Lucas Neff on Raising Hope: "It's Nice to Be Able to Buy New Socks — I'm Just Lucky I Really Enjoy What I'm Doing"
Actor Lucas Neff — whose career began by accident — plays Jimmy Chance, a young man suddenly responsible for raising a baby on his own, in FOX's hit comedy series Raising Hope, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. The show was picked up for a full second season. Premier Guide Miami's Daedrian McNaughton spoke with the newly engaged Neff about the joy of being in a successful show versus a cancelled one, what it's like working with the babies on set, his hopes of becoming a dad someday, how he has grown as an actor, and why the ensemble of funny people around him is the best part of the job.
From the Vault · 2011
This is an archival piece from the Premier Guide Miami collection. The coverage, context, and details reflect the time it was originally published.
Actor Lucas Neff — whose career began by accident — plays Jimmy Chance, a young man suddenly responsible for raising a baby on his own, in FOX's hit comedy series Raising Hope, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.
Actor Lucas Neff — whose acting career began by accident — plays Jimmy Chance, a young man suddenly responsible for raising a baby on his own, in FOX's hit comedy series Raising Hope, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. The show, created by Emmy Award-winning producer Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl), was picked up for a full second season. The "Romeo and Romeo" episode, featuring guest star Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris), airs Tuesday, February 8.
On becoming a dad someday: "Soon enough. I'd love to have kids. I think I can wait a few more years, but yes, I hope I'm a more educated father than Jimmy is. I don't know that anybody can love their kids more than he does, so I hope that I love them as much. I hope that I'm just a little bit better prepared."
On working with the babies on set: "Babies like adults are very individual. So I can't really tell you what working with babies is like, but I can tell you what working with these babies is like. They're great. They're really, really personable. They're really social. I think they're in a really good community of people on set. Certainly, everybody in the crew and cast really adores these two little girls. We look out for them. They're a lot of fun to work with."
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On enjoying the show's success: "Oh, yes. Are you kidding me? It's way better to be in a successful show than on a cancelled one. I love it. I hope I get to do it for a long time. The scripts are still incredibly funny. It's nice to be able to afford to go out to dinner. It's nice to be able to buy new socks. I just like getting to work with the people I get to work with. If it wasn't TV, if it was all just us hanging out putting a play together, I'd still want to work with the same people and do the same thing. So I think that's the best part of it — I'm so lucky that I really, really enjoy what I'm actually doing."
On growing as an actor: "It's hard to objectively quantify your own performance. You certainly get more comfortable with people and with a job the longer you continue to do it. Wherever I am as an actor, I always think there's room for improvement. So I try to just come in with my head up and try to pick up as much as I can and be a little bit better every day. I've got a great group of people to help me towards that goal."
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