Joshua Gomez Talks Morgan, Intersect, and Chuck’s Final Season

Just before Chuck Vs. The Frosted Tips aired last week, Morgan Grimes himself, Mr. Joshua Gomez, participated in a call with various media and bloggers. We discussed the Intersect, the final season of Chuck, and various matters of concern in the nerd universe.

Describing Morgan from his own viewpoint:

“When I first started the show, in trying to discover this character along with the writers…Morgan was kind of a free spirit, and a little bit impetuous, and kind of the captain of his own ship. I think he’s still obviously a big part of that, but he’s obviously grown up and matured a ton, so he’s a little – I’ve been more focused now and still, kind of fun loving and he’s very loyal, and a really good best friend, and someone to have in the firefight at your side. No actually that’s not true, he’d be terrible in a firefight, awful in a firefight, but a good best friend.”

His reaction upon learning Morgan would be the Intersect:

“I think we were probably shooting….it was like 4.23…and I think Chris Fedak, one of the co-creators went down on the set and we were just kind of talking. Him and I are fairly close and we’re fooling around and just kind of talking and he was like, ‘Have you heard about 42.4 yet’” And I said no. And he was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be really interested to see what you think.’ And I was kind of like, ‘Oh boy, I’m dead.’ He said, ‘No, no, no, just read it,’ and I did and you get to the last page and ‘I know kung fu’ and it was like ‘you’ve got to be kidding me. This is insanity, I’m a dead man.’

“But I was very excited. Obviously it was really exciting to kind of just, get to change up and try new things. In the course of the television show, especially one like Chuck that’s been fortunate enough to go five seasons, it’s like anything has a chance to become a bit stale. Or especially as an actor and playing a certain character and playing in the same thing over and over again.

“So for me to be able to know that I was going to come into this season – if there was a season, because at that time we didn’t know if we were even going to get a fifth season. But if we did, to be able to come into the fifth season, with a sort of renewed sense of wonder and fun and it was like ‘oh this is going to be very cool.’ It was awesome.”

On preparing for the new physical demands of being the Intersect:

“I honestly just trusted our stunt and fight coordinators and they kind of got me up and running in the beginning of the season with some crash course on some basic kung fu moves and, just different sort of stunt techniques. I stay pretty active anyway, I’m a pretty avid runner and things like that, so I felt physically good. And I’m not a dancer or a kung fu guy, two things that really help in fight scenes, I think. Like Yvonne – she had a dance background so her balance and stuff is really, really good and mine is just terrible. I have – just a really weak lower body, so kicking is not my forte. But, it’s good, they got me up and running, and I have an amazing fight double and all that stuff, so, easy enough.”

How it feels knowing this is the final season of Chuck:

“For us, I think, as a cast it’s really interesting because you’re exactly right, four seasons, every season, kind of every time we were approaching wrapping up it was sort of like we didn’t know if we were saying goodbye for good, or if just for a few months, and it was always this very tumultuous time. And now it’s got a different feeling to it, we’re all…it’s bittersweet and kind of bummed. But some kind of positive aspect that we take away – we know our fate, and so it makes it a bit easier to deal with.

“So we’re just enjoying every minute of it and having a really great time as a cast and crew and just really kind of taking it all in. And so it’s actually been a really fun season, I think for all of us. Despite knowing that it’s coming to an end, just because I think we’re all trying to relish every minute of it.”

On how the changes in Morgan have impacted how he portrays him:

“It’s impacted it a lot actually and especially during this arc of sort of the Intersect, not quite working right. It’s been a blast because, like I said earlier, you can tend to…play the same character. Television I think is much like a comfort food for people. And when people find a comfort food they like, a television show they like, they want things to kind of stay the same. They want that  pizza should taste like pizza. And so I think there’s a chance obviously in television when you do enough seasons it can get a little – as an actor – you can kind of become unchallenged.

“This was fun because it forced me to just switch everything up and so I was excited. I was nervous at first, obviously for so many different reasons just getting the Intersect I thought was just a crazy turn. And something I wasn’t expecting. And then as I started to get the scripts and I saw this character becoming what he’s becoming and how it was affecting him, it’s nerve-wracking. Our fans are really loyal and they love Chuck, and I’m like, ‘Oh, crap, I’m going to get things thrown at me for being a jerk.’”

