I am Charley Koontz, I play Fat Neil on NBC's Community AMA

i think you forgot to say that your mother was your inspiration!!!

ha! love you mom! this is my mom everyone! My inspiration!

off to a great, and in no way embarrassingly sparse, start!

Can you tell us the exact words that Alison Brie's Annie "spoke" during her Hector the well endowed roleplay with Abed's elf maiden? - this scene... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlQmdkyNQ90

Leave no details out :D

i.e What were the words on the script ^ _ ^ ?

oh god, there were no words in the script that was all improvised. I can't remember all of what she said but I do know it was the dirtiest and funniest thing i had ever heard.

Was it... butt stuff?

Do they pay you more if they do stuff to your butt?

I dont care, I'll do it

Later in the series: "I think you know I have a thing for butt stuff"

i get paid in butt stuff.

What did you see when Britta flashed you?

Heaven

I just want to say that your comedic abilities kind of floor me. Beyond Community, your delivery of lines in Rubber and that marriage counseling short you did are so great. Please be in more things all the time and I will continue to devour them.

Edit: Link to 'Couples Therapy' for those who haven't seen it.

yes! finally couples therapy is gonna get out there! i loved doing that

OOOOOOOOK. I'm outta here. 7 hours is good right? good enough to not be compared to Woody Harrelson? I HAD A BLAST WITH ALL OF YOU TODAY!! thanks for the great questions! follow me on twitter @charley_koontz and we can continue this relationship.

AND THANKS TO REDDIT FOR HAVING A PLACE WHERE THIS CAN HAPPEN! ILL DEFINITELY COME BACK!

THANKS EVERYONE!

I have a twitter by the way! You can follow me at @charley_koontz if you feel so inclined. just sayin.

How do you feel about the story of Fat Neil?

really great actually. It's hard for a heavier actor to get parts where they are not just a fat joke for a half second. so when I got the D&D episode and had the opportunity to be featured so heavily and also have such a complete arc it was really exciting. I learned a lot about me as an actor while I was doing it. I can't ignore what I look like, its ok to comment on it because its a real thing. but at the same time I try to control it. I have a sense of humor about it, but I don't wanna portray characters that are just the butt of the joke.

I just want to say that I think the combination of the writers and your acting make Neil one of my favorite characters on the show. While so many characters seem like a crazy person, Neil seems like a real person. I want him to succeed.

thanks so much, thats really awesome

This was the only episode I cried during. You were amazing.

thanks so much, thats really sweet

Is Chevy Chase as much of a dick as everyone says he is? Do you resent being called fat in front of the whole nation? Also, I love you. Deeply.

haha i dont resent it at all. It is what it is. I hope they can see me as more than that. I love you too. Let's mate.

Do you play a part in any of the upcoming episodes?

yeah, i have two more this season! I have an awesome part in the Troy/Abed blanket fort war ep, and 3.17 an episode Megan Ganz wrote that is my favorite i think

SPOILER ALARM! Are you even allowed to tell us this?

no idea

Are you into D&D as much as Fat Neil is?

not as much, but i had played before. a buddy of mine in college made me play. my character was an ogre named Ben Affleck. I wish that was a joke.

They gotta bring Vin Diesel in for D&D Redux.

ill kill him

Well he does play a wizard AFAIK, so that's easy pickens if you can get in range with that sword of ducayne (sp?).

DUQUESNE!

Are you a Childish Gambino fan and if so what's your favorite song?

BIG FAN. my favorite is Firefly.

how awesome is the actor who plays Leonard off camera?

so amazing. Richard Erdman. he's been in a ton of stuff.

What's it like working with a young up-and-comer like Magnitude (Luke Youngblood)? Is it intimidating?

magnitude (luke youngblood) is super sweet and super intimidating at the same time. he'd the nicest guy, but can do so much more with POP POP than I can ever do that it makes me feel like an idiot ha.

What would be one thing that you have found on your time on the Community set that fans would find interesting that they didn't already know?

Also please confirm that your interactions with Jim Rash, after he got his Oscar, have been demoralizing. (I.E. He has spit on you or used your attire to cross a muddy puddle.)

ken jeong has a 3rd nipple just over his left ear but his hair covers it up. and while i haven't seen Jim since he won his oscar, he has been leaving me really offensive voicemails.

Ken Jeong has a 3rd nipple right over his left ear. his hair covers it up. And while I haven't seen Jim since he won his Oscar, he's been leaving me really obscene voicemails.

