Here’s Your New Best Friend: Zach Woods
You know once you notice something you see it everywhere? It happened in the ’90s when my family bought a Saturn – suddenly everywhere I turned was a Saturn. Of course, that might have had more to do with the fact that everyone owned a Saturn in the ’90s but still! Well, it turns out, this can happen with people too. (Especially actors!)
Zach Woods really got our (my) attention when he joined the cast of The Office back in season 6, working for Kathy Bates. But obviously he stuck around in our hearts for the remainder of the series.
Really, in 2010, I should have recognized him from In The Loop, the 2009 political movie directed by Armando Iannucci who went on to create the stylistically similar television show Veep!
Okay, so Zach Woods was in In the Loop then The Office for a while and well suddenly he’s everyone’s new best friend because he is on EVERY show.
Veep
On Veep, Zach Woods plays Anna Chlumsky’s character’s boyfriend, Ed. When he first showed up I remember going, “Hey! That guy from The Office! Gabe!” And since every episode of Veep is one of the funniest things, saying he was HILARIOUS in this episode in particular is saying a lot.
He’s still making me laugh on Veep with his deadpan and I hope he keeps popping up in episodes.
But then…
Silicon Valley
…premiered and I remarked, “there he is again!” On Silicon Valley – which, sidebar that and Veep are keeping my Sunday nights delightful partly due to him – he plays Jared, who quits working for one of the guys who wants to buy this company Richard started to go deal with the business end of Richard’s company.
(Did any of that make sense?)
I’m constantly laughing during Silicon Valley and having Zach Woods as a kind of calming force on this show is great. Including when he gave Richard his pants when Richard got his own pants wet for a meeting, which provided one of my favorite sight gags: really tall guy in short pants.
But besides that, he gave us some really solid advice about getting beaten up.
So after all this, what does he show up on???
So then Playing House premiered and who shows up but ZACH WOODS! By this point I was just delighted to see that 6’4” brown hair and blue-eyed drink of water show up. (I don’t think I can pull off calling someone a drink of water but whatever.) Anyway, he plays Lennon Parham’s character’s brother and he’s so awkward and funny and I just love it.
Keep putting Zach Woods on my TV, everyone! I can’t wait to see where he turns up next.
(Veep pic via, First Silicon Valley pic via, 2nd Silicon Valley pic via siliconvalleyhbo.tumblr.com, Playing House image via)
