier person, says what they want, what they feel, no filter. I really liked her a lot, Leah is great.
I actually ran into her -- my wife was nominated for an Emmy and we went. I hadn’t seen Leah in years and I ran into her at the Emmy after-party and we had a nice conversation.
That's great to hear. Do you run into people from the show often?
I haven’t seen Jerry [Stiller] in years, I mean, years. Victor Williams and I used to hang out regularly years ago. He moved back to New York, I know he just got a part on another sitcom.
I ran into Patton Oswalt a few times over the last five, six years. As far as Kevin [James] goes, I never had a relationship with Kevin James, ever. On set, it was fine, we chat here and there, side conversations. But we never had a relationship. I don’t know the last time I saw him.
To wrap up King of Queens, 2003 is when your character saw its last episode. What were those emotions, did you know that would be your last episode?
It's a funny story. I didn’t know that would be my last episode. I got the script and I was like, 'Wait a second... this cant be the last episode.' And then they explained to me after the table read, they came into my dressing room. I was bummed [saying] 'What the hell?'
They said, 'Hey, we want to go a different way with Carrie's character at work.' They explained it to me and they were nice. They were cool about it.
I was bummed but at the same time, I wasn’t going to be a regular on the show. It was a great experience, I truly appreciated all of it. Not a lot of people get to do that stuff.
As I mentioned, 15 years since that last episode. You’ve done so much work since then but when you see those King of Queens episodes come on air today, what comes to mind?
I had hair. That's what comes to mind! I look at it and go, 'Wow, I still had baby fat and I had hair. Holy cow!' [laughs] It's funny, it is was it is, it's weird to see because it's so long ago. I was 26 years old, I had hair.
And you were so healthy, too.
[laughs] I look better now than I did then. Let's just say that. I don’t want to get cocky but at 45, I look better!
What do the kids think when they see dad on TV?
They kind of grew up in it but I think they’re over it. At first, the first couple years, 'Ah, this is so cool.' Now, they’re talking to their friends -- my daughter is going to be 19 next month, my son is 16. They’re friends will be like, 'Oh my God, your dad is on the Fosters. He's a bad guy.' And I think that makes them feel good.
But as far as sitting down and watching it on TV, they're like, 'Eh, can we watch something else?'
The whole acting thing I try to keep separate from my children always. Those two things, personally, don’t go together. Two separate parts of my brain and two parts of my life.
You touched on the Fosters a little bit, Jennifer Lopez exc. producer, on Freeform. After all these years, a more serious role, how much did you really enjoy being a part of this show?
I loved it. The guys, Peter Paige, an exc. producer on it, he was a good dude. I got to play opposite of Terri Polo, a wonderful actress in her own right. I was a dirty detective and she was a cop. It was really nice. It was a drama, so it was very toned down, specific and direct.
It was just a really good time, man. I love doing drama -- talking about TV and film -- a little more than comedy because it's more... it fits home a little better. I don’t know how to explain with words.
Maybe you would feel like a performing monkey trying to entertain people. But when you’re doing a dramatic, you seem to hone your skills and show off in a serious way?
Yeah, I guess you could say it somewhere along those lines. Again, comedy is hard. I have a great respect for people who are really good a comedy. I’m not too bad at it, pretty decent at it. The play I’m doing right now, for people in Los Angeles, see Damaged Furniture. My wife, Mo Collins, is in it. It's a really good, dysfunctional family play.
Local in L.A. you said?
Yes, at the Whitefire Theater. If you live around this area in Los Angeles, come check it out.
Final question here, I've been checking out your YouTube channel and I see you’re a passionate musician. I saw your tributes to Chris Cornell and Prince. Pretty good work...
Why, thank you.
Is that something you’ve done for a long time?
I had a band called the Alex Skuby Band for about seven years, we toured the East Coast, mid-west. I haven’t looked at that stuff in a long time. But yeah, I had a band for a while, we had a manager, toured. That was from 2004 to 2010 I want to say around there.
We had great musicians, we had fun. We wrote a lot of original stuff, did some covers, went around and did our thing. We played casinos, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Boston, Iowa. In that area. It was a lot of fun. Good stuff, I enjoyed it.
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