Weber is happy to be away from TV for a while

By Adam Duerson

Meet the new ''Producers'' star. Replacing Matthew Broderick on Broadway, Steven Weber returns to the comedic form he first showed on ''Wings'' -- and then some

For ex-''Wings'' star Steven Weber these are pretty good days. Sure, ''Once and Again,'' the Emmy-winning TV show he costarred on, got a hard-luck cancellation last week. But at least Weber has a helluva night job to fall back on: He's just taken over Matthew Broderick's coveted role of Leo Bloom in the hit Broadway production of Mel Brooks' ''The Producers.'' EW.com caught up with the 41-year-old actor and discussed everything from Gene Wilder's ''Producers'' combover to a pass he made at Oscar winner Marisa Tomei -- 18 years ago.

Q: First off, tell us how you got the ''Producers'' gig.
A: Weber: I just auditioned for it. At first I thought, ''I'm not even going to go up for it.'' I was used to the cushy, lazy-ass TV lifestyle. But then a friend said, ''Don't be a schmuck,'' so I came out and auditioned. Maybe it helped that I knew every line of dialogue [in the movie version] and I quote it all the time. It was pretty much the reason I got into show business. Then I worked with Mel Brooks on a film and I grilled him about it. Even back then, he was talking about making it into a musical. Seven years later, it popped out of him.

Q: Gene Wilder played Leo Bloom in the movie and Matthew Broderick played him on stage. How's your version different?
A: He's a combination of Gene Wilder, Matthew Broderick, and myself. I've stolen all my favorite bits of shtick from those two guys. For example, I adopted a Wilder-esque hairdo as a homage to Gene -- a slightly radical combover that helped me get into the character physically. I started with a very extreme combover, but it was too uncomfortable to look at. People weren't listening to what I was saying because my combover basically started at my jaw, so I've scaled it back to a more believable styling.

Q: Did you get to talk to Matthew or Gene before doing this?
A: I've never met Gene, but Matthew and I have become friendly. There's a nice kind of genuine camaraderie and enthusiasm there. He's very gracious and even a bit relieved to hand over the role he's been doing for a year and a half. It's very strenuous, so I think he welcomes the break.

Q: The show really took a toll physically on Matthew and Nathan Lane -- have you had a checkup lately?
A: I'm much younger and more fit than either of them. They're all decayed, and pretty much husks of what they once were. I've been doing this for three weeks and my throat feels fine. I feel very hale and healthy. But talk to me in three months when I begin to corrode.

Q: How long do you think that strapping body of yours will hold up?
A: I'm signed on for nine months, but I'm having such a good time that -- barring Nathan or Matthew coming back -- I could see myself doing this for a while. After spending such a long time doing TV, the difference is stark for an actor. TV now is so goddamn ridiculous. There's been a lot of really rotten TV lately, so it just feels very good and very refreshing to be able to come into a great play.

Q: ''Once and Again'' got canned despite generally stupendous reviews -- maybe you can explain that to us.
A: It's mysterious. They say the ratings were down, but I'm convinced that ratings are bulls---. There are 6,000 or so Nielsen boxes determining the viewing habits of, what... 200 million people? It just doesn't add up. EW.com should get Oliver Stone to do a whole thing about it. Every week, a decent show gets pulled, a crappy show stays on, and it makes no sense no matter how many times somebody tries to explain it to me. Meanwhile, offer me a high-paying show called ''Chimps and Their Poop'' starring Steven Weber and I'd take it in a heartbeat. I'm a sellout.

Q: Is there a possibility of life on another network for ''Once and Again'' -- maybe on Lifetime, after reruns of ''Thirtysomething''? A: Oh, I'd be more than happy to keep doing it. To play the amiable womanizer Sam Blue -- God, yeah! It's a great show and [Edward] Zwick and [Marshall] Herskovitz are great people. I just hope I can work with them again in any capacity. I'll be an espresso machine for those guys. That may be it for me -- the Weber machine.

Q: If we were to put you in charge, what shows stay and what shows go?
A: I thought -- and you're going to think I'm insane -- ''The Colin Quinn Show'' was cool. It's a down-and-dirty interesting show like ''Letterman'' or ''SNL'' used to be. Something that's just a little subversive. I kinda dig ''Watching Ellie,'' but it's too out there for some people. I'm sick of these sticky, gooey family shows where, melodically, the dialogue sounds funny, but there's really nothing funny there. My experience tells me that any time you hear people laughing on a sitcom, it's the writers who happen to be closest to the microphones -- not the audience. But who am I to give a thumbs up or down? You guys gave me a thumbs down once and I couldn't get an erection for a month after that.

Q: Maybe it was for ''The Weber Show,'' which got canceled. How'd you ever let NBC put your name in that title -- isn't that a curse?
A: I don't know if that was the problem, but it was emblematic of the lack of imaginative development in that whole process. We were forced to compromise into something we were all uncomfortable doing. Never before have I seen a group of people so depressed, with their hands in their pockets, staring down at their shoes, kicking pebbles, wiping tears. It was embarrassing, but I got some loose change to jingle around in my pocket.

Q: There are a dozen sitcoms getting rejuvenated in reunion shows -- what are the chances of a ''Wings'' comeback?
A: People like it in retrospect compared to the s--- that's on the air now, but I don't think people are interested in a ''Wings'' reunion. What would it be? You'd see everybody aging horribly, except for Tim Daly, whose hair would just be a little salt and peppery. He's got that gene. My hair would be receding. I'd look like an oil painting in the rain. Who knows how big Roy would be. It wouldn't be pretty.

Q: How about a little word association...Mel Brooks.
A: Super genius.

Q: Gene Wilder.
A: Super, super genius.

Q: ''All Dogs Go To Heaven.''
A: Good gig that dried up.

Q: ''The Flamingo Kid''
A: Got my SAG card; tried to hit on Marisa Tomei.

Q: And failed?
A: Naturally. __ EW.com (April 10, 2002)

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