Scott Krinsky talks about SU days, filming 'Chuck'
SALISBURY -- If Linda Hamilton is Salisbury's Oprah, then maybe Scott Krinsky is its Barney Rubble.
Krinsky, a Salisbury University alumnus, was recently joined by Hamilton -- known for playing Sarah Connor in two "Terminator" movies -- on the NBC series "Chuck," where he stars as wacky sidekick Jeff Barnes.
"I found that out," Krinsky said of his shared heritage with Hamilton, a Salisbury native who plays the title character's mother. "I think my mom told me. We met in passing on the Warner Bros. lot, you know, just because we were working on the same day ... but at that time I didn't remember that she was from Salisbury. So I can't wait to meet her again so we can talk about that."
The actor grew up in Onley, Md., and credits an upbringing rich in sitcoms and trips to the local movie theater for turning him on to comedy.
"I was also a little bit of a class clown in school," Krinsky said. "I was the guy that was always getting into trouble. Eventually, I had to bring a note home to my parents about my behavior that week or whatever. I guess those are usually early indications that you like to perform.
"When I was in high school I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I think I knew a fantasy of mine was to be an actor, but I wasn't really motivated to go to college. But that's what you're supposed to do, you know? You go to college. My parents, especially with me and my brother, were like 'You guys are going to college. Get educations.' "
Krinsky opted for SU after a few of his friends enrolled.
"We didn't have a journalism degree necessarily at Salisbury," he said, "but that was sort of my focus in college -- communications and journalism and broadcast journalism. We had a little TV studio. I still have old cassettes of my little stories that I did, and I worked briefly at one of the Salisbury TV stations at the time."
From there, Krinsky moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, taking small theater roles and doing sketch comedy.
He scored his first stand-up show at famed West Hollywood club The Comedy Store, best-known for hosting comedic legends such as Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Robin Williams and Richard Pryor.
Between 2006 and 2007 Krinsky appeared in several episodes of Fox's hit drama "The O.C." before landing the role on "Chuck," now in its fourth season.
"When I first knew they were casting Chuck, I hadn't yet been offered the part," said Krinsky, "but I just thought, 'oh my God! That role is perfect; like that would be such a fun role to play. I always thought it was just a great concept."
The show, which airs Monday nights at 8, is about a seemingly average twentysomethings who stumbles upon secret CIA technology while working in a retail store. Combining elements of action and comedy, the series has been widely praised by critics despite its modest viewer numbers. It has been on the brink of cancellation several times, only to be saved by a loyal and very vocal fan base.
"I think it's bigger than the ratings lead people to believe," Krinsky said. "We've always been on a really tough night, and we have a young audience that's very computer literate so they watch it in other ways -- streaming on the Internet or DVRing it -- so it's not always watched in ways that can be measured traditionally. I definitely think more people watch it than you would be led to believe by the ratings."
Krinsky plays the oldest and probably oddest member of the Buy More team, an electronics store that spoofs Best Buy right down to the smallest detail.
"You walk on the set and if you don't look up and see all the lights hanging from the soundstage, you would feel like you were in a real store," Krinsky said. "That's always one of the most shocking things for people -- everything is real. There's real product on the displays. But after four years, I wouldn't think of stealing a Snickers bar from the set because it's probably been sitting there for four years."
"It's great," he added. "It's fun. I love it and we have such a great time making it that it comes across; I think that's part of the reason the show is successful."
Krinsky also has a part in the upcoming movie Transformers 3, "The Dark of the Moon," due out next summer.
"Right now, while we're filming ("Chuck") it's not so easy to go do other projects because we're working on this one," Krinsky said, "but I did that back in June. I can't say much about it though because it's top secret."
Despite all his success, Krinsky still likes to keep tabs on his alma mater.
"I heard Salisbury has turned into a really great school," he said, "so I like to think I laid the groundwork."
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Krinsky, a Salisbury University alumnus, was recently joined by Hamilton -- known for playing Sarah Connor in two "Terminator" movies -- on the NBC series "Chuck," where he stars as wacky sidekick Jeff Barnes.
"I found that out," Krinsky said of his shared heritage with Hamilton, a Salisbury native who plays the title character's mother. "I think my mom told me. We met in passing on the Warner Bros. lot, you know, just because we were working on the same day ... but at that time I didn't remember that she was from Salisbury. So I can't wait to meet her again so we can talk about that."
The actor grew up in Onley, Md., and credits an upbringing rich in sitcoms and trips to the local movie theater for turning him on to comedy.
"I was also a little bit of a class clown in school," Krinsky said. "I was the guy that was always getting into trouble. Eventually, I had to bring a note home to my parents about my behavior that week or whatever. I guess those are usually early indications that you like to perform.
"When I was in high school I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I think I knew a fantasy of mine was to be an actor, but I wasn't really motivated to go to college. But that's what you're supposed to do, you know? You go to college. My parents, especially with me and my brother, were like 'You guys are going to college. Get educations.' "
Krinsky opted for SU after a few of his friends enrolled.
"We didn't have a journalism degree necessarily at Salisbury," he said, "but that was sort of my focus in college -- communications and journalism and broadcast journalism. We had a little TV studio. I still have old cassettes of my little stories that I did, and I worked briefly at one of the Salisbury TV stations at the time."
From there, Krinsky moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, taking small theater roles and doing sketch comedy.
He scored his first stand-up show at famed West Hollywood club The Comedy Store, best-known for hosting comedic legends such as Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Robin Williams and Richard Pryor.
Between 2006 and 2007 Krinsky appeared in several episodes of Fox's hit drama "The O.C." before landing the role on "Chuck," now in its fourth season.
"When I first knew they were casting Chuck, I hadn't yet been offered the part," said Krinsky, "but I just thought, 'oh my God! That role is perfect; like that would be such a fun role to play. I always thought it was just a great concept."
The show, which airs Monday nights at 8, is about a seemingly average twentysomethings who stumbles upon secret CIA technology while working in a retail store. Combining elements of action and comedy, the series has been widely praised by critics despite its modest viewer numbers. It has been on the brink of cancellation several times, only to be saved by a loyal and very vocal fan base.
"I think it's bigger than the ratings lead people to believe," Krinsky said. "We've always been on a really tough night, and we have a young audience that's very computer literate so they watch it in other ways -- streaming on the Internet or DVRing it -- so it's not always watched in ways that can be measured traditionally. I definitely think more people watch it than you would be led to believe by the ratings."
Krinsky plays the oldest and probably oddest member of the Buy More team, an electronics store that spoofs Best Buy right down to the smallest detail.
"You walk on the set and if you don't look up and see all the lights hanging from the soundstage, you would feel like you were in a real store," Krinsky said. "That's always one of the most shocking things for people -- everything is real. There's real product on the displays. But after four years, I wouldn't think of stealing a Snickers bar from the set because it's probably been sitting there for four years."
"It's great," he added. "It's fun. I love it and we have such a great time making it that it comes across; I think that's part of the reason the show is successful."
Krinsky also has a part in the upcoming movie Transformers 3, "The Dark of the Moon," due out next summer.
"Right now, while we're filming ("Chuck") it's not so easy to go do other projects because we're working on this one," Krinsky said, "but I did that back in June. I can't say much about it though because it's top secret."
Despite all his success, Krinsky still likes to keep tabs on his alma mater.
"I heard Salisbury has turned into a really great school," he said, "so I like to think I laid the groundwork."
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