When I work on characters, I try to visualize them. I need to be able to describe the way they look, their background, their history and more. To do that, I look through pictures until I find one that ‘speaks’ to me.
Lenny was a tough one. He’s geeky, confident, and more than a little out-of-the-loop socially. And he’s strange by all accounts.
I thought first of the old TV show called Dobbie Gillis, where I was introduced to Maynard G. Crebs (played by Bob Denver).
Maynard had the right look, but he was too out of it, to be right for Lenny, who is very smart (book-smart, anyway). This is the picture that finally resonated for me:
The only thing missing is a little fur-ball on his shoulder called Sissy.
