Will Arnett Talks Baby Helmets, 'Arrested' Secrets and Loving Conan

So in 'When in Rome,' you kinda play a stalker.
(Laughs) Those are your words. I would describe him as a very persistent suitor.

Did they hire you because of your past?
They just knew that I can get fixated, that I have undiagnosed ADHD and when I get fixated on something, I'm very tenacious.

Were you tenacious when you were wooing Amy?
Yes, I definitely was. But in no way did I stalk her, according to the police report. I guess it was a mutual pursuit.

And now you have a kid, Archie. Isn't it the best?
I've got to say, it really is. As sort of clichéd as it sounds, it's just the best even though it's harder than I thought it was going to be because it's a human being that you're responsible for, so that's scary but even in it's scariest moments it's fantastic.

Are you very overprotective?
I want my son to wear a helmet 24 hours a day. If it was socially acceptable I'd be the first one to have my kid in a full helmet and like a cage across his face mask. I make my wife crazy with it because I'm constantly worrying, just because I know what an idiot I was when I was little.

Amy's working full time. Are you a house Daddy?
A little bit. It's been such a treat for me because I've spent the better part of the last six months writing a new TV show with Mitch Hurwitz (the creator of 'Arrested Development') and we were able to do a lot of work together from our place so I got to spend a lot of time with Archie. It's such a luxury.


Are you going to kill yourself if he grows up and has a really bad sense of humor?
(Laughs) There will be no deaths over that matter. Who knows what his attributes will be like but either way he's going to find me and my wife incredibly unfunny. He'll be over us by the age of five.

You confirmed the Arrested Development movie.
I did. I gave it an official confirmation.

Were you allowed?
No, not authorized to do it. I could be held up for treason. As of now there is no start date because we're still waiting for the script to be completed. Within the circle of people involved in the show everybody is in agreement to move forward once the script is done so hopefully we're going to start shooting sometime this year.

Anything you can tell me about the script?
I did tell the writers that maybe it should be revealed that Gob is like this higher power, this deity, this figure that it turns out is almost god-like.

Well he does act like he is. I love that clueless confidence.
That kind of combination has always really fascinated me. Any time you come across somebody in life who is apparently clueless and yet has a kind of blind confidence, it really cracks me up. Gob was very much written that way. For me he was a godsend.

Michael Cera. Did you have any idea he'd become such a big star?
Yeah, I mean nobody can predict the future except me but he's such a talented guy. From the moment I met him it was very apparent that he was a really smart and funny guy.

Do you wish him the worst now?
Oh god yeah! No, honestly it couldn't happen to a kinder or more thoughtful person so I'm absolutely thrilled for him.

Do you have to tone yourself down for shows like 'Parks and Recreation?'
I think that if I'd come on that show in a Gob like manner I would have stuck out like a sore thumb. It would have been like someone screaming in a library. I tried as much as I could to appreciate the tone of the show and play the part the writers wrote.

Are you Team Conan or Team Jay?
I'm team life. Conan is a good friend and I love him. He's such an incredibly funny guy and on top of it to make matters better he's a genuinely nice guy. I love Conan to death.

Sounds like you're Team Conan.
I don't know about all this team stuff. I don't really know Jay. I do know that you'd be hard pressed to meet a funnier guy than Conan.

Do you have friends over and do standup?
Yeah we have a little exposed brick wall like the Improv and I'll invite people over for dinner and then I say, 'Why don't you sit down and I'm just going to do a tight 10.' I keep it topical, airline food, what's the deal with that?

Favorite TV show?
We're still huge Law & Order fans. The original Law and Order 1.0. I watch it every night before I go to bed. My TIVO has at any given time 40 episodes on it. I don't watch it in an ironic or kitschy way. I find there's something really comforting about it. I'm a huge fan of Sam Waterson. I think he's so under recognized. I can't get enough of that show. As for new shows, I haven't really watched any of the new shows; I don't mean to sound like one of those jerks who say, 'I don't have a TV,' because I watch a lot of TV. I spend so much of my TV time either watching sports or playing video games.

Favorite video game?
I play Call of Duty almost exclusively. I like to think I'm pretty good but in the grand scheme of things no. You have no idea of the level of my sickness. I play with a bunch of other guys and we all talk to each other with our headsets. Oh yeah it's that bad. Listen, I'm not proud of it, I'm just sharing my experience with you in the hopes I'll get better.

Anyone else famous in the gang?
You might find Jason Sudekis or John Krasinski or Rainn Wilson. I hate to bust their anonymity. We're all just super nerds.

Watch Arnett in 'When In Rome,' in theaters Jan. 29:

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