Maurice Godin of NBC's "Working"

Maurice Godin of NBC's "Working" will be joining us in less than 10 minutes! Be sure to send Maurice your questions! He can't wait to receive them! He may be even able to answer the eternal question: what kind of business does Upton/Webber do?

Maurice Godin: Hi everybody, it's great to be online!

Mgfanno: Your character Tim would not be characterized as a warm and caring guy, yet he is quite compelling. How do you set the boundaries of the character?

Maurice Godin:
LOL. Well, one of the things about Tim is that he has very few boundaries He's an opportunist, willing to step on it to get ahead.

Maurice Godin:
He's constantly fascinated and entertained by what goes on around him in the office. And I think that's what makes him approachable.

Kaybeees:
How do you think your character Tim made his way up the corporate ladder?

Maurice Godin:
Well Kaybees, I think that Tim made his way up the corporate ladder by avoiding being bogged down with details like understanding what the business is. He's much more interested in how to manipulate people and how people can stimulate him.

Maurice Godin:
I think that many people in the business world can relate to this, who are working for bosses who seem a little less than they.

Paul_Lafond:
How realistic do you think the show portrays life in a big corporation like Upton/Webber?

Maurice Godin:
Paul, interestingly enough, I've got some friends from college who keep in touch with me via the internet. And they're constantly sending me stories about things that are happening in their office, which are often times more outlandish than what happens on the show.

Maurice Godin:
So I think that it's safe to say that what we do on the show is not far from the truth. Except, of course, for the fantasy sequences :-)

Lossanjose:
How do you think your character Tim views Fred's character Matt?

Maurice Godin:
This is what I was talking about before about how Tim views the world around him with fascination. I think that Matt fascinates him the most.

Maurice Godin:
We did this whole Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker thing in the pilot and it seemed to make a lot of sense with regards to their relationship because I think Tim sees Matt as a challenge. But he finds him very endearing at the same time.

Paul_Lafond:
I saw yesterday that they added a new cast member (Kate Hodge), how did this happen?

Maurice Godin:
I think you'd have to ask the Executive Producers, but as far as I can tell, we're finding ourselves with a lot of scripts that had a lot of external characters propelling them.

Maurice Godin:
And I think that the Executives thought it would be a good idea to include someone in the cast who could fulfill that role and bring on the perspective of gutsy, ambitious women. Which is the gender she resides. (in case you didn't see last night's episode) :-)

Mgfanno:
Are there any upcoming surprises for your character in "Working"?

Maurice Godin:
Well fan o mine, they never tell us what's going to happen in future episodes. However, we established a real fun history for Tim with regards to his relationship to his parents and probably a really dysfunctional childhood. And we've talked about bringing that more into the future in a fun way of course!

Laura6243:
Your bio on the website says that you compose music. What sort? Do you sing?

Maurice Godin:
Yes, I do sing. Before doing television, I did 15 years on the stage and I did quite a few musicals while I was there.

Maurice Godin:
I taught myself how to play the piano and in my leisure time, have my own piano, a synthesizer, and a portable recording studio. And I record my own stuff, which is very eclectic and sometimes truly bizarre.

Maurice Godin:
It's often a cross between Kurt Weill and Kurt Cobain.

Laura6243 asks:
Maurice, you're equally good in both serious and comedic roles. Do you have a preference for one or the other. (Loved "Bizet's Dream", by the way!)

Maurice Godin:
Thanks for mentioning "Bizet's Dream"...had a wonderful time playing that. I fell in love with Prague while we were shooting. People often ask whether you prefer drama or comedy, and I think it's like a love affair that you're deeply in love with one while you are with them, but somewhere in the back of your mind, there's a little yearning for the other.

Wally1956 asks:
What do you like the most about doing the show?

Maurice Godin:
There are several things I like about the show. The fact that I get to play an outlandish, lovable character. The fact that I think that the satirical nature of the show is very apropos in the industry today. And I work with a really great cast of actors on material that is funny and smart. Who could ask for anything more?

Fluxon asks:
Mr. Godin, speaking of "Ellen"... I noticed that your show has a lesbian storyline developing. Is that an attempt to beat "Ellen" at its own game?

Maurice Godin:
Well, I don't know who's speaking of "Ellen," but we are now... And by the way, we have beat "Ellen" for the past two weeks (in ratings).

Maurice Godin:
But I don't think there's any conscious attempt to play in "Ellen's" field (or closet) by bringing in lesbian themes into the show.

Maurice Godin:
I think that sexuality in the workplace is a very potent and taboo subject and I think that's one of the reasons why the writers gravitate to that area because it's a very rich area for comedy.

Skin_Like_Silk asks:
Knowing that your show is very funny how many takes have you had to do (example: bloopers)?

Maurice Godin:
Well, Skin_Like_Silk, my skin is like sandpaper, by the way, after a taping we often have bloopers and mistakes happen on set. However, what happens between the takes is usually instigated by Dana Gould is usually much funnier than any blooper that we can come up with. We have had instances where actors trip over furniture and luggage including yours truly.

Maurice Godin:
And we've had many instances where actors forget their lines and begin to improvise, including yours truly.

Maurice Godin:
But when Dana comes up with a new comedic character he wants to try out on the cast members, all work stops and everybody in the studio is incapacitated with laughter.

Laura6243 asks:
After doing stage for 15 years, what did you find easiest and most difficult about acting in front of a camera instead of an audience? Is "Working" taped with a live audience?

Maurice Godin:
Well first of all, "Working" is filmed with a live audience, although we've had many episodes without a live audience because of complicated scene changes...

Maurice Godin:
And having done theater, of course, I like it best with an audience, because you get that immediate response as to whether what you're doing is working or not.

