Will Arnett

Will Arnett

Arnett at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Born William Emerson Arnett
May 4, 1970 (1970-05-04) (age 40)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation Actor
Years active 1995–present
Spouse Penelope Ann Miller (1994–1995)
Amy Poehler (2003–present) 2 children

William Emerson "Will" Arnett (pronounced /ɑːrˈnɛt/; born May 4, 1970) is a Canadian actor best known for his roles as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the FOX comedy Arrested Development and as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major film roles. He recently played supporting roles in the comedy films Semi-Pro, Blades of Glory, and Hot Rod. He starred in 2006's Let's Go to Prison and 2007's The Brothers Solomon. Arnett has also done work as a voiceover artist for commercials, films, television programs, and video games.

Contents

Early life

Arnett was born in Toronto,[1] the son of Alexandra and E. James Arnett, a corporate lawyer, and brewer, among other occupations.[2][3]

In Toronto, he attended Francophone schools.[4] He speaks French, but has stated that he is not currently fluent in the language.[5] Arnett briefly attended Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario, but was expelled as a troublemaker.[6] He then attended the Subway Academy II which allowed him to take theatre classes at the Tarragon Theatre, and eventually graduated from Leaside High School.[6]

He attended Concordia University in Montreal for a semester, but dropped out. When he was a teenager, Arnett's mother encouraged him to pursue an acting career and he began to audition for commercials in Toronto. He decided that he really enjoyed acting and that it was something that he wanted to do with his life. Aged 20, in 1990, Arnett moved to New York City to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.[7] He began appearing in plays in New York and his first acting role was in the Felicity Huffman independent film Erie, which was filmed on the Erie Canal.[8]

Career

Early struggles

In February 1996, Will Arnett began acting in television pilots. His first was a pilot with Kevin Pollak and his wife, Lucy Webb, for CBS, that was not picked up.[8] The pilot, The Underworld, revolved around "The head of an organized crime family [who] hounds an ex-con who only wants to go straight."[9] After the show was not picked up, he appeared in the movie Southie, which was written by Arnett's friend Dave McLaughlin. In 1999, Arnett was cast in another pilot for The Mike O'Malley Show on NBC. Arnett was a regular on the series, playing the protagonist's friend Jimmy. The show was picked up, but it was canceled after only two episodes.[8] Arnett has referred to 2000, the year after that show was cancelled, as "the darkest year of [his] life" and he admits that he "didn't get a lot of work" and "drank those years away".[8]

Arnett considers the summer of 2000 to have been a turning point for him because a friend helped pull him out of his battle with alcoholism and he began to get his career back on track.

In 2001, Arnett was cast in another television pilot, Loomis, for CBS. The pilot starred Cheri Oteri as a local news reporter, and Arnett played her slacker brother. The pilot was not picked up. In 2002, Arnett was cast in a fourth television pilot. This pilot was for the CBS sitcom Still Standing. This time the show was picked up and ran for several seasons, but his character was cut from the series after the pilot.[1] Arnett became so frustrated, after his fourth failed pilot, that he "swore off pilots"[1] altogether, until his agent persuaded him to audition for the pilot for Arrested Development.

Career breakthrough

Arnett as G.O.B. in Arrested Development

In 2003, Will Arnett found mainstream success in television when he was cast in the role of George Oscar "Gob" Bluth II in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development. Arnett's character was one of the show's most popular, and he was nominated for an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal. His character was also listed at #33 on Tv's Top 50 Catch Phrases with the line, "I've made a huge mistake." The show was cancelled after three seasons due to low ratings, despite its critical acclaim and cult following.[10] Arnett has said that his favorite episodes of the show were "Pier Pressure" and "Afternoon Delight".[11]

Arnett's exposure on Arrested Development led to a number of larger roles in feature films. Although he had previously worked largely as a dramatic actor, his roles since Arrested Development have been mostly comedic, often playing smug antagonists. Despite the fact that Arnett has emerged as a comic actor, Arnett "never considered himself a comic" and considers himself an "actor first."[12] Since Arrested Development, he did play the dramatic role of an FBI agent on several episodes of The Sopranos.

