Greetings,
Despite the fact that I spend a lot of time on this blog discussing entertainment industry related things, I have to admit that, when I move past the artistic aspects, there is much about it that I despise. Probably the thing that bothers me the most is the people. I know I do not know them, but you can tell a lot about a person based on what they show you. And a lot of those Hollywood types and such have shown me a lot of not good things. Sad, isn't it? But every so often, someone comes along that you can't not love and admire. Yeah, that's right. I am so passionate about my enjoyment of this particular person that I am using a double negative, and I don't even care. Who is this phenomenal specimen of humanity? Why, it's Zachary Levi! And he's the best. Actor, singer, philanthropist, but not the obnoxious kind, and a self proclaimed nerd. No, really, he embraces that. I actually can't believe it took me so long to do one of my tributes for him, but I do have a lot of things to say about him. Very good things. Off we go.
Zachary Levi Pugh (yes, Pugh is his actual last name) was born in Louisiana to Darrell and Susan, and he has two sisters named Sarah and Shekinah. One is older and one is younger, and no, I don't know which is which, but they only give you so much info on the internet these days. Anyway, right off the bat, we can see he was being blessed. Sure, God made him a middle child, which has been known to make people go all Jan Brady psycho on the world, but He also made him the only boy. So he was special! Seriously, though, when he was young the family uprooted to California and, at about the age of six, Zac began to get into some theater acting, as you do. Now I'll guess that, since he didn't do anything major in the entertainment industry, that I know of anyway, until his adulthood, his parents were wise enough to opt out of the whole making him a child star thing. GOOD IDEA, Mom and Dad. Don't get me wrong. I may have enjoyed seeing him in, I don't know, a Cheerios commercial or something at nine years old, but I think that all of Zac's fans can agree that he was worth the wait.
Now the first mainstream success for Zac came in 2002 on a show called Less Than Perfect, which was one of those series that lasted for several years, whilst somewhat flying under the radar. That's a little disappointing, because the show was actually very good, as was the cast. Zac got to share the screen with Sara Rue, Sherri Shepherd, Andy Dick, Eric Roberts and Andrea Parker. Now if any of you read my retrospective about The Pretender, you'll know how much I adore Andrea Parker. Now for some reason, Zac always struck me as someone who may have been a fan of The Pretender as well, which makes me think that he got really excited at the prospect of working with Miss Parker. But I'm just speculating on that. Anyway, on Less Than Perfect, Zac played a guy named Kip Steadman, who was kind of the bad guy-ish, but not really. He was more like a fun and funny villain, which is the best kind. Sorry, I have to bring up Andrea Parker again, but since her character of Lydia and his character were kind of partners in crime, I have to point out what great chemistry they had. And where Zac is concerned, you can really see all the potential he had, which would eventually help when he had to become the leading man. Speaking of which . . .
About a year after the four season run of Less Than Perfect, Zac's career really took off when he was cast as the titular character in a show called Chuck. If you don't know, Chuck is about Chuck Bartowski, a guy who is very smart but not so ambitious anymore. He works in an electronics store called Buy More but is inadvertently brought into the world of spies. Now I could go into a detailed explanation on the series, but it may take too long. Besides, this show is one that needs to be watched, rather than explained. And it's worth it. Chuck can be considered an action/comedy, which I imagine can be hard to do. It did develop a very loyal fan base, much thanks due to Zac and yet another great cast, which included Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster and, the man, Adam Baldwin. All the fantastic things that went into this series led to a good, five year run, which ended in 2012. Thanks for the memories. And for making me want to eat A LOT of Subway.
Now, aside from a few appearances here and there, Less Than Perfect and Chuck were the main roles in Zac's television career. So, let's move on to the films. Yeah, this part may prove difficult for me since some of his choices of roles may have been a bit, let's say, questionable. I mean, he was in movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (meh), Big Momma's House 2 (yeah, no) and something called Wieners (Oh, come on!). But in amongst all of those, Zac did manage to do some really good films. One of them was Spiral, a 2007 psychological thriller that I really enjoyed, and another was Shades of Ray. I actually did a review of that movie, and, if you read that, you'll know that I thought very, very highly of it. Seriously, it should be seen by one and all. And, of course, we all know about the Disney film, Tangled, wherein he voiced the character of Flynn Ryder/Eugene Fitzherbert. Hey, remember how I said that Zac calls himself a nerd? Well, he also calls himself a "Dis-Nerd" Yeah, my apologies for using that if he, or anyone else, has copyrighted it, but it is, for real, one of the best words I have ever heard. Oh, and it's in this one that we get to hear what a great singer he is. He even got to sing "I See the Light" at the Oscars with Mandy Moore. Don't worry, Zac, you didn't look nervous at all. Right. The most recent thing he has done combined his television and film work in a TV movie called Remember Sunday, in which he starred with Alexis Bledel. It was a tearjerker, alright, but also very inspiring. Yeah, it was one of those Hallmark movies, so really what did we expect. And it seemed to fit Zac perfectly, while letting him show some good range as the talented actor that he is.
All of that, basically, covers his career. But what of his personal life and other things that define this man? Well, as it happens, Zachary Levi was raised in a Christian home, and it appears he has held on to those beliefs to this day. How refreshing. Despite being in Hollywood, despite the criticisms and even despite backlash from people who were once fans, he hasn't turned his back on this. He most likely knows that what all of those people think of him really does not matter. And he certainly has had overwhelming support from so many of his true admirers, including his Chuck co-star, Adam Baldwin, who is apparently also a Christian. Wow, we're just everywhere, aren't we? So, Zac clearly has a very good heart, and nowhere is this more evident than the work he does with Operation Smile, a wonderful organization that provides reconstructive surgery for children. I saw him give a speech at their 2011 Smile Gala, and it was so heartwarming. He has such a genuine way about him, especially where this is concerned, and since I see so little sincerity coming from a lot of celebrities these days, I love to see someone who truly seems to care about the people he is helping to affect.
So what does the future now hold for Zachary Levi? Well, he's going to be in the upcoming Thor sequel. Sweet. And I'm guessing that, since he has his Nerd Machine website, he will continue to do video game . . . stuff. Yeah, I didn't mention that before because I am not really a video game person. And I'm not certain how I feel about a man in his thirties being so into them. Not that I'm judging, since you guys all know that I still watch cartoons and whatnot. So, hey, whatever supers your Mario, my friend. (Again, if I am copyright infringing with that joke, my apologies!) Now what I personally am hoping that he will do next goes back to my mention of Tangled, wherein I spoke of his singing. I absolutely want him to record and release an album. That would just make me giddy, and I would totally write a song for him to sing. I may or may not have already written a song or two about him, but let's not talk about that right now, okay? Now Zac actually has delved into the world of a recording artist when, also in 2010, he sang a lovely duet called "Terrified" with Katherine McPhee. Thank you. More please. It's obvious that Zac does enjoy singing, so here's hoping and praying that a full on album is something he will someday do. Soon. Not that I'm impatient or anything.
And here endeth my tribute. Did I gush? Yes. What about it? Look, I really can't say enough good things about Zachary Levi. He is something very special, and I would even go so far as to say he is a treasure to this world. He is a talented, intelligent, brave and loving man, to say the least, and, frankly, he makes my heart smile. That's not any easy thing to do with me. What with all the negativity coming out of the entertainment industry these days, it so wonderful to have someone who can truly be admired and respected. Whatever he chooses to do in his life, both professionally and personally, I pray that God will continue to bless him in it. God has certainly already used him to bless us.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
