IamA David Krumholtz AMA!

is this thing working?

Whenever my math teacher in high school didn't feel like teaching, he showed episodes of Numb3rs, and I know that's true of lots of other people at lots of other high schools. How do you feel about your impact on math education throughout America?

Also, separately, are you interested in dating a nice Jewish law student?

It's rare to get the chance to educate people through prime time television. It was an honor to do so. My wife may take issue with me dating anyone, but I'll ask her just in case

I remember watching Superbad around Christmas time one year and thinking, "holy shit, Bernard the Elf is doing coke. He really fell off, huh?"

So I just wanted to say, thanks for popping up in random scenes and making my day every time.

THANK YOU!!! I'll do coke on Christmas this year if you'd like!

How angry were you when Jay couldn't swing you out of the hole in This is the End?

dude. pissed.

If you are ever in Niagara Falls, NY on a Tuesday, would you be interested in attending a Taco Tuesday event at my house?

sure

My people will contact your people.

cool

Hi David. You did a wonderful series of performances in the Santa Clause series. Do you have any insightful and interesting anecdotes in the making of those movies?

Lots of fun. The youngest elves on set still believed in Santa, so Tim Allen and I had to pretend that we were our characters in between takes so as not to ruin it for them

What was fighting thyroid cancer like? How are you doing today?

Thanks for asking. You know, luckily, it wasn't so bad. the psychological aspect of having a disease like that was tough, but I'm doing great. Cancer free!!!

Fellow thyroid cancer survivor here. Fortunately, like most thyroid cancers, mine was not too aggressive and the treatment has been more of an inconvenience than anything else. But I hated the way doctors kept telling me I shouldn't be upset, like I had won some sort of "cancer lottery".

yeah. You should feel how you feel. Glad to hear you're doing well

How do we get a parallel story about you and eddie's characters quest for hot dogs in Harold and Kumar? Needs to be told.

we came so close. But there's a H & K cartoon in the works, so maybe that will pan out after all

Hi Mr. Krumholtz, Every time I see you in something, my first thought always goes back to your character's actions in your arc on ER. Is there one specific role you've had that you think will always stick with you or do you think it's still in your future? Thank you.

I loved playing Charlie Eppes on Numb3rs. That will always stick with me, and playing Gigi on my new show Gigi Does it is something that, for better or worse, I'll never shake

Okay all. Thanks for your questions! Can't wait to do this again!!

is Gigi based on a particular Jewish grandma from Boca or is she a composite?

composite of my mom, grandmother, and a little bit of my dad

First I loved you in 10 things I hate about you. My question is what was it like working with Heath Ledger, did you know he's go on to be such a big star even then? Oh and what's a Bogey Lowenstein??

Heath was a shooting star. He was awesome and I'm glad I could call him a friend.

That's the dude who golfs off the cliff

Does Gigi use the men's or the ladies' bathroom?

Depends.

I mean she uses Depends. ;)

Hey! my first question here on an active AmA so please be gentle. What was the most enjoyable aspect of your work on "Numb3rs"?

working with the cast and crew. We became a family. I miss them all.

What was it like working with Peter MacNicol on Numb3rs after working with him on Addams Family Values?

Peter is SO funny, so much fun to be around. It was an honor

Who's been watching Gigi Does It on IFC? Watch tonight at 10:30!

Also, I really loved Dr. Jacob "Jack" Habib on The Newsroom. I can't even break him into features that I like or not. It's all this ocean of feels. Would you like to play someone that calm as him, or you'd prefer a more "spicy" character (as Gigi)? I'd love both.

I love it all. Playing psychologists is alot more fun than it looks. Especially because I know several psychologists all too well!

Who do you get confused with most often?

Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Max Casella

Hello, Mr. Universe. Are you one of the millions of fanboys that want to see Firefly come back?

Yeah. As long as they bring my character back to life!

What's your favorite movie that you were in?

Slums Of Beverly Hills

Oooo... I'm so sorry. Serenity. The answer we were looking for is Serenity.

ha!

What are the main differences you see behind the camera now, compared to when you started acting?

Well, of course everything is digital, so alot more is accomplished in a short time. But I just shot a movie with the Coen brothers and they still use film

I saw Gigi yesterday, and I sat there with my jaw dropped the whole time. Amazing. Are all the people in it actors? The ones interviewing for the assistant job seemed to be genuinely unaware of the joke.

