As wonderfully ridiculous as Legends of Tomorrow is, its fans are all the more dedicated to the oddball DC Comics television adaptation on The CW. Captain Cold, Black Canary, the Atom and numerous other comic book characters have featured on the show. But Time Bureau Agent Gary Green? He’s purely a creation of the show, and oftentimes, it seems the audience loves him more than the superpowered heroes and villains, and don’t expect that to stop going into Legends of Tomorrow season 4.
Adam Tsekhman, who has played Gary since season 3, returns in Monday’s Legends of Tomorrow season 4 premiere, hilariously titled “The Virgin Gary.” The actor spoke with Metro about getting an episode named after his character and the fans’ embrace of him, which he still doesn’t understand.
Adam Tsekhman on what’s in store for Time Bureau Agent Gary Green in Legends of Tomorrow season 4
“I’m humbled by it. Honored by it,” he says, “though I’m not even entirely sure why it happened in the first place. I mean, all the fan reaction that I’ve experienced on social media is amazing, but I don’t know how broad it is, or how specifically targeted it is at me.”
To be fair, the fandom for Legends of Tomorrow runs the gamut of possibilities. Just about every character and the actors who play them have, at one point or another, been the target of online adoration. Yet a quick survey of all the Gary love reveals that the scrawny, nerdy, time-traveling agent is quite popular. From a quick, jokey cut taken from the most recent trailer to a poster edited so that every character has Gary’s face, the fandom is quite clear.
Asked about these specific examples, Tsekhman says “the fans really love this show and that is just fantastic to see. And you know what? Honestly, I’m a fan of the show, too.” He then switches gears by admitting that he’s “been reading the scripts for this new season and they’re just amazing. The writers are incredible. They’re geniuses.”
That they are, because in terms of slapstick, laugh-out-loud comedy, Legends of Tomorrow is arguably one of the most underrated shows on television. Most likely, aside from its comic book origins, this is due to the fact that most television comedies tend to avoid these kinds of jokes.
But Tsekhman? He loves doing it.
“Gary is kind of the butt of the joke, and it’s such a pleasure to do that, to have that door open for me to be my hammy self. Ham it up!” he laughs. “I absolutely love doing that, finding the comedy in different things. This show is written comedically. It’s written brilliantly, but there are always ways that actors can craft moments that add to that comedy. Solving those puzzles is really fun for me.”
Legends of Tomorrow season 4 premieres Monday, Oct. 23, at 9 p.m. on The CW.