Arnett's first major starring role was in Let's Go to Prison, a comedy film directed by Bob Odenkirk. The film was made on a small budget of 4 million dollars.[13] It made over $4 million at the box office and over $13 million in rentals.[14] One of Arnett's recent films was Blades of Glory, an ice-skating comedy in which Arnett and his wife, Amy Poehler, played supporting roles to Will Ferrell. In the film, they played a brother/sister skating duo with an unhealthily intimate relationship. The film was number one at the US box office during its first two weeks,[15] and grossed approximately $118 million domestically during its theatrical run. [16] and $36 million on home video. [17]

Arnett has made guest appearances on King of the Hill and 30 Rock. On 30 Rock, he played Devon Banks, a scheming network executive who plays a rival to Alec Baldwin's character Jack Donaghy. His role as Devon Banks earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series. Arnett also played supporting roles in the films Spring Breakdown, Hot Rod, The Comebacks, and On Broadway. In On Broadway, he once again worked with director Dave McLaughlin who is a close friend of Arnett's and gave him one of his first movie roles in Southie.[4]

Arnett's next starring role was in the comedy The Brothers Solomon, in which he again teamed with director Bob Odenkirk and starred opposite Saturday Night Live's Will Forte. He recently appeared in a major supporting role in the basketball comedy Semi-Pro, his second film with Ferrell. [18] He plays Lou Redwood, the commentator of the team, who is "a former player, a bit of a womanizer, and a boozer".[19]

Arnett was signed on for a supporting role in Ye Olde Times, along with Jack Black, but the project has fallen through.[20] He has signed on to new projects in which he will play starring roles, including Jeff the Demon for New Line Cinema, in which he will play a demon who is summoned by a pair of high school losers.[21] He is also signed on to the lead role in The Ambassador for DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, in which he will play "a former U.S. vice president's privileged son, who is assigned an ambassadorship in Europe, where he quickly becomes the quintessential ugly American."[22] Arnett has signed on for the lead in Space Invader for Fox Atomic, which will center on a love triangle set on a space station.[23] Arnett is also attached to lead roles in Dad Can't Lose, Get 'Em Wet, and Most Likely to Succeed.[21] Arnett was originally attached to play the lead role of David Miller in the film We're the Millers, but had to pass on the project due to "scheduling reasons" and the part went to Steve Buscemi.[24]

On November 17, 2009, it was announced that Will Arnett would try to win over real-life wife Amy Poehler in a guest spot on Parks and Recreation, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Arnett will play Chris, an MRI technologist and possible love interest for Poehler's Leslie Knope. Justin Theroux will appear in the same episode as yet another suitor. Arnett is signed on for one episode, slated to air in early January.[25]

In 2010, Arnett and former Arrested Development co-star Jason Bateman created DumbDumb Productions, a production company focusing on digital content. Their first video was "Prom Date," the first in a series of "Dirty shorts" for Orbit (gum).[26]

Arnett stated in an interview that he's "working with Mitch [Hurwitz] on something right now",[13]. The project was revealed to be Running Wilde, a comedy beginning its run in September 2010 on Fox. In the show, Arnett will play a spoiled, rich man opposite Keri Russell, the daughter of his father's former housekeeper.

Voice work

Arnett has a distinctive gravelly voice and has done voice-over work for CBS TV promos, film trailers and numerous advertisements, including Lamisil medication. Perhaps most recognizable is Arnett's voice saying, "It's not more than you need, just more than you're used to" in ads for GMC trucks.[27]

Arnett has also lent his voice to a number of television shows. In 2005, he guest starred in Nickelodeon's hit series 'Danny Phantom' as Ghostwriter. In 2006, Arnett voiced the character Duncan Schiesst for the Comedy Central animated program Freak Show, which was created by and also stars the voice of his former Arrested Development co-star, David Cross. Recently, Arnett took the role of announcer for the faux trailer "Don't" in the movie Grindhouse. He also lent his voice to the films Horton Hears a Who![28] He voiced 'The Missing Link' in Dreamworks' film Monsters vs. Aliens. In 2007, he voiced Horst the German sous-chef, in the Disney Pixar film Ratatouille.

