GETTING HIS 'PARKS AND REC' GIG:
"I actually auditioned for it before it was even on the air. I really wanted it and didn't get it; I actually kind of blew it, and so I was obviously pretty upset—I really wanted to be a part of it from the beginning. So when the opportunity popped up again a couple years later, I was really excited. I went and had a meeting with [showrunner and co-creator] Mike Schur, and then it all just kind of fell into place from there."
WHETHER BEN WYATT REALLY IS A NERD:
"Well, I think one of the funny things about Pawnee is that no matter who it is, any outsider may as well be an alien landing from Neptune. They're just a ridiculous person if they don't just think that Pawnee is the center of the universe. So I think no matter how you dress or talk or how funny you are or whatever, if you're not from there, automatically you're just met with absolute suspicion. Like if you don't think that Li'l Sebastian is the most important being in the universe, there is something wrong with you."
FAME:
"Well, you know, it's weird, because when I think of someone that's famous, you know, I think about—people who are actually famous, their lives are a lot different than mine. Like, I get Parks and Rec fans and Party Down fans coming up and wanting to talk about the shows, which I'm more than happy to do because they're always super friendly, cool people. But people who are actually famous, who are walking around with TMZ following them and stuff, that's a whole different thing, so I would stop short of saying I'm famous and maybe say that I'm well-known among people that like funny, nerdy things."
WORKING WITH FRIENDS LIKE PAUL RUDD AND JON HAMM:
"I love working with friends; it's my favorite thing to do. I've found over the years that that ends up being the best way to spend my time. If I'm going to be away from my family, I'd rather it be working with my friends. So being on Parks and Party Down and doing Friends with Kids, it's really lucky that I get to do it with people that I dearly love."
[More at GQ.com]