Q&A; Joel McHale

By Ari Karpel Monday, Jan. 31, 2011

    • He's the host of E!'s The Soup, the star of NBC's Community and a touring comedian. As if that weren't enough, he'll also host the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 26. Joel McHale talked to Time about Chevy Chase, his oddly frequent stripped-to-his-skivvies scenes and how to be snarky but nice.

    With the touring, the TV shows, the Spirit Awards and three movies coming out, how do you have time to work out as much as you evidently do?

    I actually don't work out much at all. When I hear I'm going to be naked on camera, I freak out, and then I starve myself and do as many push-ups as I can.

    Which is how many?

    Well, let's see. I do 200 in the morning, and every time I come back from a break on the set, I do about 30 or 40.

    And crunches?

    No. My abs--that's from the not eating.

    You've worked with Chevy Chase for a couple of seasons on Community. What have you learned about him that might surprise us?

    He wears the same pants a lot. The guy's a huge movie star, but he sure loves those cargo pants.

    How do you manage to be both snarky and likable on The Soup?

    We aren't setting out to be openly mean. You never hear us go, "That's stupid." We try to let a clip or a story skewer itself.

    You have a master's degree in theater. Is seven years on The Soup what you expected to be doing with your life?

    What we did most of the time in classical theater was we skewered reality-show contestants in front of one camera. So what are you talking about? My Alexander technique and training really come in handy.