Hale may not have made a particularly strong impression on viewers with his resume of bit parts. But “Arrested Development” fans eager to look into his earlier work began to spread the word online that Hale was the famously nerdy and devoted Styx lover who was lip-syncing the lyrics – complete with robot hand motions - to the song, “Mr. Roboto, in a popular Volkswagon commercial, in 2000. The spot was just one of many, but was easily his most well known. Aside from commercials and television roles, Hale worked steadily in theater in New York City, where he divided his time along with Los Angeles.
In 2001, Hale landed two crucial gigs for young actors living in New York City – the HBO shows “Sex & The City” and “The Sopranos.” On the former he played the role of Tiger in an early fourth season episode featuring lead Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) participating in a fashion show. On the renowned crime drama, he portrayed an RN in the third-season episode entitled “Second Opinion.” He also played a doctor on an episode of the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek,” and, after gaining recognition from “Arrested Development,” landed a guest starring role in an early episode of the Pamela Anderson vehicle, “Stacked,” also on Fox TV.
On the adored but ratings-challenged “Arrested,” Hale played the youngest brother of the Bluth family, alongside Michael, (Jason Bateman) and Gob – pronounced like the Biblical “Job” (Will Arnett). Not only was his character famously devoted to his mother (Jessica Walter) but he carried on an unusual romance with one of his mother’s friends, Lucille (it was no coincidence on the show that she had the same name) played by none other than Liza Mannelli.
Hale was cast in the Marc Forster-directed comedy “Stranger Than Fiction,” (lensed, 2005) along with Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Queen Latifah.