His most memorable experience on set or off during the past four seasons:

“For me it will always be the Comic-Con experience for our show. It made our show, and going down into the first season, Zac and I rode down in this car together kind of barely knowing each other.” “So we went down there and low and behold it was – it went over amazingly and kind of the rest is history. And so, for me, every year returning to Comic-Con has been just such an amazing, surreal experience, and such a big part of our show. And the fans are just some of the most amazing, incredible people I’ve ever met. And their dedication and enthusiasm and passion for the show is – I’ve never seen anything like it. That will always stand out to me, San Diego Comic-Con.”

Has being on Chuck brought out his inner nerd?

“Well it was out long before Chuck.[laughs] That was always a big part of kind of who I was, and am, so that’s why I think the role appealed to me so much. Zachary and I always are pretty outspoken about that, and going into this Zac always joked that it’s not Chuck and Morgan, people, we’re playing ourselves.”

His take on the malfunctioning Intersect in Morgan’s head? Has it brought up stuff that was bubbling under the surface?

“In the next episode or two, I think you’re going to find out a lot of that stuff, so I don’t want to spoil anything, or go too far into it. But I will say that yes and no, I think that whatever’s happening to him is obviously the Intersect is to blame, it’s clearly not in Morgan’s character to act the way he has been acting and is going to continue to act as you’ll see [in “Chuck vs. the Frosted Tips”].

“But I think, like anything, it’s pulling out certain things that are inside of him. There are things that are definitely Morgan, that are now bubbling to the surface. But just, it’s definitely malfunctioning and definitely a huge part of it. But obviously his own personality is sort of interwoven into the madness.”

Regarding a segment of the Chuck fandom being unhappy with the idea of Morgan having the Intersect:

“To me it’s out of my hands, I have a job to do. I was a fan too of things like this, I was a passionate fan of stuff. When I read comic books and writers in comic books decided to take the thing to a different, down a different path…as a fan, I’d be like ‘no, come on’ and you throw the comic book across the room. Our fans are wonderful, and passionate, and they have every right to either go, ‘no I don’t like this’, or ‘I do like this’, or ‘this is better than I thought’, or ‘worse than I thought,’ they can think whatever they want.

“I try to stay clear of it only because, in some respects, it’s not my business. I have a job to do. I try to do it the best I can and like I said this is something that was kind of, handed to me and, like, this is where we’re going. You go, ‘okay, you sure?’

“Like I said people love Chuck, man. And that’s just a testament to what Zachary does and from the very beginning, people just love that character, he’s such a sweet, honest, cool, character. The show is Chuck and the show is still, it continues to be, about Chuck. They, as the writers, and Chris felt that this was just a way to kind of inject some fun and a new perspective. And it’s like getting to watch one of your favorite movies with somebody who’s never seen it before. It’s just, you’re going to see it through some new eyes.”

The darker path that Morgan has been taking, is it part of a larger game plan for the finale between Morgan versus Chuck?

“Yes, there are effects from this earlier arc with Morgan that are going to play out, that are important to the rest of the season. Dark Morgan, bizarro Morgan, it’s not the sort of storyline for the whole season, this is a part of the first act if you will.

“I think because we knew we had our last season, 13 episodes – it does feel, that was my only real issue with the whole thing was, when I read all the stuff, I was like oh wow, this is going to be fun to play and I get to do some really different stuff, and that was all great, but it’s very fast. But  that’s no fault of anybody’s. That’s because we have 13 episodes, and to tell the story it’s sort of like okay, first episode we’re up and running, second one, oh something’s wrong, third one we come to a head, and you know what I mean? It’s just like, come on, we have a limited number of episodes to kind of tell this whole story.

“I would love to have done this sort of, I think that there’s something fun about that Morgan and Chuck could’ve become some sort of odd, Luke and Vader kind of thing. Of friendship and family and, ‘I know there’s good in you,’ and ‘I know you’, I mean, that could have played out over many number of episodes, but given our calendar…”

What it’s like having Carrie Anne Moss on set:

“It’s amazing. So cool and such a – I’ve got to say man, that’s probably one of my – that was the one. Carrie Anne Moss I was like – ‘wow,’I mean, and we had Mark Hamill, and trust me…Zac and I, when it was Luke Skywalker was coming to the set it was ridiculous, but with Carrie Anne Moss it was, I think just because [easyazon-link asin=”B0002Y69NG”]Matrix[/easyazon-link] is so, for me it’s just like one of my favorite movies, I think one of the greatest action sci-fi movies ever made. And she is so amazing in that movie, I mean she is the quintessential, sexy, badass, I mean, so, so much fun and she’s an absolute sweetheart and just a fantastic actress and a wonderful mother. She just talked about her kids the whole time. So it was beautiful, she was great and it was a lot, a lot of fun to have her around.”

