The trio of “Librarian” action/adventure films on Atlanta’s TNT the past four years are hardly the obvious place to see a comic legend such as Bob Newhart.
Yet Newhart and his impish grin have managed to infuse an even greater sense of levity to this light-hearted takeoff on "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He plays the mentor to Noah Wyle's main character Flynn, who helps keep safe some of the world's biggest treasures in a special library.
Newhart's Judson is a bemused man who has seen it all, done it all and is glad he's able to pass the baton.
We talked to Newhart about the film, that classic finale to his "Newhart" sitcom in 1990 and his dramatic stint on "ER" in 2004 that earned him an Emmy nomination.
Q: What appealed to you about doing "The Librarian"?
A: I kind of liked the nonbrawn aspect of the character. He doesn't overwhelm with brawn but with intelligence. I also got to work with Jane [Curtain]. I had done "Saturday Night Live" with her.
Q: You also get to work with Noah Wyle from "ER," where you got to do some dramatic work a few years ago.
A: Noah had already left "ER" when I did my three- parter. [Creator] John Wells had come to me to play this guy who has macular degeneration. He was suicidal.
Q: This seems so far off the mark from what you normally do. Was it difficult?
A: It wasn't difficult. But suicide is something I'd never consider. I have a wife, kids, grandkids. It was interesting to explore this guy and understand where he's coming from.
Q: You shot ["Librarian"] in New Orleans. What was it like?
A: We didn't really get into the areas that are still under water. Lots of people would say don't go there. We would pass parts of it going to different locations.
Q: Did you ever wish you could be an action hero, like a Harrison Ford?
A: I did do one movie with Buck Henry and Gilda Radner back in 1980 called "First Family" where I played the president. We had to react to these giant tomatoes that weren't there. It was green screen. Boy, that was weird. I'm so used to acting against another person, not to a green screen. It takes a certain kind of actor to do that.
Q: That actor is not you?
A: I did do "ER" but I don't have underneath this comic exterior a Hamlet just wanting to get out. The problem is I love making people laugh. That's what I'm most comfortable with.
Q: Do you watch some of the better comedies today such as "The Office"?
A: You know, I kind of have a rule. I don't watch single-camera comedy shows. It's not the world I grew up in. It was "Lucy" and "The Honeymooners" and "Mary Tyler Moore." We always played to an audience. There's an excitement, like doing a play.
Q: Why do you think multicamera sitcoms aren't so hot anymore?
A: I don't know. I've heard comments from producers that it's distracting for the actors. I find the exact opposite. The audience drove me. The Larry, Darryl and Darryl characters in "Newhart" weren't meant to be permanent characters. But the audience loved them so much, I said to the writers, you have to keep these guys around.
Q: Have you ever played the Bob drinking game yourself? [People would drink whenever someone uttered his name on the show.]
A: [He chuckles.] I heard about it. I hope I don't go down in history as the man who caused more hangovers on college campuses than any other man alive. Hopefully, some of my other accomplishments will be singled out.
Q: How often do people bring up the famous dream sequence at then end of "Newhart"?
A: A lot. That was my wife's idea to end the show that way. People show it and it always gets applause. There's something about being on television. You're part of people's lives. It really makes you feel good.
TV PREVIEW
"The Librarian 3: The Curse of the Judas Chalice," premieres at 8 tonight on TNT.
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