MONDO EXTRAS

Aw, Hannah and Ephram always did have some good chemistry. Oh, here's something that the kids on the forums are dying to know: were there any shout-outs to them?

Oh, yeah, there were a couple of times that you said things that stuck -- like, I would almost call characters Patch, or Dimples or whatever -- or the posters said things, like in-jokes that we would do back. Bright would use a lot of the board lingo, like "asshat" and stuff like that, that was definitely off the boards, so there were definitely shout-outs to people on the boards.

That's awesome, and that's one of the things that fans of the show love, because we just want a little credit every now and then, you know?

Well, let me explain this to you: writers are just like anybody that's writing on the forums, and they exist on their computers, and are always looking for something else to do besides write. So 99.9% of them are obsessed with you guys. As obsessed as you are with them and the shows? They're equally obsessed with you. And as much as I revere you guys for all the right reasons, a lot of times I have to remind them, "Don't read those things!" And then of course I'd go in my office and read them.

All right, my husband has just passed me a note, and he would like to know if there were actual shout-outs to AB Chao.

Yeah, I think it was Rina that used your name as one of the doctors' characters. It's official -- your husband's name was used, and it was a shout-out to you.

He is very excited.

And it won't be the last time, I'm sure.

Excellent.

I love how he passed you a note as if we were in a Congressional hearing or something.

He's very formal. He's also the best husband in the world; he just walked in and Congressionally poured me a glass of wine. Okay! So tell me which character you identify with the most.

There were aspects of each of them from the beginning, definitely, but Ephram was so similar to my high school experience, feeling like I was the only kid in the world feeling that stuff, which is not uncommon for any kid. Andy Brown: it was that feeling of being good at something doesn't mean you have to be alone, and I think he always kind of struggled with greatness vs. love, and learning that they're not mutually exclusive. And definitely Dr. Abbott was the part of me, in this business out here, where other people do so well and you're thinking, "Well, why not ME? I'm a good guy! I work hard!" Bright was the kind of cad in me -- he had that element of charm, the guy who can talk his way out of anything. And then the other characters, there are elements of me in them too, but what happens is that those identities quickly get assumed by the other writers on staff, and the proud thing is that they oftentimes end up writing those characters better than you do, because they have a real point of view about them.