Highlight of the show over the past four seasons:

“Going down as a part of the show to Comic-Con is, it’s just a highlight for me, it always stands out. I think it made our show, and so, for me that’s a huge one. But another memory for me is just simply getting the role. I mean, I look back and I think to myself, I look at all these steps and if you never go through this game, to get a role, to do anything in Hollywood, it’s just an exercise in frustration. You get these scripts and some of them you don’t like, some of them you do and with the Chuck one it was very exciting, ‘oh this is really cool, this is so up my alley.’

“I look back and I go ‘wow.’ I think about those original auditions and I say, that’s amazing that this happened, you know? It’s just such a fluke in some respects. I’ve been doing this for 15 years, 16 years, so. Obviously it’s the first time I had a show literally go to air and then had this kind of run. It’s just, it’s nuts. So that to me is the standout.”

How he would like to see the show end for Morgan:

“I’ve got to be honest I have these thoughts a lot now because we’re wrapping up and we’re close now. So every time I get dressed and I put on whatever kooky Morgan sneakers I have to wear and I’m getting dressed, I kind of think to myself that I’m really kind of satisfied with what I got to do with this character and it’s sort of a nice, sort of satisfying idea that I kind of took him where I wanted to go and I feel satisfied. So, I don’t really know, I don’t think I have a specific thing in my head of what I want, I think I was so glad to get to do this run that he did, this kind of start out as just sort of a goofy best friend, occasional comic relief, blah, blah, blah. And then kind of be able to be an integral part of the whole set up and to do some of the cool things that he’s done as a character. I’m satisfied, I keep saying that, so I apologize. So I don’t really know about an actual ending but I think he’s kind of done what he was supposed to do, so I feel good about that.”

What guest star he enjoyed working with the most:

“It’s always very interesting but, I think the ones that stand out for me, Scott Bakula’s just so awesome to work with and such a pro and so good and so funny and just a great actor and he’s a great dude. And so that was always a pleasure and I always wish I just kind of had more to do with him. And Carrie Anne Moss like I said, just recently kind of stands out because, she’s just again, same, similar reasons. You know, a total pro, total sweetheart, and the whole time I’m in a scene I’m trying to remember my lines because all I’m thinking of is like, Trinity, in her black leather outfit.”

This being your fifth season, do you still get nervous before you do a scene?

“Sure. I mean, it depends, especially this season because, like I’ve talked about, it was sort of a departure from what I’ve been doing which was great. I love to be able to shake it up and rattle it, and kind of go, ‘cool, man, this is going to be new.’ So yes, when I first walked out and got ready to shoot my first fight scene, or whatever, I was very nervous just because I’d never really done it before.
And the first time I had to really use my zoom face on camera. I would say up to this point, no, probably during like seasons three and four, it’s very rare that you – there’s any kind of real nerves or anything like that. But this season, sure and I would say, I guess it’s a cross between nerves and excitement.”

Does he have anything lined up after the season?

“Yes. I have a few, I have another short/kind of pilot that I co-wrote, and it stars me and my brother, Rick Gomez, who’s also been in a ton of stuff. And so I’m really excited about that and we’re in post right now, editing and getting it up and running, so I’m excited to kind of see what we can do with that thing.

“And then it’s just business as usual, I have to kind of go out and try to get another job. And I’m excited, there’s that excitement. It’s like Rocky returning to the gym where he grew up. It’s like, get back into the gym and kind of get back to work. Get out there and try to get another job.”

What character in any film, other than Star Wars, would he be?

“Just because I love them, and I think they’re absolutely amazing, would probably be [easyazon-link asin=”B000654ZK0″]The Lord of the Rings[/easyazon-link], actually over Star Wars. Even if you included [easyazon-link asin=”B000PMLFRA”]Star Wars[/easyazon-link], I’d probably still pick Lord of the Rings. Because, it just seemed like such an amazing experience to be out there in New Zealand and to be a part of that focus. I have the hairy feet already they could save on the prosthetic budget. Yes, so Lord of the Rings.”

Games or comics he’s particularly excited about right now:

“I’ll be picking up my copy of [easyazon-link asin=”B004HYK956″]Skyrim[/easyazon-link] tonight, Elder Scrolls. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it but it’s coming out and when it does come out – it’s the first time they’re going to have trouble getting me to the set, because, I don’t know, my life will be over for a month or two. Playing that game, very excited about it.”

Chuck airs Friday’s at 8/7c on NBC.