according to Jim

by Tim Bagley

When the creators of the television show, “According To Jim, ” called to say they wanted me to do an episode with Cynthia Stevenson playing my wife, I said “Yes!,” without any question whatsoever. Many years earlier on “Hope And Gloria,” I played a guy who had an unrequited love for Cynthia’s character, and we had a great time working together. All I knew about the role on “According To Jim,” was that Cynthia and I were going to be annoying neighbors, and our names were Tim and Cindy Devlin, and that was enough for me. I was thrilled.

The script didn’t arrive until the night before the first table read, and I was horrified to discover that I had to wear a Speedo in three different scenes. I remember putting the script down and thinking, “I can’t wear a Speedo!” It’s much easier to show your body off if A) you’re in great shape, or B) you’re really fat, because then it’s just kind of a fun f-you. But if you’re trying to stay in shape, and you’ve got some unkind areas, you just don’t want to wear a Speedo on national television. Even now, just thinking about it, I have a visceral reaction that makes my body tense up and shudder involuntarily. I thought about calling my manager to get me out of the commitment, but it was 10:30pm, and the table read was early the next morning. I had to dig real deep to figure out how to wrap my mind around the concept of being in a Speedo in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE, and on NATIONAL TV! By the time the sun came up, I had myself convinced that as an actor, the challenge to push myself beyond my comfort level would be good for me. I was excited to step up and do the job.

Of course the first day, after the read through, I drove to the gym to work out, and pulled a muscle in my shoulder, and was unable to work out for the rest of the week. A couple days later, on the day of the network run through, Jim Bulushi, who was also directing the episode, came up to me and said, “For the run through I’d like you to pull your pants off, and do the scenes in your underwear.” I said, “What? In front of the network executives?” He said, “Yeah, why? Is there a problem?” “No, but I’m just wearing regular “tighty whiteys.” He looked at me completely confused, and said, “What do you mean?” I explained to him, “I’m not wearing boxer shorts, just regular white underwear.” He replied, “That’s fine.” Here’s the thing…An actor wearing a Speedo on performance night when everyone else is in costume is one thing, but it’s a completely different thing to have an actor prancing about in his own underpants during a network run through, while all the other civilized actors are wearing their regular street clothes like normal people. I said, “If I’m just walking around in my underpants won’t the network think I’m crazy?” He said, “Who cares what they think?” Of course he doesn’t care, he’s got his own show. I love Jim, and he’s been very good to me, but I could see in his eyes that I was losing the battle, as I tried to explain why the scripted rip away pants revealing the Speedo was funnier than me slowly
 

 

 according to Jim

by Tim Bagley
pulling my jeans off over my shoes, revealing my underwear, which for all I knew might possibly be tattered. I made a beeline to wardrobe, and found myself begging to wear the Speedo for the run through. They quickly complied. The run through went well, but it did feel like the network executives seemed a little uncomfortable with my apparent delight in wagging my body at them. I’m sure more than one executive at ABC thinks I have that crazy Matthew McConaughey exhibitionist gene.

On performance day, in front of the live audience, I did a little something that nobody else knew about. I was in my dressing room, killing time, staring at my Speedo in the mirror. One of the hardest parts about being an actor is waiting in my trailer for the Second Assistant Director to escort me to the stage when they’re ready for me to work. It’s a chomping at the bit, trapped feeling, like a bronco waiting for someone to open the gate, so he can get that cowboy off his back. I did a bunch of sit ups, and practiced my lines. I did some more sit ups, then ate four large chocolate chip cookies, and a couple of white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. Too much time alone is never good for me. My mom always said, “An idle mind is the workshop of the devil.” She was right, because while I was waiting I decided to stuff a pair of socks down below for a little extra boost. When I finally walked on to the set my Speedo was bulging, and nobody said anything to me about it. Not a peep.

So we’re all ready to shoot my first Speedo scene, which takes place in a hot tub, and Cynthia Stevenson kept looking at my pouch like, “Wow. Who knew?” Then, right before I sat down into the hot tub I realized that once the socks got wet, the water could weigh it down. Or worse, the water could just be dripping while I’m saying my lines, and it would look like I’m standing there peeing. I quickly stepped out of the water and asked wardrobe for a zip lock baggie. They gave me one. No questions asked. God bless them! I don’t want to say their name, because I love them, and want to protect them. I stepped around the corner, put the socks in the baggie, sealed it, stuffed it, and jumped into the hot tub in time to hear, "Action." I have to say, when I saw the episode air on TV, my crotch was HUGE, and I looked fantastic.

Cynthia and I are grateful to recur as the Devlin’s. In each episode the writers always find a way for me to rip away my pants to reveal a Speedo. To this day, no one from “According To Jim” has ever asked me if it’s real. Whenever I work on the show, and tape night rolls around, I smile quietly to myself as I pack an extra pair of socks, and a zip lock baggie, and head off to the studio with a new found confidence in my pants.

 

CLICK HERE to see Tim as Tim Devlin on "According To Jim"