Matt Czuchry, who plays Logan Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls, took time out of his busy schedule last week to sit down for an interview with us at BuddyTV. Matt has appeared on a number of TV shows in guest roles, but is best known as Logan, the wealthy boyfriend of Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. We discussed Matt’s start in the business, what goes on behind-the-scenes at Gilmore Girls, and the possibility of an 8th season for the show.
Can you talk a little about how you got started in acting?
You know, my junior year in college I was trying to figure out what I was gonna do with myself after graduating college and I just happened to be taking some acting classes at the time, not associated with the school, but just kind of on my own and I really feel in love with it. That’s kind of what started it as far as progressing forward. I majored in history and political science in college, so it wasn’t a focus from the beginning of college, it just kind of happened that way, where I was in school and loving acting classes and I said, “Let’s try and pursue this in some fashion.”
How did you find yourself on Gilmore Girls?
I had actually auditioned for several different characters for a couple of years before I was on it, so the casting directors and Amy Sherman Palladino and Dan Palladino had seen me come in a few times. Then when this character came up for Logan, they felt like this was the character I’d be most right for and I came in and went through the whole auditioning process and was fortunate enough to get it.
Sometimes it can be difficult for actors to integrate into an already proven cast. Was it hard coming into a show with so many experienced actors, deep into the show’s run?
It was the fourth season of the show, a great show, very popular, and I knew that this character was going to be a great character for Rory. I knew at the beginning I had thirteen episodes in one year, but the thing I knew instantly, reading that character, was that this was going to bring on a lot of change for the audience as far as Rory was concerned and her behavior and the way she looks at the world, so for me, on that end, it was very, very exciting that this was gonna be a character that was gonna motivate some story lines in a different direction. At the same time, just me coming into that, you do feel that pressure and you do feel the nerves coming on set. Trying to take on that responsibility is a big task, so that was definitely part of the challenge. Coming into a fourth season, and then also the fast pace of the show was something that I wanted to make sure that I did justice to.
You’ve appeared on a number of TV shows, but Gilmore Girls has its own language, its own rhythm, with the rapid fire dialogue and everything. In terms of preparation, approach, and performance, how different is it being on Gilmore Girls compared to anything else?
The pace of it is obviously the main thing, and the dialogue is heavy and the scenes are long. Those are kind of the three things that you have and you want to make these transitions in your thought patterns as an actor for the character, but to do that you have to do it really, really fast. So, it is its own genre unto itself, like a sitcom is its own genre, this is its own thing as well. So, it is a specific skill that I’ve gotten better at, I feel, over the course of time and more comfortable with, but it is definitely something that I had to work very, very hard at. Like with anything, the more practice that you do, whether it be preparation or actually being on the show, then you kind of figure out this new skill.
Can you give us, from an actor’s perspective, how Amy Sherman Palladino leaving the show after last season has affected you in general, and affected you personally?
Well, Amy was and is a mentor to me and she was a huge reason why I’m on the show now so, you know, I’m a huge fan of hers and I am grateful for her for having me on her show. As far as styles is concerned, Amy was very hands on with the way she approached what she wanted to do with the show and David Rosenthal is very hands off. They’re both very successful at their own styles, but those energies are different as far as Amy’s hands-on and David’s hands-off and I’ve enjoyed working with both of them very, very much, even though they have very contrasting styles and energies.
What is the on-set atmosphere like on Gilmore Girls. Has it changed at all in the last year since Amy left?
Alexis is kind of who I interact with mostly, and its kind of it’s been the same for us as far as our relationship is concerned. It always continues to grow the more time we spend with each other, the more kind of moments we have together, the more scenes that we do our relationship, as far as friendship is concerned, continues to grow and that’s something really special for me in my life as who I am. This has been a huge part of my life for three years. I’ve worked very, very closely with Alexis and so many of my moments and memories of the past three years are working on the show. Each moment just kind of builds on itself, so I don’t think necessarily it has to do specifically with Amy leaving or David being there.
Can you kind of give us a rundown of what Logan will be up to over the next couple of episodes, specifically with the internet company?
Logan is going to start a nice arc here. The beginning of the season we saw this change in Logan where he’s been passionate about the business world and he’s actually found something that he invests his heart and his energy into, whereas that was not what he was doing in college. So we’ve seen that and that’s going to be the case with this internet company. It’s going to be something he’s very passionate about it, it’s a great idea, and so he kind of pursues that out of his passion. Then there will be a further twist on down the line as far as the direction that Logan’s going to go for the last chunk of the season. So the internet company and how he interacts with his passion and what happens with the internet company is really going to inform the storylines for him and for Rory and their relationship.
How many of the remaining episodes are you going to be in?
That, actually, I don’t know. It always kind of changes, but I at least am in almost all of them. As far as a contractual thing at the beginning of the season, I had fifteen episodes. I’m pretty sure if they want they can put me in more of them, but I’ll at least be in the majority of this last run here.
There’s been a ton of speculation by fans and on the internet about whether or not Gilmore Girls is going to have a season 8, that maybe Alexis or Lauren may not want to do it. Is there anything you can tell us about another possible season? What do you know?
They’re talking with Alexis and Lauren. The situation is that Lauren and Alexis, it’s the 7th year of the show, contractually they are not obligated to do another season. You always have that transition period when it’s at that point, so they’re in talks right now to see if there will be an 8th season and that’s kind of where it stands. It’s not one way or the other. It’s not this is definitely the end or it will go on. My hope is that that either way that it goes the audience will have closure, the fans of the show will have closure on this series that they’ve followed for such a long time so passionately. And they want to do that as well. They’re kind of in the process of doing that now and I would say, think that in the next month or two that its gonna become pretty clear one way or the other.
Have you gotten any indication of, if there is a next season, whether you’d be a part of it?
Gilmore Girls has been an unbelievable experience for me and I would love to be on the show as long as they’ll continue to have me. I think this last chunk of storylines is gonna be really dependent on whether it’s a series finale or a season finale, so I think that everything is kind of up in the air as far as those last moments are concerned and that kind of has to do with all the characters, if they’re going to take them through another season, or if they’re going to try and wrap this all up. It has a big affect on me and my character. But, I would love to be part of the show as long as they’ll have me. Do I know one way or the other? I think it’s kind of the situation with everybody right now where they’re trying to figure out if this is gonna be a series finale or a season finale and that’s going to determine a lot of what happens.
Do you have any sort of feeling if Rory and Logan will end up together at the end of the show whether its this season or going forward into season 8?
You know, personally, I would like to see Rory and Lorelai be the focus of the final piece of the episodes. I would just like to see, personally, it be more about them and not have it be so much about Logan or Luke or anybody else, but it’s just about the Gilmore Girls and have it end the way it began, you know?
What are your favorite TV shows right now, besides Gilmore Girls?
I’m really, really enjoying Friday Night Lights, love that show. That and The Office, those are the two, right now, that I’m really, really enjoying.
Do you have anything on tap outside of Gilmore Girls in terms of acting?
Rright now I’m just looking at a bunch of stuff, now just is a really busy time and where those decisions for the summer and for the end of the year are going be determined. Gilmore Girls is a big factor in that decision, in finding out what has to do with the show. Right now, there’s a lot of things out there, but it’s just kind of that period where I’ll know a lot more in two months.
What would you like to do in the future in your career? Are there any specific goals that you have?
Great projects with great people. Whether its TV, or film or a play or short films or anything, I look at everything across the board, and see what I’m passionate about, something I’m going to be inspired by every single day that I go to work.
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