So Many Questions: Charley Koontz, 'Community's' Fat Neil, learns about body-image pressure
Playing the part of Fat Neil on NBC's “Community” might not have been a role that actor Charley Koontz could completely relate to, but it certainly opened his eyes to the deepest, darkest parts of himself. The opportunity proved to be an oddly cathartic experience.
In addition to new episodes of “Community,” which debuts March 17 online on Yahoo TV, Koontz will play a technical specialist on “CSI: Cyber,” starting March 4 on CBS.
Question: How closely could you identify with Neil when you read for it?
Answer: It was kind of half and half. It was a little bit of a stretch, but it was also kind of the deepest, darkest parts of myself that I didn't want to actually address. It was a little weird — it was definitely fun, but yeah, Neil is always going to have a little piece of me in him, which I'll always love him for. I'm outgoing and confident, and I feel happy, but it's always going to be a bigger dude who has those kinds of feelings and just slogs through some of that stuff.
Q: Was that therapeutic in a way?
A: It was, but in a strange way. You have to confront that stuff. What I always tried to do — I never want to be the butt of a joke, I never want to be a visual joke, being a heavier dude, but those things are real. I can't ignore the way that I look. And that's what an actor does — they use the physical tool, and the physical tool is the body. So, I really don't want to ignore that, but I try to choose parts that are respectful of that, I guess.
Q: Do men face the same body image pressures that women do?
A: Absolutely. And I would never dare minimize what women have to go through, because it's a whole myriad of things — it's age and it's bust size and it's blonde vs. brunette and all that kind of stuff, which is insane. But I think there's a difference between aligning on the side of bullying and nonbullying.
Obviously, bullying is a huge issue now, especially with the Internet and the way that it reaches out and permeates a whole environment. But I think there's another issue that's equally as important, and that is body image. And I find myself in a unique job to experience body image things all the time. And I think men do go through it — clearly, not nearly as much as women as a whole — but, I think it's being comfortable with yourself. And especially as an actor, there is a part for you. Certain parts are for certain people. It's never going to be between me and The Rock for who gets “The Fast and the Furious 8.”
Q: We talk a lot about accepting people as they are, but do you get the sense that's actually being put into practice?
A: I think we're talking about it, so that's a nice big step. I think with the social networking and with the actual consequences with things, that's the thing. With all of the power that any individual has at their fingertips, this is when the Internet starts to show us what it's made of, with people really being a sounding board back to those people that just put everything on. There are people that just spout vitriol on the Internet all the time. With anything, it's a slow burn. But talking about it is a nice big step.
Q: Are you able to ignore that social media vitriol?
A: I actually had an overwhelming amount of support — especially after the “Dungeons and Dragons” episode. I remember I went to a pool party at the Hollywood Roosevelt, and it was a very fancy party. And the next night, I went to an event at Meltdown Comics on Sunset in Hollywood, and I walked in, and I was like a king. I was like, “These are my people!”
But, yeah, the amount of support has overwhelmed the negative stuff. And when I find negative stuff, and when somebody comes at me on Twitter in that way, I just respond. I think the thing about the Internet that's so strange, is that people think it's a void. They think they're screaming into a chasm.
