LANCE PAUL: I think the obvious question to start things off with Alan is how long you have been wanting to get everyone together for something like this?
ALAN TUDYK: I have been wanting to make a show that would feature actors for the convention world for a couple of years now. The idea of producing something with Nathan[Fillion] goes back much further. I’ve been pitching him ideas for years. Very rarely have they been as serious as Con Man.
With the success of Netflix recently, would you prefer Con Man to find a home on a similar digital media or network?
AT: Netflix and Amazon have been great for some new series. I think we are going to see a lot more “content providers,” with different revenue models in the very near future. Con Man will be on Vimeo. After that, will be after that. We are looking to make the best show for Vimeo and the fans who funded it. In the meantime, I’m going to try to get comfortable saying things like “content providers,” and ”revenue model.”
This comes from our own “Cardinal” Roberto de Bexar @RobBex2: Huge success and congrats on your team blowing out the Indiegogo. Kardashian who?! Con Man has broken the Internet! How does it feel to have raised the most funds for a web-series on a crowd-funding site, ever? How long have you been planning this?
AT: I’ve been writing Con Man for a year. I wrote them myself so 130 pages of blah blah took a while. Indiegogo as a way to fund Con Man was always our hope since the show involves a world that was created by fans. We’d rather partner with them than a studio that would dictate to us creatively about a world they only have a passing understanding of.
How long did it take to secure the initial funds to film the Indiegogo trailer, the Con Man trailer itself, and what is your end goal for the show? With this success, has made you rethink the trajectory? More seasons?
AT: We spent our funds for the trailer and teaser productions. I have more stories to tell in this world and after making the first 120 minutes will see if there is an audience for that. If so, we’ll figure out the answers to the when, where, how’s of it all.
How is working again with Nathan? Did you two fall right back into the groove?
AT: Nathan and I have remained friends since Firefly. Our groove is well worn and comfortable – one might even say, groovy. I wouldn’t, but one would. [If] one is sort of a hokey sap.
You have an impressive cast lined up. Is there anyone else that you would love to add to the list as the series goes on?
AT: Titania Maslani. Lou Ferrigno. Scott Wilson. Whoopi Goldberg. Adam West. Matt Smith. If this is just a wish list: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johannsson, Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Robert DeNiro,, Austin Pendleton, Will Smith. Yes: Austin Pendleton is just as good as the rest of these people. Sean Connery, Christian Bale, and Gene Wilder…plus a whole lot more.
Alan, you have been part of some successful shows with massive fan followings. After Firefly, were you concerned with Suburgatory suffering the same fate?
AT: No. Suburgatory was a very different show. Look at the show Selfie that Karen Gillian did. She was fantastic! But I don’t think it will have the same fan resonance as Dr. Who. It’s just a different type of show. Emily Kapnek, who created Suburgatory, also created Selfie.
What was it like working on those two productions (Suburgatory and Firefly)? Going into them did you see the fandom, cult status possibilities?
AT: I [didn’t] have any clue that Firefly would have the longevity and fan support that it does. That is one similarity between my character Wray, from Con Man, and myself. Neither of us had a clue. We both initially saw it as a good script, and a good time job. The life changing effects were, for me, a welcome surprise; unfortunately for Wray, they were a “what-the-hell-just-happened?” surprise.
Do you prefer comedic roles over more dramatic roles? You are the ginger ninja at both!
AT: Yes, I do prefer comedic roles. I know there is a dramatic role out there somewhere for me that will challenge that idea. Any role with meat on the bone is good; whether it’s serious meat like sirloin, or funny meat like rump roast.
Make sure to check out Alan’s Indiegogo campaign for Con Man at www.indiegogo.com/
Stay tuned for more up and coming GodHatesGeeks interviews hitting soon!