Who would you like to see on Community as a guest star?

I've always wanted to work with Phillip Seymour Hoffman. So I want him to play my mean dad or my gay uncle or something

I wonder if he would approve of Vicky (that is if something is going to happen between you guys this season).

id have to defy him. the heart wants what the heart wants.

How much of an asshole is Chevy Chase in real life?

Chevy is just so perfectly Chevy in every way.

Whats the inside word about season 4? You can trust us to keep it on the down low.

i wish i knew. we all gotta wait. its hard.

Would you like to see a Neil-Vicki-Garrett love triangle in the future?

i don't think America is ready for that. Too hot for TV.

What we all really want to know is, did you get that part?

ha! i dunno yet, but i seriously doubt it.

Can you talk a bit about was the audition process for the role like? Were you already a fan of the show before you auditioned?

i LOVED the show. it was my favorite. I only auditioned for 2 lines "The Bronze Age?" and "Neil's fine." i loved the show so much and thought it was so good that I was 100% i wouldn't get it. So i just winged it.

Just watched that episode last night, actually. Quick question, though -- of all the cast members, which is funniest in real life?

Jim Rash and Donald Glover are tied for the most hilarious and talented humans on the planet.

I don't know if you can answer this (or already have, I'm sorry if you have), but do you have a buddy on the show, or someone you always hang out with? Which character is mostly unlike the actor(actress) playing them? And also, what do you think of Woody Harrelson's movie, Rampart?

haha I was waiting for the Rampart questions. I hope I'm doing a better job than him, reedit hates that guy. I love Ken, I try to spend as much time with him as possible.

What is your favorite part about being an actor?

the chicks.

Well, you got me...

giiiiiirrrrrrrllllllll!

How's life?

life is good! and you?

when gillian flashed you was she really topless? or did she have one of those skin colored bras on?

i'll never tell!......skin colored bra.

I just want to drop in and say that you are by far one of my favorite characters on Community and I absolutely loved the D&D episode. It's easily one of my favorite episodes of all time. Thank you!

i. love. you.

i just wanted to say real quick that I'm having a really good time with you guys! best hangover cure a guy could ask for!!

When are we gonna get some "Veil" (Vicki and Niel)?

soon! the love story continues!

Is there anything in the D&D episode you would have liked to have gone differently? Like any jokes you wanted to add or story changes?

nothing aside from my own performance. but thats just nitpicky actor stuff. i think the episode was pretty stellar from the get go.

nothing aside from my own performance, but thats just nitpicky actor stuff. i think the episode was pretty stellar from the get go.

Hey Charley! You seem like a really cool guy, something that other people involved with the show have confirmed in DVD commentaries.

I have two questions:

1. What's it like to come into a show that has a very established ensemble and be a major force in an episode, the way you were in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons?

2. Which two cast members would you most want to see compete against one another in an obstacle course?

i was scared shitless doing D&D. it was a really big break for me. but they were all really great about it. I remember one of the first days I told Joel my cable and internet had been shut off because I could't pay the bill. When they realized I was just a broke kid trying not to fuck it up, they all rallied around me and helped me out.

What other comedies do you like to watch?

Love Parks and Rec and 30 Rock. i have an NBC boner. Also Tosh.0 i can never seem to get enough of.

If you had to describe Community's on-set chemistry in ten words or less, how would you?

hilarious sideshow comedy sex orgy.

Will you ever be featured on a "Troy and Abed in the Morning" segment?

if they ask! Troy and Abed in the Moooooorning!

Who would want to come in to guest star and play your dad?

Philip Seymour Hoffman. Would make my life.

Did "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" open any doors for you as an actor? That is, have you been considered for and/or cast in any roles that you think you might not have been considered for/cast in if you hadn't had such a high-profile part?

totally, Dan gave me my break with D&D. I've gotten a few commercials from it and I also got a guest spot on Awake directed by Adam Davidson who was supposed to direct D&D but he had kids on the first day of shooting. He called me in for Awake which was so rad to do. Got to work with Jason Isaacs!

D&D episode was the first episode I watched, and I was instantly hooked!

Questions:

What is the funniest thing that has happened on set, off screen?

Who is the funniest cast member off-screen?

Who is your favourite character from the show besides the main cast? (And the Dean and Chang I guess)

Thanks for coming to reddit dude!

Edit: After reading the thread I found out you were in Rubber. My whole brain is crying now. You're awesome.

ha! the funniest on set moments are all kinda "you had to be there moments". Jim and Alison are hilarious, and Joel is pretty stellar to be around. My favorite character has to be Garrett I think. He's so funny.