Arnett was to have been the voice of the K.I.T.T. in Universal's Knight Rider, a sequel to the popular 1980s television series. Because the production featured a Ford Mustang as K.I.T.T. rather than a General Motors product, he opted to withdraw from the project and was replaced by Val Kilmer.[29]

In 2009, Arnett became a regular voice cast in the Fox comedy series, Sit Down, Shut Up. He voiced Ennis Hofftard, a bodybuilder who teaches English and always attempts to chase women.[30] The series premiered on April 19, 2009 but was cancelled due to poor ratings. It aired its last episode November 21, 2009.[30] Jason Bateman, Kristin Chenoweth, Will Forte, Tom Kenny, Nick Kroll, Cheri Oteri, Kenan Thompson and Henry Winkler were the other main cast members.[30]

Personal life

Arnett has two elder sisters and a younger brother.[31] His father James Arnett was a corporate lawyer and became the president and CEO of Molson Breweries in 1997, until he stepped down in 2000.[32] James Arnett, a graduate of Harvard University, previously worked as a director for the company.[33]

In 1994, Arnett married actress Penelope Ann Miller, and they divorced in 1995.[4] Arnett dated actress Missy Yager, with whom he lived for four years. They starred on The Mike O'Malley Show together and broke up around the time that the show began.[8]

Arnett began dating comic actress Amy Poehler in 2000; Arnett moved to New York City in 2001 when she became a featured player on NBC's Saturday Night Live.[8] On August 29, 2003, Arnett and Poehler married.[4] Poehler appeared in four episodes of Arrested Development in 2004 and 2005. She played a woman whom his character G.O.B. marries during a drunken night of increasingly outrageous dares. Arnett and Poehler starred alongside each other in the films Blades of Glory, Horton Hears a Who!, On Broadway, Spring Breakdown, and Monsters vs. Aliens.[28] He and Poehler have two dogs, Puzzle and Suki.[11] On October 25, 2008, Poehler gave birth to a son, Archibald William Emerson Arnett, in New York City.[34] On August 6, 2010, Poehler gave birth to son Abel James Arnett.[35]

Arnett lists Steve Martin and Chevy Chase as his two biggest comic influences.[11] His favorite band is Built to Spill, his favorite movie is Shaun of the Dead, and his favorite television show is Law & Order.[11] Arnett grew up watching hockey in Canada, and is an avid Toronto Maple Leafs supporter.[36]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Erie Role Unknown
1996 Close Up Dave
Ed's Next Move Weather Video Guy
1998 The Broken Giant Ezra Caton
Weekend Getaway Chuck short film
1999 Southie Whitey
The Waiting Game Lenny
2000 The Acting Class Will Bennett
2001 Series 7: The Contenders Narrator
2005 Monster-in-Law Kit
2006 Ice Age: The Meltdown Lone Gunslinger Vulture voice only
RV Todd Mallory
The Great New Wonderful Danny
Let's Go to Prison Nelson Biederman IV
2007 Blades of Glory Stranz Van Waldenberg
Grindhouse Announcer voice only, segment: "Don't"
On Broadway Tom
Ratatouille Horst voice only
Hot Rod Jonathan
Wristcutters: A Love Story Messiah
The Brothers Solomon John Solomon
The Comebacks Mailman
2008 Semi-Pro Lou Redwood
Horton Hears a Who! Vlad Vladikoff voice only
The Rocker Lex
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens The Missing Link voice only
Spring Breakdown Ted direct-to-video
G-Force Kip Killian
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Subject #11
2010 When in Rome Antonio
Jonah Hex Lieutenant Grass
Despicable Me Mr. Perkins (voice only)

