Sony Pictures Television/ Darren Michaels
It's been six years since
Danny Masterson ended his eight-season run as Steve Hyde on That '70s Show — the series that made
household names of him, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. And now he's returned to
primetime on the TBS sitcom Men at Work.
In a recent conference call interview he explained what drew him back to the
small screen.
Danny stars as the recently
jilted Milo on Men at Work. As he
struggles with the end of his relationship, he seeks solace in his office-mates
and best friends — Tyler the sophisticated writer (Michael Cassidy), Gibbs the
player (James Lesure) and Neal the monogamist ('Adam Busch). But unfortunately
for Milo, his pals are a little to self-absorbed to really focus on the minutia
of his troubled love life.
The humor on the show comes
from the relationship among the four lead characters and the chemistry that
those actors bring to the screen. Danny was drawn to the dynamics of the characters
on the office-place comedy. He noted, "The fact there was only four guys,
I do like the ensemble thing, as opposed to my last show we had like eight to
12 regulars depending on the episode."
And he was happy to have the
chance to portray a different type of personality on TV. He conceded, "The
character of Milo was a 100% opposite turn from playing Steven Hyde for so
long. So this guy’s a little bit more of a sensitive type whereas Hyde was the
opposite of that."
But Danny explained that a
big part of the appeal of Men at Work,
was getting to work with actor Breckin Meyer, who created the series and acts
as one of its executive producers. Danny remarked, "I’ve known Breckin
since I was a teenager… We were two guys who would sit in the same audition
rooms auditioning for the same stuff together.”
He continued, “Now all of a
sudden him being my 'boss' was something that is really fun to do as an actor.
When you have another actor as your boss… they understand how to communicate
easier sometimes than just a writer. So that was probably the first thing was
Breckin."
He talked about working with
the Franklin and Bash star in this
different capacity. Danny joked, "Basically he just cracks the
whips." But then he quickly took the opportunity to praise the showrunner
saying, "No, if you know Breckin you know he’s one of the more intelligent
people I’ve ever met. He’s an incredible writer having been writing on 'Robot
Chicken' for the last six, eight years. He is the wittiest person I know. He
has the fastest comebacks. His sarcasm is legendary."
Danny seems to be enjoying
bringing that sensibility to the small screen. He admitted, "I’m kind of
playing a version of him on the show. And so it’s pretty nice to be able to go,
'Hey man, what do you want me to do with this line or where is this joke going?
Or I don’t understand this reference because it’s some nerd thing that he is a
big fan of."
Besides, it's nice to have a
boss who understands what it's like to walk in your shoes. Danny acknowledged
that he'll seek advice from Breckin, "Every once in a while, [I'll say],
'Give me a line read. Tell me how this is said in your mind.' And him being
such a good actor, he can just do it. And you’re like, 'Oh you meant it like
that. Cool. No problem.’ And I can go out and perform it."
Watch Danny Masterson
channel Breckin Meyer each Thursday night when Men at Work airs at 10 p.m. EST/9 p.m. Central on TBS.
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