Maurice Godin:
I must say that it's a lot of fun to rehearse, perform a 22-minute play every week because often times on stage, you would rehearse for 4 weeks and perform for 4 or 5 months a piece.

Maurice Godin:
I do however, miss the amount of rehearsal because on television, you get very little of it. However, it's a lot of fun to be able to go back over your work and correct it, if need be, without having to embarrass yourself in front of a live audience.

Maurice Godin:
Because there's nothing worse than standing on a stage in a play by Shakespeare, having forgotten what you're supposed to say.

Yyoossis asks:
When you were young, your teachers supported you in pursuing your acting. Was there a special teacher that really encouraged you?

Maurice Godin:
Yes, there were several.

Maurice Godin:
I had a teacher in Jr. High ...Mrs. Campion who encouraged me a great deal.

Maurice Godin:
I had been to many different public schools by the time I got to Jr. High, and I always felt a bit awkward, like the outsider. But Mrs. Campion showed me in drama class how performance could help me get over my shyness and could help me express the feelings that I had a hard time expressing in my real life. And those lessons were invaluable to me.

K_Janeway asks:
I hope to be an actress in the future. I don't want to take up too much of your time but could you give me a few pointers?

Maurice Godin:
The most important lesson that I learned as an actor is learning how to listen.

Maurice Godin:
Often times, especially in Hollywood and in the world of TV, there is a temptation to fall into presentational performing, where you spend a lot of time concentrating on what you're putting out... and not spending a lot of time understanding what is coming in.

Maurice Godin:
And I've found out that the process of listening and understanding what is stimulating you is invaluable to good acting.

Maurice Godin:
And for anything else is going to take a couple of years to explain, but that is one of the most valuable tips that I can give and that I have received.

Paul_Lafond:
Do you have a favorite guest starring role that you've done?

Maurice Godin:
Well, I have done a variety of them, and each one of them is different in their own right. But I guess I had a great time on a TV show called "Tek Wars" where I played a character who held the memories of many different people.

Maurice Godin:
And I would spontaneously break into these many other characters. So it was a great way to play one character and wind up playing several.

NBC Live:
Maurice, many people are asking..... any upcoming projects that you'd like to share?

Maurice Godin:
Right now I don't have anything specifically. I have been talking with Stratford about going back there and doing some stage work...which would be very exciting for me. But at the moment, I'm just looking forward to working on "Working." And we'll see what the summer brings!

ArkyBoy98 asks:
Do you ever surf the net?

Maurice Godin:
Well ArkyBoy, judging from your handle, I'd say you surf the net... I'm a bit of a neophyte on the web, but I've been logging on more and more lately, and I'm quite enjoying the potential there.

Maurice Godin:
It's an exciting tool and I'm looking forward to learning how to surf with more alacrity and now I frequently fall off the board.

NBC Live:
Do you have a favorite "Working" episode?

Maurice Godin:
I've enjoyed "Working" so much, that it's hard to draw a favorite episode out...

Maurice Godin:
Instead, I have favorite scenes. I loved doing the broadsword fight in the Christmas episode, I really enjoyed "Sexual Harassment" episode and heck, any time I can slap Fred Savage in the face, it's a good day :-)

Nole007:
What else do you like to do, apart from acting?

Maurice Godin:
Well Nole007, I got a lot of things at home to keep me sane. Because if I only had acting in life, I would have gone nuts a long time ago.

Maurice Godin:
I write and perform music myself. I enjoy carpentry, making furniture and stuff. I love hiking. And I love animals. My cat is sitting on my chest at this moment. She demanded that I mention her :-)

Paul_Lafond:
What crummy jobs did you have before taking on acting full time?

Maurice Godin:
I think the worst job I had...the one without very many redeeming qualities was a security guard. During college, I was a security guard. They dressed me up to look like a cop.

Maurice Godin:
It was one of those uniforms that was sand brown and a cap. And I had to wander around the darkened corridors of less reputable places.

Maurice Godin:
I didn't last very long at the job and when I quit, I found out that the guy who hired me, embezzled funds from the company and had destroyed all of his records.

Maurice Godin:
So they had no record of me being hired. As a consequence, I got to keep a Private Investigators license, which I still hold today. Watch your step! ;-)

Java_Joey asks:
What is it like working with such a multi-talented cast?

Maurice Godin:
It's a delight! We all go out for java together frequently.

Maurice Godin:
It's a relief to come to work and know that everybody in the company is going to amaze and delight you at some point in the production week and that there is no dead wood.

Maurice Godin:
Everybody has brought such a unique voice to their character, that it makes it easy for the writers to discern the different voices of the characters. And it makes it exciting for us to play during the rehearsals.

Paul_Lafond asks:
What can we look forward to during the rest of the season?

Maurice Godin:
I think that we can look forward to further and deeper satirization of the American mega-corporation.

Maurice Godin:
As for specifics, it's hard to say, apart from the fact that it's usually this part of the season that you see the relationships between the characters jelling. But I can't tell you whether Matt will be coming out of the closet anytime soon :-)

Sagouveia asks:
Hi Maurice! Stephanie in Toronto (YU - Theatre) here. Please tell PT we had a baby boy Declan.

Maurice Godin:
Congratulations, Stephanie! And I will definitely tell Paula about the new arrival. Thank you so much for getting on the web and letting me know!

NBC Live:
Thank you for joining us, Maurice!

Maurice Godin:
Thanks so much for all the great questions! It's a unique and invigorating experience to get in touch with so many people at one time. And keep on watching "Working".

NBC Live:
Goodbye!
(c) 1998 National Broadcasting Company

Back to the Transcripts Page
Back to the Home Page