That’s a commitment. I’m impressed.
Tell us something we don’t know about your favorite movie romance and why.
I love Tootsie so much, and I watch it at least once a year. I love Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange together and how much they fall for each other. He falls for her and tries to win her over, and she falls for Dorothy [Hoffman’s alter-ego in the film]. I love that movie. I don’t know if that would be a typical romantic comedy, but I love that movie so much.
What does your wife tease you about the most?
So many things. I’m big into photography and collect a lot of cameras and lenses, but I’m not a good photographer. I just like cameras. So there’s often a new camera coming to the house, and my wife is like, “Please stop. You have a shelf full of cameras.” I really enjoy photography. It slows me down and it’s kind of like a meditation, but she makes fun of me a lot.
What’s the funniest thing a fan has ever said to you or assumed about you?
It’s like, they think they know me but they don’t. So then they make me kind of list what they’ve seen me in. It’s completely embarrassing because they haven’t seen anything I’ve done. They’re like, “No, no, no.” And then I have to say, “My name is Chris Messina. Just look it up and maybe you’ll find the job or the thing that you think you know me from.” That’s usually the most embarrassing thing.
What is the ballsiest thing you’ve ever done to land a role?
When I was a kid, I crashed a theater audition for this play. Looking back, it doesn’t seem that ballsy, but it was. My agent said they didn’t want to see me, so I just showed up. And for some reason they were like, “Let’s let this guy in.” I didn’t get the part, but I got the understudy. I went on stage one night, which was a big deal at the time. But I crashed the audition originally and they didn’t kick me out. They let me come in.
Finally, what is your perfect meal?
My mother used to make this incredible lasagna that was just out of this world, and I’m forever trying to find something that lives up to it. I’m on the search, but I can’t find it. She used to spend all day in the kitchen making it and we couldn’t wait to get to eat it.
You’re such the Italian with your mom and lasagna, and I’m such the Jew who’s like, “I just order my bagels and lox and have it shipped to me.” [Laughs.]
You order your food from across the country. That’s fantastic. That’s a commitment. One day in the future, you and I have to have one of those bagels because I have to taste that particular combination. Let’s do it.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour senior West Coast editor and author of the New York Times best-selling book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.