Television

Year(s) Title Role Notes
1997 The Underworld (Role Unknown) Series regular, failed pilot
1999 Sex and the City Jack Guest star, episode: "La Douleur Exquise!"
The Mike O'Malley Show Jimmy Series regular
2000 Third Watch Kenny Guest star, episode: "Spring Forward, Fall Back"
2001 Loomis (Role Unknown) Series regular, failed pilot
Boston Public Hand Salesman Guest star, episode: "Chapter Twenty-nine"
2002 Still Standing (Role Unknown) Appeared in the original pilot and was intended to be a series regular, but his role was cut out of the pilot and he did not appear in later episodes
Yes, Dear Bobby Guest star, episode: "Johnny Ampleseed"
The Sopranos Agent Mike Waldrup Guest star, episodes: "For All Debts Public and Private", "No Show"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tony Damon Guest star, episode: "Angels"
2003 Undefeated Scott Green's assistant Small role, television movie
2003–2006 Arrested Development George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II Series regular
2004 Will & Grace Artemis Johnson Guest star, episode: "Back Up Dancer"
2005 Odd Job Jack Tiberius McKorkindale Guest star, voice only, episodes: "The Biggest Bang", "Close Encounters of the Uncomfortable Kind"
Danny Phantom Ghost Writer Guest star, voice only, episode: "The Fright Before Christmas"
2006 All-Star American Destiny Trek TJ Cooter Series regular, failed pilot, voice only
Freak Show Duncan Schiesst/Various Series regular, voice only
2007 King of the Hill Portis Guest star, voice only, episode: "Hank Gets Dusted"
2007–2009 30 Rock Devon Banks Guest star, episodes: "Fireworks", "Jack Gets In the Game", "Succession", "Do Over", "Into the Crevasse", "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001"
2008 Sesame Street Max the Magician Guest star, episode: "Max the Magician"
2009 Sit Down, Shut Up Ennis Hofftard Series regular, voice only
Delocated TV Announcer Guest star, episode: "Good Buds"
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret Brent Wilts Channel 4 Series
Eva Adams Adam Evanston Series regular, failed pilot
2010 Parks and Recreation Chris Guest Star, episode: "The Set Up"
Running Wilde Steve Wilde Series Regular

Video games

Year(s) Title Role
2009 Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard Matt Hazard
Monsters vs. Aliens The Missing Link
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Additional voices

Awards

Year For Award Category Won Other notes
2005 Arrested Development Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series No Shared with Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series No Shared with Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter
Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series No
2008 30 Rock Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series No
2010 Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series No

Honors

New York magazine named Will Arnett and wife Amy Poehler "New Yorkers of the Year" for 2005 during their New York Magazine Culture Awards.[37]

