As I’m sure you’re aware if you’ve seen any of my reviews of ABC’s hit family comedy The Goldbergs, and as I mentioned previously when I talked about the show with creator Adam. F. Goldberg, I’m a huge fan of the show. Since the beginning, The Goldbergs, a fictionalized adaptation of Goldberg’s real childhood in 1980-something, has shown a knack for expressing a real heart underneath some of the best comedic writing currently on television. As great as the series has been since the beginning, it really found its creative footing in the critically-acclaimed second season.
As we get closer to The Goldbergs‘ season 3 premiere on September 23, I got the chance to talk with actor Sean Giambrone, who plays the show’s version of its creator, Adam F. Goldberg. Here’s what he had to say about the history of The Goldbergs, the success it’s seen, and the upcoming third season:
TVOvermind: Hey Sean! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions about the show. I’ve been a huge fan since the very beginning, and I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity. If you can, talk a little about how you found out about the project and what attracted you to The Goldbergs.
Sean Giambrone: I happened to be in Los Angeles doing voice-over for Cartoon Network’s Clarence series. I’m actually from Chicago. While I was here, my agents sent me the audition for The Goldbergs, and it just so happened to be the most favorite script I had ever read. So, before I returned to Chicago, I auditione,d and I was cast very quickly. Auditioned on Wednesday, called back on Thursday, signed the contract on Friday, returned back to Chicago for more clothes on Saturday, flew back on Sunday and started filming on Monday. It was crazy and I loved it!
What’s it like playing a fictionalized version of a real person? How active is the real Adam [F. Goldberg] involved with helping you understand his mindset? Does he give you a lot of advice on the role, or does he sort of let you treat it as you would were you playing a completely fictional character?
It’s very cool to play a real person, and it’s fun trying to think like he would. Adam has his hand in every single aspect of the show, from writing to set dressing to costumes, etc., so he can’t be on set as much as he would like to or I would like [him to]. There are times when he does give me certain directions as how to act, but for the most part, his writing definitely gives me the direction. And, as you may have seen at the end of the show, his home videos give us direction as well.
As I mentioned, I’ve been a huge fan of the show since the first episode. What’s it been like, from an actor’s perspective, to see the show grow and be so well-received by audiences?
It’s a wonderful, overwhelming feeling. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the fans, because if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.
The entire cast of The Goldbergs is pretty stellar, in my opinion. What’s it like working together as a group?
It’s really a blast and an incredible experience, one I will never forget — the opportunity to work with such talented people. Every season I see us getting closer as a family.
When I spoke with [the real] Adam a few months back, he mentioned how you’ll sometimes say something completely random and our of nowhere during a take to entertain everyone during editing. Do you have any fun stories about things that have happened on the set?
In the dodge ball episode, I was the target for the entire PE class except that the one that was really throwing the ball was the props guy, Buddy, who’s a good friend of mine. He beaned it off my head every single time and seemed to be enjoying it even by the fifth take.
One of my favorite episodes so far has been Barry Goldberg’s Day Off from last season. What’s it like doing such a high-concept episode? Are you hoping to be able to do more of these as the show continues?
I was such a fan of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when I was a younger, so being able to do an episode on it was just the coolest. Then the chance to meet Charlie Sheen was unbelievable. What a cool, professional guy! I’m pretty sure we’re doing at least one movie episode every season — Goonies was the first, Ferris Bueller the second and now Risky Business, but I’m pretty sure they’ll even be another one this season.
The end of season 2 saw a big change for Adam as his girlfriend Dana revealed that she’ll be moving away. Will we see how this change affects Adam through the season? Should we expect Adam to continue venturing out into the world of romance?
Dana’s still in the picture, but it’s going to be a surprise to me as well. My character is a romantic guy, so I’m sure it will take some kind of role in season 3.
What can you preview about the upcoming season of The Goldbergs?
The main focus will still be on family and our crazy antics, as well as the 80’s references. We’ll be doing a big movie episode once per season, and the premiere is going to be the Risky Business episode, but I’m not sure if that’s the one.
Are there any other projects that you’re working on that you can tease for us?
Yes, actually, I did a Disney XD movie this summer with Joey Bragg titled Mark & Russell’s Wild Ride. It will be coming out in November. We filmed it in Vancouver, and it was our own little action movie. Loved it! Also, I’ve continued working on Cartoon Network’s Clarence as Clarence’s friend, Jeff. This also is such a great project!
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I’ve become incredibly excited for the upcoming season of The Goldbergs based off of everything I’ve seen so far, and this interview with Sean has definitely upped my anticipation even more. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us, Sean, and we at TVOvermind wish the show success in the upcoming season!
The Goldbergs returns to ABC on September 23. What are you looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments down below, and be sure to check out our reviews of the season later on!
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