LOS ANGELES — In a Zoom interview with United Press International, Hale said he lived in New York before landing the role of Buster Bluth on “Arrested Development” in 2003. He recalled being sent by his temp agency to Vogue when staff receptionists or secretaries were out sick.
“I barely had a nice set of khakis,” Hale said. “I would just sit there surrounded by tremendous fashion. Everybody was like, ‘Which one of these is not like the other? This guy.’”
Hale said he used the opportunity to make long-distance phone calls to friends in Tallahassee, Florida, and to family in Georgia.
“Back then, you had to pay money to make long-distance phone calls, so I would just make long-distance phone calls all day long,” Hale said. “So Vogue paid for my long-distance phone calls. Thank you, Vogue.”
In “Office Romance,” Hale’s character George is an HR representative whose CEO Jacqueline Cruz — played by Jennifer Lopez — begins dating company attorney Daniel Blanchflower, played by Brett Goldstein. Hale said Goldstein improvised multiple variations of a profanity that his character uses in a meeting, and Hale reacted accordingly.
“I heard that word a lot,” Hale said. “A lot.”
Hale said his comic reactions to Goldstein came naturally, drawing on his own pre-therapy anxiety.
“My nonverbal is a little too loud,” Hale said. “It’s a lot of bug eyes.”
George appears in scenes with the rest of the cast during the end credits, as every character confesses an HR violation to him. Hale said he felt honored to be featured in the credits.
“I always love a post-credits scene,” Hale said. “I think that it’s something to look forward to, either bloopers or something.”
Later this month, Hale returns as the voice of Forky in “Toy Story 5.” While Forky was a personally crafted toy from a plastic fork in “Toy Story 4,” the new film confronts the whole group of toys with a tablet. MSI previously reported that Tom Hanks said the film tackles children’s screen addiction in a June 1 interview.
Hale said he has not yet seen the entire movie but is excited to see how Pixar addresses children’s use of technology.
“I feel like a message of the movie is going to be technology’s great, it’s amazing but nothing will replace true connection,” Hale said. “True connection is what it’s about. Technology is great but it can’t replace that.”
On August 14, Hale has a role in the comedy “The Wrong Girls.” This summer, he is filming a new movie from writer-director Nancy Meyers, whose past films include “The Holiday” and “It’s Complicated.”
Hale said he is most often recognized for his roles on “Arrested Development” and “Veep.” Because the shows ran for many episodes years ago, Hale said he enjoys fans sharing storylines he has forgotten.
“I also like when people come up, especially from Arrested, where they’ll throw out storylines and be like, ‘Oh, remember this? Remember this?’” Hale said. “I just have no recollection. So it’s nice to hear stuff and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s hilarious and I totally forgot about it.’”