In April 2007, during a panel hosted by The Paley Center for Media, talk show Conan O'Brien and his writing staff named Will Arnett as one of their three all-time favorite guests, sharing the honor with Norm Macdonald and Harland Williams.[38] Also in April 2007, Entertainment Weekly named Will Arnett a Future King of Comedy."[39] In May of 2007, Arnett ranked #9 on Best Week Ever's "Top 15 Sexiest Nerd Boys" poll.[40] In July 2007, Premiere magazine named Arnett one of "The 20 Hottest New Faces in Comedy."[41]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Weisman, Jon. "Will Arnett", Variety, 2004-06-10. Retrieved on April 12, 2007.
  2. ↑ Will Arnett Film Reference biography
  3. ↑ Will Arnett profile, TV IV, 2007-02-25. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 IMDb profile, 2007-04-12. Retrieved on April 12, 2007.
  5. ↑ On the November 22, 2006 Late Night with Conan O'Brien Arnett stated that he dubs his own voice in the French versions of his movies and TV shows.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Richard Ouzounian (2010-01-22). "Will Arnett: Overconfidence Man - thestar.com". Toronto: www.thestar.com. http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/754134--will-arnett-overconfidence-man. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  7. ↑ Chun, Wing. "The Will Arnett Interview, Page 2", Television Without Pity, 2005. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Chun, Wing. "The Will Arnett Interview, Page 4", Television Without Pity, 2005. Retrieved on September 30, 2007
  9. ↑ The Underworld (1997) (TV), IMDb. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  10. ↑ Goodman, Tim (November 14, 2005). "Die-hard Arrested Development fans already feeling sting of loss". The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/14/DDG4NFMUAI1.DTL. Retrieved November 23, 2005. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 O'Neil, Tom. Transcript: Our chat session with Will Arnett, The Los Angeles Times, 2006. Retrieved on May 7, 2007
  12. ↑ Spitznagel, Eric. "Spitznagel's Exclusive Interview, March 2007", Playboy Magazine, 2007-03-29. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Topel, Fred. Interview: Will Arnett Talks About "Let's Go to Prison", About.com, 2006. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  14. ↑ "Box Office Mojo: Let's Go to Prison - DVD/Home Video Rentals", Box Office Mojo, 2007-04-22. Retrieved on April 22, 2007.
  15. ↑ "'Blades' Stays on Top With $23 Million", Yahoo! News, 2007-04-08. Retrieved on April 12, 2007.
  16. ↑ "Box Office Mojo - Blades of Glory", Box Office Mojo, 2007-04-13. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
  17. ↑ Blades of Glory - DVD/Home Video Rentals, Box Office Mojo, 2007-11-16. Retrieved on November 17, 2007
  18. ↑ Kit, Borys. "Arnett turning 'Semi-Pro' with Ferrell", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-01-29. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  19. ↑ YouTube - OurStage: Will Arnett Interview
  20. ↑ Kay, Jeremy. "Jack Black goes medieval with Kimmel's Ye Olde Times", Screen Daily, 2007-05-16. Retrieved on May 16, 2007
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 McNary, Dave. "'Demon' seed is planted: Arnett conjures New Line's new laffer", Variety, 2005-11-13. Retrieved on April 22, 2007
  22. ↑ "Will Arnett is 'The Ambassador'", Comingsoon.net, 2006-04-10. Retrieved on April 22, 2007
  23. ↑ McNary, Dave. "Arnett rockets into 'Invader': Film depicts love triangle on space station", Variety, 2007-02-14. Retrieved on April 22, 2007
  24. ↑ Morris, Clint. "Buscemi Gets into the Millers", Moviehole.net, 2006-02-07. Retrieved on April 13, 2007
  25. ↑ Joyce Eng. "Will Arnett to Guest-Star on Parks and Recreation". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Arnett-Guest-Star-1012216.aspx. 
  26. ↑ "Jason Bateman and Will Arnett Reunite for Web Video". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Bateman-Arnett-Orbit-1019545.aspx. 
  27. ↑ "Will Arnett - Other works", IMDb, 2007-04-22. Retrieved on April 22, 2007
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Faraci, Derek. CHUD.com, 2007-03-29. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  29. ↑ Adalian, Josef (February 6, 2008). "Val Kilmer voices 'Knight Rider'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117980382.html?categoryid=14&cs=1. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 "Sit Down, Shut Up". Fox. http://sitdownshutupwiki.fox.com/?t=anon. Retrieved 2009-04-14. 
  31. ↑ Chun, Wing. "The Will Arnett Interview, Page 12", Television Without Pity, 2005. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  32. ↑ Will Arnett profile @ AskMen.com, 2006. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  33. ↑ Fraiser Millner Casgrain LLP website. Retrieved on April 12, 2007
  34. ↑ "Amy Poehler Gives Birth to Baby Boy - Babies, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett". People Magazine. 2008-10-26. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20235875,00.html. Retrieved 2008-10-26. 
  35. ↑ Oh, Eunice (2010-08-06). "Amy Poehler and Will Arnett Welcome Son Abel James". Celebrity Babies. http://celebritybabies.people.com/2010/08/06/amy-poehler-and-will-arnett-welcome-abel-james/. Retrieved 2010-08-06. 
  36. ↑ Proteau, Adam. "Bleeding Blue and White in Hollywood", The Hockey News, 2006-04-26. Retrieved on May 25, 2007
  37. ↑ "New Yorkers of the Year - New York Magazine Culture Awards", New York Magazine, 2005. Retrieved on April 12, 2007.
  38. ↑ "Simply Absurd: The Comedy of Late Night with Conan O'Brien @ The Museum of Television and Radio - 4.5.7", The Apiary, 2007-04-05. Retrieved on April 10, 2007.
  39. ↑ Markovitz, Adam. "The Current (and Future) Kings of Comedy", Entertainment Weekly, 2007-04-10. Retrieved on April 10, 2007.
  40. ↑ BWE PRESENTS: The Top 15 Sexiest Nerd Boys", Best Week Ever, 2007-05-17. Retrieved on May 17, 2007.
  41. ↑ "The 20 Hottest New Faces of Comedy", Premiere, 2007-07-31. Retrieved on July 31, 2007.

External links

Interviews