The show is a hybrid scripted/reality show, so each week I deal with real people and also actors. Glad you dug it!

Hi David! So, I have a weird story for you. A few years ago my Mother in Law gave me and my wife a small stuffed cat when she was visiting us. We were in Austria at the time, so we named him "Kitten Krumholtz", you know...after the German word Krummholz. So we traveled a ton with the little kitten taking pictures with him everywhere and letting him write the captions (he's kind of a dick actually). This was fiveish years ago. About two years ago we started watching Numb3rs and Kitten Krumholz recognized you as his Daddy. So now we set up the computer and let him enjoy Numb3ers or any other show that you (his father) are in.

Right, a question. So...uhh...how does it feel to have a small stuffed cat baby?

hahahahahahahahaha! That's amazing. I always wanted my own stuffed kitten offspring!

Hi David, loved your small role in The League, what was it like working on that job?

Obviously you've known Seth Rogen since Freaks and Geeks and it says on Wikipedia that you were going to be in Knocked Up but couldn't because you were going to star in a Woody Allen flick. What can you tell us about that whole experience? and how disappointing was it not to work with Woody?

The League is so much fun. All improv, and working with Seth is a blast.

Woody things was traumatizing, it took years for me to get over, and sometimes it still really bothers me

How was it working with Tim Allen for The Santa Claus?

Tim was great. I felt for him because being in that makeup was very tough. Especially because we shot the first movie in the summer.

Hey David. thanks for doing this AMA! we are the same age and i have been a fan of yours since you locked down Wednesday Adams and you became my hero. also, i have been looking forward to this cool show of yours for a while now. how did it get concieved? was it your idea, or were you approached?

Thanks!! Gigi Does It was conceived after I had performed the character on a website called weatherfrom.com. We created the show to expand the character and it was created by myself, Ricky Mabe, Zach Golden & Dan & Ben Newmark.

How did you get the part of The Cereal King in Life with Mikey? Any great anecdotes about Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane or Cyndi Lauper?

Edit: How many times did you have to eat that crap?

I was lucky enough to be performing in a Broadway play which was next door to a musical directed by James Lapine. He was set to direct Life With Mikey and he saw me in my show, and gave me a shot at auditioning. Michael, Nathan, and Cindy were all so awesome and lovely to me. I was only 14 and it was my first film. I was in over my head, and they made me feel like I was special.

Do you give yourself the manicures when you play Gigi? What is your technique? I'm impressed.

Had acrylics done by a Nepalese lady. Sucked.

I've always thought you were a fantastic actor. Particularly loved Slums of Beverly Hills. Any insight as to what exactly happened to Natasha? One day, she's on the path to a pretty strong character/indie acting career, then all of the sudden she's tabloid fodder. Then, next thing you know, she's back to acting and seems really together. Did she struggle with the post-child star mania, or was it something deeper?

Also, you seemed pretty well prepared for stardom. What do you attribute that success to?

Finally...at auditions...it pretty much always comes down to you and Jason Schwartzman, right? Have a great day!

We all have our demons, problems, skeletons in the closet. Natasha is clean, sober, and KICKING ASS!

My family kept me grounded, always self depricating

Schwartzman doesn't have to audition anymore, but I still do!

Hi David! As a kid I always loved your character in The Santa Clause. I wanted a friend like Bernard. How did this role help shape your career and how was working with Tim Allen near the beginning of your career?

It was awesome. Made me feel like I could be part of something that would last a lifetime. Influence generations. Great experience

What was it like working with Michael J. Fox? Also, how did you get to play Gigi, were you picked for it or did you have to audition for the part?

Michael was so kind to me.

My friend Ricky Mabe asked me to play the part for weatherfrom.com and then we developed the TV show together from there.

Hi David,

How has recovering from cancer changed the way you live, work and connect with people, if it has changed you?

Well, I try not to let it change me, but I suppose it has. I suppose I'm just that much for grateful.

What do you do to "get out" of one character to be able to work / think about another? Like theater, reading, music? // My idea: crazy funny character talking strange dialect. :)

It's all about mindfulness. Being present. Flexing new muscles you may have never flexed before. I try never to cover the same ground twice.

What's your favorite place to eat in nyc?

What's your favorite vacation spot?

What's your favorite thing to cook?

Right now, I'm vibing on Rolf's a small german restaurant I make killer fried chicken Italy

Do you still have the Your Vagina Smells Like Doody tee-shirt from Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle? If so, on what occasions do you chose to wear it?

