Four&Sons

Wilfred

BY Mel Cousipetcos and Campbell Boyer, November 1, 2011

It would be an understatement to say that Wilfred has come a long way: from a short film that won Tropfest in 2002 to a prime time sitcom on US cable channel FX.

Four talks to Wilfred’s co-creator and star of the show Jason Gann (who might even out-shine Frodo in our very biased opinion) about his proverbial journey from the suburbs to the big-time. Those who have already seen Wilfred will be adequately prepared for what follows. For those who aren’t familiar with Wilfred’s brand of quintessential Aussie charm, get ready to meet the man inside the dog(suit).

Congrats on Wilfred in all its iterations. How has the ride been?
Surreal. It started out as just a joke. I’ve always taken things too far.

You’ve had a finger in a few pies — acting, writing, producing…
Which role do you prefer?
Oh dude… hard question. I love a mixture of them all. I’ve got a short attention span so I like to do a little bit of everything… and not a lot of anything.

How/why/where and when did the concept of Wilfred come about?
I was baked one night at Zwary’s (Adam Zwar) and he told me about a dog that cock blocked him after a date. I just started acting like the dog and Big Willy was born.

When we were in NYC when we saw US Wilfred premiere on FX. It was exciting for us to see it, it must have been really exciting for you. But if you take away the money, do you still like working with Americans?
Haha. Funny. You know it’s a cable comedy right? I love working here with this team. The business is just so exciting. They take their comedy as serious as I do… and that’s pretty fucking serious. I’m lovin it.

In real life dogs are the most honest animals you will find. But ‘truth be known’, Wilfred is a devious C-word in a very human way. Which dog (or possibly human) if any, is the character based on?
When my friends first saw the short film they didn’t even laugh. They all said ‘That’s just you in a dog suit.’ Look, all the things you like about Wilfred? That’s me. All the things you hate? Character research.

The Australian original was darker and more subtle in some ways. How much does tolerance and comedic sensibility differ between Australian and US audiences, how did you deal with it when adapting the show?
I think the US version is darker. Wilfred molested at Doggy Day Care? Murdering old people at a hospice? Eating out the arse of the mum from Malcom in the Middle? That’s pretty dark dude. There is less swearing, but I think that just made us work harder to find the darkness. At first I was a bit worried about that. Now I prefer it. It means we can reach a much bigger audience. We weren’t able to sell the Australian version anywhere else in the world, so something had to change.

It’s impressive the way Wilfred doesn’t cater to the ‘lowest common denominator’ when it bends the rules of reality so much. A lot is left unexplained, for example, why Wilfred is an Aussie dog (in the US version), or why only Adam/Ryan see him as a guy in a dog suit. How do you make that work?
The same as I always did. Get in the dog suit and talk.

No one taught Wilfred how to eat the arse out of a dead possum, he just knew. How much of your skill as a writer/actor is instinctive and how much is acquired?
I studied acting at Uni for 3 years as a pup. A couple of years ago I thought I might go back to study screenwriting, to pick up the theory behind the practical. But when I looked at the structure of the courses, it would have been a bit of a joke me being there. I’ve written a lot of stuff now. It would be cruel to make the lecturers feel more like failures then they already do. (Does that sound arrogant?)

What are the most vital ingredients to a successful comedy/sitcom, especially one that pushes boundaries of believability?
For me, its heart first, filth second. Feed the soul, then suck the dick.

We thought you were a dog person for sure, but we’ve heard that you own cats. Can it be true? Did you at least have a dog growing up?
I neglected my fair share of pet dogs over the years. Dogs are a bigger responsibility than kids. At least you can send your kids to their mums… or their grandparents… or boarding school… or hell. How can you look a dog in the eyes and kill it? Seriously.

What’s next on the cards for you?
I’m gonna have a pull when I finish this interview. That’s in the short term.

We wanted to ask you an edited series of questions taken from the Proust questionnaire, made famous by Bernard Pivot and more recently James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio (a guilty pleasure). Feel free to answer as yourself or Wilfred.

What is your favourite word? Adam What is your least favourite word? Tony. Only joking! It’s Jenny. What turns you on? Hot girls on Facebook What turns you off? Old dudes flashing their gear at parks. I guess it depends on what mood I’m in. What sound or noise do you love? The sound of a little kid getting smacked in a supermarket. And the scream after, obviously. What sound or noise do you hate? The silence in between the smack and the screaming. What is your favourite swear word? Bulldust. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Army killing What profession would you not like to participate in? Semen testing. If heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? ‘See, I told you I was an alien! We all had sex with monkeys and that’s how we made you lot! LOL!’  And I’ll say ‘I know dude. That’s what I’ve been sayin!’

Now that you’re in Hollywood you’ll probably have a lot of new opportunities come your way. Maybe Alex Baldwin will do a guest spot on the show?
Fingers crossed. Mate, I’ ve got my hands full with Facebook.

Thanks.
No, thank you.

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All images courtesy of FX
Catch season two of Wilfred coming in 2012 on FX

Tags Cable, Jason Gann, Sitcom, TV, Wilfred