Actor Thomas Lennon Talks About 'Reno 911' And '17 Again'

Actor Thomas Lennon stopped by to talk about his role as Ned Gold in the new film 17 Again and his role as Lt. Jim Dangle on the hit Comedy Central series Reno 911!. Lennon's 17 Again co-stars Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) and Melora Hardin (Hannah Montana: The Movie) stopped by earlier to talk about the film as well.

In 17 Again, Matthew Perry plays Mike O'Donnell, a man who is pushing forty and whose glory days are way behind him: his marriage has fallen apart; he has been passed over for a promotion at work, and his kids think he's a loser. O'Donnell is miraculously given a second chance to relive his hey days when he is transformed back to his 17-year old self, played by Zac Efron. Lennon's character Ned is O'Donnell's best friend, who poses as his father so O'Donnell could be admitted to high school. Ned himself develops a crush on the school principal, played by Hardin.

Reno 911! centers on the goings on of a group of deputies at the Reno Sheriff's Department. The show deals heavily in politically-incorrect humor, with jokes about race, sexual orientation, drug and alcohol abuse, and rape. Only the basic plot elements of the show are scripted; the dialogue is improvised, Lennon's lead role as Lt. Jim Dangle goes by the personal motto, "Work hard, play hard," and believes that "preparedness is the most effective weapon...unless the guy has a bike chain."

An Illinois native, Lennon attended NYU and afterwards joined a sketch comedy group called The New Group, which later developed into the comedy group The State. He has recently had parts in I Love You, Man and Hancock. Aside from acting, Lennon is also a screenwriter, having penned films such as Herbie: Fully Loaded, Night at the Museum, and Balls of Fury.

17 Again is in theaters now and Reno 911! airs Wednesdays at 10:30pm on Comedy Central.