Unfortunately, no.

Hey.. Don´t knock Numb3rs. I liked it. And i´m a guy in my 40´s. What was the cause of cancellation? Are you still in touch with the cast from the show?

Are people in the street bugging you about calculations?

How IS Peter MacNicol as a person really? He´s always portraiting these haphazard wound up characters (Ally McBeal, Numb3rs etc).

Any thought on bringing the show back?

The show just lost steam unfortunately

sometimes people think I'm a real mathematician

Peter is a wood sprite. A mystical creature from another world. He is QUITE the character. He's on tonight's episode of Gigi Does It.

The show is over. We all miss it, but it probably won't come back

Hi David! One of your first roles was on Broadway; would you go back? What current play would you wish to be a part of?

ABSOLUTELY. 1000%. Would love to play Bloom in the Producers

Have you ever been asked to read for the role of a guy with a, say, Irish last name?

To tag that question have you ever went to your agent and say "can I just play,like, a Italian for once" ?

twice

How hard was it for Nectar Rose to maintain that blank robot face? Did you and her crack up a lot and ruin takes?

Can't stop the signal!

Nectar was AWESOME. No easy task to stay straight faced.

How long can you hold your breath?

a good 45 seconds.

Hey David! Thanks for the AmA!

What has been your most memorable moment of your career?

Lots. But working with the Coen brothers is probably the most memorable.

What do you like and not like about twitter? Do you find something useful in it for your work? (Do I bother you with fangirling? Sorry if I do! :) )

Twitter is a thorny bush. I love making people laugh, but promoting there, and reading people's stupid tweets bothers me sometimes

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Cinnamon Bun by Ben & Jerry's, althought lately I'm into that Ginger cookie thing by Haagen Dazs

Hello, David! I love your work!!! Can you say how you do it?! :) Is it the words of the dialog that you like, or the story, or an interesting feature about the character that makes you start thinking about playing the part? How was it with Gigi? Thank you.

Lidia!!!

You're awesome!!

I look for a nuance in the writing first, then I approach it with as much respect for the writer, director, producers as I can give. They've typically lived with a project way longer than I have, so I don't want to mess it up for them with a renegade or rogue performance.

Hi, David. Can you tell me about your failure to communicate your feelings of resentment towards your wife? Also, what are you wearing right now?

I'm terribly frightened of my wife.

socks. Knee highs

Do you know where wales is? (Without googling)

Of course. In Great Britain!

What's the one role you didn't get that you reallllly wish you had?

The lead role in Midnight In Paris

How about roles that you did get that eventually you wish you didn't?

ha! No regrets!

What do you think of the new comedy Benders on IFC?

Love it

Do you prefer cake or pie?

cake

Hello David! I'm obsessed with GiGi. You and Ricky are a great team. Are you single?

married. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Hey David, I've really only seen you in Numb3rs (my girlfriend got me into it), and I've always wondered: How come the look of your hair changed so much throughout the series??

We had several different hair stylists and I got that good hair, so we decided to play with it, switch it up a bit.

Oh! Sorry, one more question from me! When you were in Addams Family Values, do you remember ever having any inkling that you'd be working with Peter MacNicol again in the future?? I was watching that with my family, and it blew my mind recognizing you two in that!!

I love Peter dearly.

It's simply by Kizmet alone that we've gotten to work together so often. He is my acting soul mate I guess

I really love Numb3rs. Math was never so close and inspiring. And human relations are very believable to me there. And those dialogs! And those tiny things in the space of scenes! I want it to be continued very much!!! Do you think it would be interesting for you to play in this continued show or is it a boring idea? I know you didn't like it in the last year's interview. But.

No. What's done is done. Sometimes it's best to let thing lie. All good things must come to an end.

Hello David. How was to participate in Law & Order? How did you prepare for the role?

Well, i was 15 when I shot my first L&O. Just kinda dove in head first. That was one of my first gigs, so I really didn't know how to prepare

What's your IN N Out order?

Flying Dutchman

May I fuck your dirty shit pipe?

yup

Sweet! Do you have a big thick cock?

ask your mama

I love your work especially in Big Shot. Do you ever get any good northern exposure stories?

I was not in Northern Exposure. That's Rob Morrow. But he didn't share alot of stories from that set

Why do you play in only such shitty movies? Can't you do something more than barely memorable comedies and trash tv?

Love you.