Chris Titus admits when it comes to primetime TV “most shows that try to go after men’s relationships its like–it never gets down to the real part. It’s always the fluff part of it.”
That’s about to change this fall when Titus and his costars Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan and Joshua Malina kick off their new show Big Shots. The four friends make up a competitive and dysfunctional group of New York CEOs who take refuge in their friendship by confiding secrets, asking advice and supporting one another.
Titus took time out to give Hollywood.com the scoop on the new dramedy, which airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC.
On getting to know his costars:
“All I’ll say is that the four of us have been taking hip-hop dance classes together which is great, and Dylan‘s going to be giving us hair tips. So we’re doing a lot together.”
On working with all guys:
“The first day on the golf course, the camera whipping around our heads and [Dylan] just ripped on me–I was so nervous, and McDermott starts ripping on me, and I realized that–guys have that. Women–you never see women just start reaming each other.”
On Happy Days:
“We were filming…and I go, “You know, we’re like Happy Days. We all agreed that Dylan is Fonzie, and then Vartan is Richie Cunningham, because the moral center. And then we had an argument over who was Potsie or Ralph Malph … It turns out I’m Ralph Malph.”
On the authenticity of the script:
“I think with these guys, just the pilot has so much like pain in it, which is great because these guys are rich guys and it just shows that it doesn’t matter if you have money, your life can still suck and go down the tubes.”
On relating to the show:
“I’m in the middle of a divorce right now and a new relationship. So the show is really kind of like dead-on with what’s happening. I lost 20 pounds in my divorce because that’s what a soul weighs.”
On how this show compares to his old show, Titus:
“This time I can actually focus on acting. I don’t have to be up in the writers’ room all the time. I am really enjoying it and working with these guys, I’m learning a lot from Dylan about how to be a superstar. I’m learning a lot. I’m following him around taking notes. I’m not kidding.”
On returning to television:
“For the first two months when I hit the road after Titus, I actually did quite a bit of material about what had happened. And I realized I had become this bitchy actor and a guy who had been blessed with a lot of great stuff and then became a smart-ass and smarted off to the wrong people in power. And it was my fault … That won’t happen again.”
On the meaning of “Men. We’re the new women”:
“I think it’s kind of hard for men right now to be men because if you try to be a guy and you’re too much of a guy, then you’re an A-hole. If you try to be too sensitive, then, you know, you’re metrosexual.”
On using improv on the show:
“A good producer is a guy who knows what he does well. Jon [Harmon Feldman] knows what he does well. And he does this very well. So if something is not working, he’s the first guy to go, “You got something?” I mean, I remember him coming over to us and going, “You guys got something here? I’m not happy with this.” And then we kind of mess around and come up with something, so some of it ended up in the pilot. So, yeah, it’s–really, really blessed and lucky to be working with this guy.”
