Those are the people Starzs excellent 2009 comedy seriesParty Downswung the spotlight onto.

Because its fair to say that it didnt get the audience it deserved at the time?

Yes, thats an easy thing to agree on.

You once said there was a piece missing in the puzzle of acceptance and finding an audience forParty Down.

With a few years hindsight now, what would you say that piece was?

I dont know that I can really narrow it down to one thing.

I think timing probably has a lot to do with it.

You were one of the few cast members not have appeared on Rob Thomas previous show,Veronica Mars…

Thanks for rubbing that in!

[Laughs] Yeah, fair enough!

How did you come to the part of Roman DeBeers then?

I read it and really liked it.

Quite a simple story!

Were you part of the shows famous first pilot, filmed in Rob Thomas back garden?

I wasnt there for the initial pilot.

Then we reshot the pilot I think a year and a half after they shot it the first time.

Back then, how fully formed a character was Roman?

Was he the character we know from seasons one and two?

How would you characterise the tormenting relationship between Roman and Kyle?

Its like a love/hate relationship without the love.

Definitely tormentors of each other.

The dynamic I think is a little bit different but its not totally dissimilar.

Often it can be pretty competitive with everybody wanting the laughs to betheirlaughs.

It was a very unified group and everybody was very intently looking out for each other.

What led to that, would you say?

What made it different to other comedy shows where actors are trying to steal focus from each other?

I dont know that it wasnt just a community decision.

I think we all just appreciated each other.

At least I didnt feel that natural competition.

To say that she led the charge?

There was something similar inFreaks And Geeks, which is such a deeply loved show now.

Did you come to the show with that performance ready or was it developed with the shows creators?

I think that was just where I felt most comfortable and natural.

That was definitely a character that I created and really enjoyed playing around in.

Bill is so many peoples personal highlight in a show that was full of highlights.

What sort of response have you experienced to him over the years?

It seems totally positive from my perspective.

You once described the purpose behind bothFreaks And GeeksandParty Downas being very pure.

What did you mean by that?

The purity of their purpose in comparison to other shows?

I think the same was true ofParty Down, everybody was there enjoying the experience itself.

You mentioned the honesty of Paul Feigs storytelling there.

Did you feed in to the show with your own experiences?

Im sure we went over things like that.

Im sure there were conversations like that but I dont remember now.

Thats what I remember more than anything.

Because of that show, you started working pretty young, at the age of sixteen or seventeen.

Does that mean you skipped that whole would-be-actor-working-in-a-service-industry-job depicted so well onParty Down?

Now hold on, I was a barista for one day!

[laughs]

Wow.

What happened on that day that you only lasted the one?

I think the owner of that coffee shop was saving some money.

I wasnt a barista at Starbucks, I just went into a place in Brownwood.

This was afterFreaks And Geeks?

Yeah, I was nineteen, maybe in my early twenties.

I always wanted to be a pizza boy, but that never worked out.

I thought that would be a really fun way to meet weird people.

It probably would be.

I mean, Lizzy [Caplan] didnt either.

I dont know if Jane [Lynch] did.

Im sure Jane had a lot of weird jobs.

I think Adam [Scott] might have worked in a catering company, but I certainly didnt.

I just had to pull from the scripts that were really well-written.

What was the experience like filming the porn or orgy episodes forParty Down?

Was everybody game or was there any trepidation or reluctance about that kind of material?

I dont think any of us had any issues with it.

So thats part of the evolution of those episodes.

But I dont think anybody had any issues with it.

Why do you think Starz has chosen to replayParty Downnow?

Is it testing the water for the much-discussed revival?

I think its a great premise and it should continue to live on.

The last we heard, Adam Scott suggested that new episodes would be more likely than a feature film.

Are there any updates on that?

I dont know any more and I dont think he does.

So its fingers crossed, still a possibility but no movement at the moment?

Listen, if you have funding, well give it a go.

Sure, Ill wire you a few million.

Had you expected a third season?

I think we saw it for what it was.

I dont think there was one person on the show that didnt want to be there.

We were all so excited at the opportunity to come back and do it again.

They didnt allow it.

Party Downattracted some really memorable guest stars.

J.K. Simmons, George Takei… the Steve Guttenberg episode will always be one of my favourites.

Oh yeah, Steve Guttenberg was amazing, so much fun.

Hes just a good guy.

I dont know if you remember that one?

The getting-out-of-prison party episode.

That was Janes last episode.

Until she came back for the season two finale.

Right, until she came back again late in the second season.

Those are the two that stand out the most.

Jennifer Coolidge took over from Jane for a couple of episodes, really doing her own thing.

Having the fortune of being able to have her for a couple of episodes was really fun.

And of course, then Megan Mullally came in after that.

We got so lucky through and through on that show.

[Laughs] Yeah, with Jimmi Simpson, whos now doingWestworld.

Are you getting that out there?

Im really enjoying it.

We had a great time working on that episode too.

Steven Weber, Steve Guttenberg, Nat Faxon… a lot of really talented people.

Its cool man, you should make a TV show, its really fun.

I think thats the moral of the story.

Martin Starr, thank you very much!