We recently emailed a list of inane questions to 30 Rock's Judah Friedlander, and he was kind of to respond with his typical deadpan absurdist humor. Read below to find out about his millions of dollars, his hopes for Sarah Palin, and the Kenneth secret that we all kinda knew.
Let's just get rid of the obvious question off the bat. The hats. How many do you have? Which is your favorite one?
I have over fifty thousand hats. I made them all before I ever started filming "30 Rock". And I just pick and choose which ones suit the show best. SDRAWKCAB is one of my favorite hats from this season. It’s "backwards" spelled backwards.
Now that "30 Rock" is a certified four-season success and likely heading into syndication, how will you spend your millions? Keep trucking along in other series like Brad Garrett, or go retire to your golden mansion like Patricia Richardson?
I haven’t made millions from "30 Rock" yet & don’t know that I will. I keep hearing syndication doesn’t necessarily pay that much anymore. But I was adopted by Italian royalty when I was a kid, so I've been a millionaire since I was 7 years old. But I'm always working. I do lot’s of stand-up. I’m working on a book which is an extension of my stand-up act which will be in stores in 2010 from Harper Collins imprint It Books. In the book, I will teach people how to be more like me, Judah Friedlander, The World Champion.
Would you ever do a dramatic role? Would it have to involve hats with sad or serious sayings on them?
Glenn Close & Meryl Streep have been reaching out to me for years to star in a film with them about a dramatic love triangle that takes place during the 1700's in the French Riviera. I have done dramatic roles before where I do not wear a hat. In "American Splendor" I played Toby Radloff, which got me nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. I’ve also had dramatic roles in "Chapter 27", "The Wrestler", "Duane Hopwood", "Full Grown Men" and other movies. And I changed my appearance for each of those movies as well.
Who is your favorite 'Real' Housewife? If you don't know any, just make one up.
Sofia Vergara. She's awesome.
It's no secret that your network is in something of a tough spot. If it was up to you, how would you save NBC?
If NBC gave me my own prime time karate tv show, it would be the number 1 network of all time.
You popped up on three episodes of the brilliant-but-canceled "Lateline" with Al Franken, who later became a US senator. What other actors that you've worked with do you think would make good politicians? And you can't say Alec Baldwin. We already know that he will be president someday.
I think Tina Fey & Sarah Palin should both run on the same ticket and become the first co-presidents ever. I want to become the first President of Japan who's not Japanese. That's never been done before.
When is the inevitable Frank and Jenna romance really going to get going on '30 Rock'? We got a little taste of it in one episode a while back, but there's more to that story, right? And what about the inevitable Frank and Kenneth hook-up?
I don’t know if that’s going to happen. But I’m pretty sure Jenna still has a crush on Frank. But I think Frank is keeping busy with other chicks who are more low-maintenance. And as far as Kenneth, goes. I think it's always been implied that Kenneth & Frank have been having an affair for years.
What's the dumbest joke you've heard recently?
Thankfully, I’ve forgotten it.
You turned 40 this year. Did you do anything for the big day? Or does the notoriously cruel Tina Fey not allow people to celebrate birthdays?
Tina is not cruel at all. She's the best. I'm actually a lot older than 40. Sure I was born in 1969, but I own a time travel machine. So I've been living in other time periods for years. I'm not that good at math, but i'd guess I'm somwhere around 164. This year's birthday was great. My family visited me. We ate at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, which has FANTASTIC food. And we played ping pong.
Finish this sentence: If I wasn't in showbiz, I would be...
Showbiz is just my side job. My real job is being the greatest athlete in the world. I'm The World Champion. I'm a master of the martial arts, a sex symbol to women & a role model to children. So, I would be doing only that, being The World Champion. Also, I'd be of facebook & twitter 24 hours a day instead of 23 hours a day.
