Newsweek: Two weeks ago, we featured Al Gore in this spot. Last week, we had a drug lobbyist talking about prescription-coverage. This week, we have you… Wow. What happened?
Well, you’re a pretty hot celebrity. I’m a micro-celebrity. I’m officially near-famous. If you’ve got four year old kids and you’ve got cable, then you’ve got no choice but to know who I am. But if you’re one of my peers–a 26-year old guy who lives in Manhattan–you have no idea who I am. I’m only famous if you’re four.
Do people seem confused when you describe what you do? They say, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve seen that blue dog. What do you do?’ And I say, ‘Well, I’m on the show.’ And they say, ‘Oh. Are you a cartoon? At which point, I have to say, ‘Yeah, I am like a cartoon.’
How did you become Steve? I just auditioned. I thought it was for a voice over. I had no idea what I was getting into. I had a lot of ideas at the audition that they reacted very strongly to. They tested a bunch of us, and I was literally the only one that the kids talked to. They made me a creative consultant right away. I got very involved in the show at the beginning. Now I’m a producer-a pseudo producer.
What did you do before “Blue’s Clues?” I was doing the New York acting thing. I did a gig on “Homicide,” a guest spot on “Law and Order,” a bunch of commercials. And then I moved into this show…and that’s the end of my acting career.
Well, it might be difficult to win certain roles now… I played a murderer on “Homicide” in the middle of this whole thing. I didn’t think anything of it. But we got a lot of e-mail from parents-they were really confused. And I said, ‘Wow. This is what it’s like to be pigeon-holed.’ It’s a pretty tough thing to break out of a mold like this. Then again, [the show] is never going to be as big as Pee Wee Herman or “Sesame Street,” I don’t think. I don’t run around in the media as Steve-I don’t really want the character itself to be this huge, full-blown-shove-it-down-your-throat media event like Pee Wee or Elmo.
What kind of messages are you trying to get across with the show? My whole goal is to make it funnier. We are the most educational show on TV for preschoolers, and that’s goal No. 1. But there’s no reason why we can’t be 50 times funnier than “Sesame Street,” too. But that’s really difficult because the formula is so specific. We rely very heavily on research and what works. We don’t want to lose anything by adding adult humor. So I continue to try to sneak it in whenever I can. If it were up to me, there would be so much more. My fantasy for children’s television is that it’s not really children’s television, it’s everybody’s television. If we want parents to be discerning about what children are watching then we need to put stuff in there for them to watch too.
Is Steve a really demanding role? Less than it was. In the last two seasons I said ‘This guy doesn’t have to move around so much.’ But it’s definitely a higher degree of energy than I have naturally. The really demanding part of the job is working on a blue screen. It’s maddening, really. It’s tedious work, speaking to invisible microns of air. It’s just me on a big blue screen.
That’s amazing that you’re able to do that… Yes, for your Emmy consideration…
Do you have a sense of personal responsibility because of the role? Did you sign a morals clause? I didn’t, because I don’t believe in them. But obviously I have a great sense of personal responsibility. You know, that “Homicide” role is something that in hindsight I don’t know if I should have done. “Blues Clues” has been incredibly good to me, and I’ve been working so hard on it for so long that I take it very personally. I wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize what so many kids love. So there’s a lot of responsibility there.
So that makes it tough to go out clubbing… Well, I do go out clubbing. I’m going out tonight-I’ve never seen a four year old at a club.
And you’re not a target of the paparazzi? Oh no, nobody cares. I used to be afraid that if the show got too big they’d come looking for me. There’s a big temptation; people enjoy watching something that’s perhaps annoyingly pure get tainted in some way. In a way there’s a big danger that people will look for you to fall.
So the show has changed your life… Oh, completely. When I got the job, I had long hair and earrings. Now I’m the boy next door. That took some getting used to.
And financially.. Well I was doing really well in commercial voice-overs, but things get pretty good depending on how many little blue dogs they sell.
Do you agree with People Magazine? Are you one of America’s most eligible bachelors? Sure, why not. Yeah. Hell yeah. I’m going to e-mail that to Drew Barrymore.
The picture of you flexing your arm was pretty good. The picture was the cheesiest thing. It really stinks because I’ve been working out and my arms are way better than that.
Who do you think was the best bachelor they picked? I think Conan O’Brian is the coolest dude on TV. So I think he wins.
What are you going to do next? I just hope I’m going to be allowed to fail privately. I don’t know if I’ll stick with the acting thing. [Playing Steve] is a pretty big hole to dig yourself out of.
What else could you do? I think being a rock star would be a cool thing to be. That would be all right.
