Most viewers, although, most likely know Messina finest for his work on “The Mindy Project,” starring because the typically ill-tempered, typically charismatic Danny Castellano reverse the sequence creator, Mindy Kaling. When casting started in 2011, Kaling was particularly searching for actors she “hadn’t seen do a lot of comedy” or, in the event that they had been skilled, “weren’t the usual suspects they always send you,” she mentioned in a current interview.

She knew he was good immediately. Describing him as some of the comical actors she’s labored work, she mentioned Messina was “so rooted in the truth of his character that he can’t help but be funny.”

She attributes that expressly to the truth that he isn’t a standard comic. “Your average sitcom actor wants to hit their moments, make the day, and go home. Chris isn’t like that,” she mentioned. “It’s almost exhausting, the level of honesty and truth he brings to every scene. He was really listening to my character and reacting if the character did something funny or absurd. He made me a better actor. I was listening better when I was with Chris, because he set the bar so high.”

Although Messina proved nicely suited to the function, he initially didn’t even wish to do it, turning down the half a number of instances earlier than relenting. (“Mindy wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he defined.) He was, he mentioned, “very worried about every aspect of it,” together with the dedication to a community comedy with 20-plus episodes per season, doubtlessly for a few years — maybe making it tougher for him to do the form of critical work he dreamed of as a performer.

“I wanted to do ‘Dog Day Afternoon.’ I wanted to do ‘Midnight Cowboy,’” he mentioned. Though he preferred the function and Kaling, “I was afraid of it running forever.” And, in fact, he was afraid of one thing else: the style. “I was afraid of not being able to keep up with them comedically,” he mentioned. “I am afraid of jokes.”

On the opposite hand, being afraid is what Messina desires. “Being scared of a role, of an opportunity, being challenged, that’s what I’m looking for. Maybe it’s corny or too actorly, but I do like finding closed doors inside of me.”