How Chris Messina Forced Matt Damon to Up His Game in ‘Air’

Most viewers, although, in all probability know Messina greatest for his work on “The Mindy Project,” starring because the generally ill-tempered, generally charismatic Danny Castellano reverse the collection creator, Mindy Kaling. When casting started in 2011, Kaling was particularly in search of actors she “hadn’t seen do a lot of comedy” or, in the event that they had been skilled, “weren’t the usual suspects they always send you,” she stated in a current interview.

She knew he was excellent right away. Describing him as one of the vital comical actors she’s labored work, she stated Messina was “so rooted in the truth of his character that he can’t help but be funny.”

She attributes that expressly to the truth that he’s not a conventional comic. “Your average sitcom actor wants to hit their moments, make the day, and go home. Chris isn’t like that,” she stated. “It’s almost exhausting, the level of honesty and truth he brings to every scene. He was really listening to my character and reacting if the character did something funny or absurd. He made me a better actor. I was listening better when I was with Chris, because he set the bar so high.”

Although Messina proved nicely fitted to the function, he initially didn’t even need to do it, turning down the half a number of instances earlier than relenting. (“Mindy wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he defined.) He was, he stated, “very worried about every aspect of it,” together with the dedication to a community comedy with 20-plus episodes per season, doubtlessly for a few years — maybe making it harder for him to do the sort of critical work he dreamed of as a performer.

“I wanted to do ‘Dog Day Afternoon.’ I wanted to do ‘Midnight Cowboy,’” he stated. Though he favored the function and Kaling, “I was afraid of it running forever.” And, in fact, he was afraid of one thing else: the style. “I was afraid of not being able to keep up with them comedically,” he stated. “I am afraid of jokes.”

On the opposite hand, being afraid is what Messina desires. “Being scared of a role, of an opportunity, being challenged, that’s what I’m looking for. Maybe it’s corny or too actorly, but I do like finding closed doors inside of me.”