Perhaps you discovered Andrew Rannells via his first appearance on “Girls,” which concluded with the unforgettable parting shot, “It was nice to see you. Your dad is gay.” Or, if you’re a Broadway buff, you know him from his Tony-nominated turn as a relentlessly cheerful missionary in “The Book of Mormon.”
But if you’re on the younger side, it’s his voice that might sound familiar, given Rannells’ early work on video games and cartoons like “Pokemon” and “Sonic X.”
Calling from his native Nebraska, the 35-year-old actor recalls being startled by some of the racy dialogue that crept into the ostensibly youth-targeted scripts.
“I was doing a voice for the ‘Bully’ game and I remember being horrified about what dirty stuff they could get away with,” he says. “One line that really gave me pause was, ‘If I wanted any of your lip, I’d jiggle my zipper.’ I found that very funny.”
On Sunday, his “Girls” character Elijah — who’s also known for his bitchy one-liners — will be making a comeback on the hit show, currently in the middle of its third season. And the following season, he’ll be a series regular.
It’s welcome news for Rannells, who in June 2012 left his starring role in “Mormon” to join the NBC sitcom “The New Normal.” Created by “Glee” mastermind Ryan Murphy, the show was about a gay couple (Rannells and Justin Bartha) hiring a surrogate mother, who moves in with them. The show was much-hyped, getting a plum premiere spot after the season debut of “The Voice.”
But “The New Normal” flopped and was canceled after just one season. It got flagging reviews, though not because it starred gay characters — a silver lining of sorts.
“When you’re making a show, you live in a bit of a bubble,” Rannells says. “But it seemed like the cross-section of people who recognized me from it was pretty broad. It seemed, at least, that it was a wide variety of people who watched.”
Unlike many in the entertainment industry, Rannells himself has always been open about being gay. “I was 32 when ‘Book of Mormon’ started, and I had had many years of living my life in New York as an out gay man,” says Rannells, who moved to New York in 1997 to embark on the voice-over work. “And also, you know, I come from musical theater. I wasn’t in action movies.” Before “Mormon,” he got his big break starring in Broadway’s “Hairspray” in 2006, then “Jersey Boys.”
“I’m in a really lucky position in that I was given gay characters, but very different types,” adds Rannells. “ ‘Gay’ becomes less and less of the defining character.”
The cancellation of “The New Normal” gave him the chance to resurrect one of those beloved personalities. “I had the great fortune of having Lena Dunham in my life,” says Rannells.
As far as Elijah’s story line, he says, “I wish I could say there’s some great emotional or intellectual transformation for him. But he’s not really progressing.”
Michael Zegen will not divulge whether he gets naked in his new role on “Girls,” but he says he’s game.
“As an actor, you’re always looking for challenges, and I think nudity would be a pretty big challenge,” he says. “I mean, I’ve got nothing to hide! But it’s not the most comfortable situation.”
Zegen is not, at least initially, replacing Christopher Abbott’s role as a love interest for Marnie (Allison Williams), as some have wondered. He plays Joe, a co-worker of Lena Dunham’s Hannah who — spoiler alert — gets a job at GQ.
“I didn’t know Lena prior to filming,” Zegen says. “During the audition, I told her a story about an old Hasidic Jew who hit on me late one night on the A train, and I think she thought it was hilarious.”
He’s under orders to keep mum on details, but says that Hannah “definitely does some risqué stuff in front of me.”
Zegen is one of those guys you’re sure you know from somewhere: His breakout role was in 2004 on “Rescue Me,” playing the nephew of Denis Leary’s character. He’s often cast as a New Yorker, which he’ll assure you he is.
Basically.
“I’m from Ridgewood, NJ. I tell people I grew up in New York, but I didn’t — but it’s so close!”
After graduating from Skidmore College in 2001, Zegen moved to the city, working at his dad’s law firm and ducking out to auditions. One of them led to an appearance on the “Late Show With David Letterman,” in a comedy bit as “Dwight the Troubled Teen.”
“Letterman liked me, and it became a recurring gig,” he says. “It was sort of like being a doctor — I was always on call. I could never go away for the weekend, because [Letterman] might call.” Zegen played the character 50-plus times.
Since then, he’s balanced his acting diet with a mix of small roles in movies (“Adventureland,” “Frances Ha”) and TV shows — including “The Walking Dead” and “Boardwalk Empire,” which cast him as a young Bugsy Siegel.
He also appeared onstage in 2013 in the Roundabout Theatre’s “Bad Jews” and is a major theater buff. “I try to see a play a week,” says Zegen, who lives in the West Village. “I’d rather go see a play and get dinner than get drunk at a bar or club.”
As for “Girls,” Zegen is as anxious as anyone to see how his role goes over. “There’s so much improv on that show,” he says. “I don’t know what takes they used. I’m very curious. A lot of actors don’t watch themselves, and I’m definitely not in that category. If you watch it enough times, it’s like you’re watching somebody else.”