Tony Hale: King of the Manchildren

You know Tony Hale from, well… just about everything.

The comedic actor has been near-omniscient throughout this current era of television and film. After getting his big break as the delicate motherboy Buster Bluth on Arrested Development, he continued his manchild development in the multiple Emmy-award-winning role as Gary Walsh on Veep. Since then he’s found time to lend his voice to multiple Pixar projects and brightened up seemingly every comedic TV series in existence.

Hale’s latest project, however, casts him in a new role: producer. Directed by Seth Worley, Sketch features Hale both in front of and behind the camera to bring a literally colorful story about magical doodles to life.

“We describe it as “Inside Out meets Jurassic Park.” It’s a really fun family adventure with a theme about processing feelings,” Hale said during his visit to Den of Geek studio at San Diego Comic-Con.

Now, in his own words, Hale expounds upon his career and how he became the king of the comedic manchildren.

Growing Up With Buster Bluth on Arrested Development

Buster was so fun. He’s like a cartoon character. I once asked a very actor question to [Arrested Development creator Mitchell Hurwitz]: “What does Buster want?” He said he thinks he wants safety. That’s why Buster is always pulling his chin back. He’s always in this state of defense. He’s ready for something to come at him. 

One of my favorite things is when people come up and say, “I love this joke [from Arrested Development].” And I say, “Please tell me it, because I’ve completely forgotten.” The only joke from the show that I remember, because it’s my favorite bit, is Tobias joining the Blue Man Group because he thought it was a support group for depressed men. There’s nothing better than that. That was the level of comedy you were working with. 

Back then, people weren’t used to watching a show and having to think about it. But because of Netflix (and DVDs), people could rewind it and be like, “Do you see that blue handprint on the wall? That’s from three episodes ago. Do you see that Buster is sitting in front of something that says ‘Arm Off?’ Oh, that’s foreshadowing to him having his hand bitten off by a seal.” All those layers just made Mitch [Hurwitz] brilliant in my eyes. 

Being President Selina Meyer’s “Bagman,” Gary Walsh, on Veep

Gary spent a long time sewing pockets into that bag because everything had to have a place. He had Costco versions of whatever was in the bag at home, because God forbid he ever ran out. I think, in one episode, there was a game to see how fast he could pull items out of it. For Gary, that bag was his world. And that’s why it was so hard in that one episode when Selina gave him a new bag. It’s like Linus’ blanket. 

Here’s a fun fact. I watch [the projects I make] once, but I don’t watch them again. But I watch the blooper reels. I have every gag reel of Veep on my Dropbox to give me immediate joy. As a wrap gift to the cast, I put them all on a flash drive and gave them out. I don’t remember a lot of stuff. But I remember the bloopers.  

Becoming “Fear” for Pixar’s Inside Out 2

Inside Out is one of my five favorite movies. I remember seeing that movie and just going, “How did they conceptualize this?” They brought emotions to life and brought them into the world. I had to get past that starry-eyed thing towards Pixar—even after [voicing “Forky” in] Toy Story 4. But of course they’re very lovely. They told me the story of Inside Out 2, and I asked them, “What’s the difference between fear and anxiety?” They said, “Fear is an actual threat. Anxiety is a perceived threat.” It’s so good. 

Playing an Anti-Ghost Pottery Professor on NBC Comedy Community 

[Community star] Joel McHale is a buddy of mine. I think Anthony and Joe Russo directed that one because they were producers on the show, and I had worked with them on Arrested Development. I remember really going at it, hitting my toe against the door, and I sprained it from getting pissed off. But it was for the art!

Producing and Starring in the Family Film Sketch

It took eight years to get made. My buddy, Seth Worley, who’s the writer-director, had the idea and wrote the script. We just went back and forth for a few years trying to find financing and that kind of stuff. It’s like launching a child into the world. I haven’t produced much, so it’s a feeling I haven’t had. But I’m so proud of it. 

I play a single dad who’s really worried because his daughter is drawing these pretty crazy pictures, and they end up coming to life. We describe it as “Inside Out meets Jurassic Park.” It’s a really fun family adventure with a theme about processing feelings. One of my favorite movies growing up was The Goonies. I remember making my parents watch it over and over, and they didn’t mind because it’s a fun experience. I have a daughter, and there are a lot of movies I had to watch over and over that I was like “I cannot watch this again.”