It's possible that you saw Danny Pudi in Chicago's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's also possible that you didn't realize it. The local actor, who plays the thoroughly original Abed on NBC's "Community," has learned to keep his newfound fame in perspective.
"We're not like a huge show like 'Glee,'" admits Pudi, calling from the set.
Nonetheless, riding in a hometown parade should have been a triumphant return. "They put me in a cream-colored Volvo with two signs," he says. "One said, 'Volvo of Lisle,' and the other said 'Danny Pudi of "Community." I think a lot of people assumed I was the owner of the Volvo dealership. Or maybe just a member of the community at large who had somehow won this contest.
"Most people were clapping for the Volvo, which is fine."
It takes a lot to stand out in an ensemble cast that includes Joel McHale and Chevy Chase, but awkward pop-culture savant Abed is difficult to forget. In the pilot episode, Abed recited Judd Nelson's impassioned monologue from "The Breakfast Club." He has also krumped, tap-danced, predicted the future, and mastered a killer Christian-Bale-as-Batman impersonation.
"It's an everyday kind of absurd experience," says Pudi. "My days are weirder than my dreams at night. And I have weird dreams."
Maybe it has something to do with his eclectic background. "The way my parents met is a true Chicago story," he says. "They met at an English-as-a-second-language class." His father was Indian, his mother Polish. He grew up on the Southwest Side in Brighton Park, in a house full of "aunts and uncles in parantheses," Pudi remembers. "I never knew if we were actually related to them or not." In 1990, the family moved to Jefferson Park on the Northwest Side.
He started taking dance classes to make his mother happy, eventually ending up at the Second City Conservatory. Since he's been in L.A., he's starred in a slew of commercials (that was him in the "butt-dialing" commercial for T-Mobile) and guested on "Gilmore Girls" and "Greek."
But "Community" has been the perfect showcase for his unique talents - especially the short scenes he plays with co-star Donald Glover that end each episode. "It started with the rap," says Pudi. "We were just at an interview and the reporter asked for a rap. I started beat boxing, and [Glover] started freestyle rapping. He's incredible at that. Our producer saw it and said, 'Guys, I'm putting that in.'"
The famed Spanish Rap went viral on youtube.
"When people like our show, they really really like it," says Pudi. "I get visceral reactions. Over the holidays I was at O'Hare, and this guy walked straight toward me. I could tell something was going to happen. He walks past me, kind of close, and then leans in and whispers, 'Donde esta la biblioteca?'"
That, of course, is a line from the Spanish Rap.
"He never said anything else, just went on his way," says Pudi. "I stood there for a second and kind of reflected."
It's hard to say how much of Pudi is in Abed. They both worship '80s movies - Pudi is hoping to work some "Police Academy" references into the show - and they are both obsessed with lip balm. "Abed likes his lip balm, and he knows exactly when to moisten those lips," says Pudi.
Abed could, in theory, even have a similar ethnicity. "Why can't Abed be half Polish?" asks Pudi. "That's real life."
The "Community" cast hasn't yet learned if there will be a second season, but they did get an order for an additional three episodes - which could be a good sign. Pudi is trying to be patient. "I know that NBC has some other things on their minds," he says.
A man of so many talents never wants for work, though. Pudi would love to get back onstage in Chicago, or take on a dramatic role next. And he always has his blossoming film career to fall back on. His movie "Road Trip: Beer Pong" won "best comedy" in the first annual Straight-to-DVD Movie Awards last year.
That project was not quite as ambitious as "Community," but you may enjoy it anyway, says Pudi. "It will change your life," he says, before correcting himself. "Well, it may change your evening. Eat something light."
For your viewing enjoyment:
"Community's" La Biblioteca Spanish Rap
Leave a comment