Zachary Levi Talks About His Lead Role on NBC's Chuck

Zachary Levi is Chuck Bartowski. Well, mostly. "I'm more Chuck than I'm not Chuck... Other than not having government secrets in my head, there's a lot that is similar to us," explained Levi in an interview.

Chuck, one of NBC's new fall shows, is about a computer geek who unintentionally downloads all of the government's secrets into his brain. It's a mix between comedy and action, as the lead, Chuck (Zachary Levi), has a sort of nerdy, bumbling personality that lends itself to humor. Of course, a storyline regarding government secrets demands action, and here the two genres are melded seamlessly.

Chuck starts out as an average guy working at the Nerd Herd, having girl troubles, and hanging out with his equally dorky best friend. When his old college roommate sends him an email that ends up placing the government's computer in Chuck's head, his life is turned upside down. He actually goes on a date, but it turns out that woman isn't who she appears to be (poor Chuck!). He learns what has happened to him, and now his mission is to simultaneously live an inconspicuous life while also being National Security's top aid.

Back to Chuck and Zachary's similarities. They're both smart, good actors (at least Chuck will have to be when he can't let his family and friends know about his new secret), love video games, and are funny. In reality, Levi is really funny (he had me laughing through most of the interview), and it definitely comes through in the show.

In fact, Levi said he and Josh Gomez (who plays Chuck's best friend Morgan) did a lot of adlibbing while shooting. Though Levi is not sure how much of it will end up in the final edit, he said that everyone on the show was "really open to that and embraced it... They allowed us to be really creative in the process.... The writers and directors have been good about giving us some leeway there," Levi said.

Although Levi says he has "so much fun making the show," there is one thing that makes him declare, "Let's just say I'm never ever going to do that again."

That one thing? Laying on the ground with Gomez on top of him, with their feet and heads on opposite ends... aka a "69," if you will.

This "positioning" takes place when a ninja enters Chuck's home to steal his computer. The ninja's skills takes out both Chuck and Morgan, leaving them laying on the ground in such a compromising arrangement.

After having to do that scene countless times during shooting, and then reenacting it twice at Comic Con, Levi jokes, "That's enough 69 for a lifetime."

Having spent four seasons on ABC's Less Than Perfect, Levi is accustomed to being on a network show. Yet, it seems like the idea that he's the lead character on Chuck is still sinking in. "I get to be Chuck in a show called Chuck!" he exclaimed. Seriously, he continued, "I don't feel any pressure. I just feel blessed. It's such a great responsibility to have. I feel kind of the way Chuck feels having these secrets in his head... While Chuck definitely has his trepidation and fear, I think secretly he really looks at it like this is a really cool responsibility."

Still excited about the show, Levi couldn't contain his excitement about using the same stage that Pee Wee's Big Adventure was shot on , and that Humphrey Bogart was on during Casablanca. Plus he said, "The food's great and it's free!" And while Levi did give a ton of praise to the other new NBC shows, he couldn't help but get passionate about ABC's Pushing Daises, which is shooting on a stage near Chuck.

Aside from all the Chuck frenzy which is sure to hit once the show airs, Levi also has three movies coming out. A movie he helped produce and also acts in, Spiral, should be out on DVD at the beginning of next year. The comedy Wieners, with Kenan Thompson, will be out on DVD in September, and, Shades of Ray, about a half-Pakistani man who wants to marry a Caucasian girl against his father's wishes, will "hopefully be in the Toronto Film Festival," Levi said.

"I've got a lot going on. I'm just trying to juggle all those balls and try not to fall on my ass in the meantime," he laughed.

Chuck premieres September 24 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. You can check out the official web portal at www.chuckssecret.com.