I don't have anything other to say except that I think you're a very cool dude and reading through your responses shows you to be a very good-natured, nice person... I think that's awesome. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to seeing your return on Community!

you. are. the. best. human.

I'm not sure if you've answered this already, but in the episode where it's revealed that Neil is basically made of fun of by everyone at Greendale and that he has severe self-esteem issues; did any of how you played Neil come from real experiences?

oh yeah. its always hard as a heavy kid. but you power through. i hope it helps for people to see someone that looks like them on TV. I dunno if thats too lofty, but thats what I'd like to be for them.

I love the D&D episode and I have loved Community from the start. Thanks for helping to put that awesomeness out there for the world. Do you know if season 3 is only going to be 20 episodes? I'm hoping for six seasons and a movie, but seems like NBC is not having it. They are just streets behind. I think that's enough references for now.

totally streets behind. I think they're gonna do the whole 22. #sixseasonsandamovie!

Do you have any Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets?

for a price.

I just wanted to say thanks for doing this AMA and also that, based on your replies, you seem like an awesome and interesting person.

Sometimes I imagine meeting actors/celebrities I like and being totally unable to formulate coherent sentences. But you seem like one of a few that it would be awesome to have lunch with and chat!

If you were going to write an episode of Community, what would happen in it?

And if you could pitch your own TV series or big-budget movie you knew would get picked up/produced, what would it be about?

hey thanks i really appreciate that. i don't really know about the community episode, but I'm developing a pilot with a buddy of mine about a guy who finds a baby in a cab. hilarious right!? ::pats self on back::

Do you watch fan made videos on youtube? If you do, what's your favourite?

i do! my favorite is the one with me and Chevy in slow motion with the Gravity song playing.

Do you have any special talents you'd like to incorporate in your role as Fat Neil?? Tightroping? Juggling? Lighting your farts on fire?

id like neil to dance. I'm a magical dancer.

Which actor is the most fun to work with on set?

and

How messy do you guys get during the paintball episodes?

Alison and Yvette are really fun. Pretty much everyone is amazing. I feel like such a douche for saying that, it sounds like I'm avoiding the question, but its true. its a blast and a half. and yeah it gets pretty messy, when I was doing my scene for paintball i slipped in paint while I was running. totally ate shit.

What have your interactions with Dan Harmon been like? How does he handle actors? Oh, and how is the Duquesne family doing?

he handles actors great. its easy to talk to him cause he knows the material so well and the characters so well that he knows exactly how to explain it to you. they're all versions of him so you get it right from the source.

the Duquesne's are doing great. still having a few night terrors for the Chevy rape, but over all pretty good considering.

Thanks for answering so many questions - you're doing great.
Is it true Neil got depressed because Britta flashed him?

HAHAHA i think that was his one glimmer of hope that life could be ok. and when that was gone, he decided life wasn't worth living.

hope I'm doing ok. I'm just trying not to screw it up like Woody Harrelson. who apparently reedit hates

Do you navigate reddit? What have been your findings?

i have no idea what it means to navigate. but it did take my 20 minutes to figure out how to get this AMA started. I'm an internet idiot.

Are there any of the cast members that you admire the most?

jim rash is truly a genius. i've learned so much about comedy and acting just by being in the same room with him

Can you describe your path as an actor? How you decided what you wanted to do, first roles etc.

I'm still just starting out. I found some amazing mentors when I was doing plays in college that helped me along the path. Found a really great manager that values me and wants me to grow as an actor. My first gigs were with a shakespeare company in LA doing Romeo and Juliet and Richard III and the like, then I got Rubber which was amazing. And then Dan Harmon blessed me with an opportunity to do Community. So we'll see where it goes from here!

Who was your favorite or funniest cast member to work with when shooting D&D?

i couldn't hold it together with ken in that Drow make up. It was insane.

I've always wondered how it feels for the actor (or actress) when they've been cast for a part that ostracizes a certain physical characteristic (ie 'Fat' Neil).

Does that affect you personally? Or as an actor, do you learn to go with it?

it was a really hard week to shoot that episode. But I learned a lot. This is how I look, and certain people have certain feelings about that. I was happy about Neil because the writers didn't skirt the issue of the weight but they grounded it so much that the jokes had consequences. Which you don't get to see a lot of in TV and movies.

Favorite seconday character?

Garrett. He's so good.