Story – Robert McKee's Creative Storytelling Magazine Issue 005 – Drew Carey | Page 63

MCKEE
INTERVIEWS
DREW CAREY
obsession?
DC: Yeah, mine was I had a strong
sense of duty, and so it was always
up to me to save things because
nobody else would.
RM: So the blindly nice?
DC: I guess so. Bruce Helford, the
guy I created the show with, talked
to executives and he’d explain my
character. He’d say I was a happy
sack. I took this course once. This
guy, Sam Chistin, said—it’s a really
good requirement, I recommend
it for any actor—your essences are
things about you that only apply
to you. He gives you these phrases to describe yourself, and one
of the phrases that describes me
was, “Gee, whitewashing the fence
with those guys was really fun.” No
matter how many people took advantage of me, I didn’t mind, and
I said, “Well, I’ll just go get them
tomorrow.” You could have a lot of
fun with a character like that, and
that’s really kind of what I want.
RM: Yes, and then you surrounded yourself with some zanies in
that sitcom—you could