Will Arnett Single Handedly Saved 'Arrested Development,' Creator Says

[Brian Damage]

"[The head of FOX] turned to me and said, 'We don't have the mother, we don't have the brother -- Mitch, this is how pilots die,' " Hurwitz writes. "[We] had Jessica Walter on tape ready to go, too. And of course, Will came in and completely nailed it. I mean, after weeks of it not working as we'd hoped and suddenly it's so beyond what we'd hoped for! [Casting director] Deb [Barylski] saved the show with those two people."

And though signing Arnett clinched the show's spot in the comedy pantheon, casting Gob was tougher -- much tougher -- than Hurwitz expected. "We had some hilarious guys -- but nobody really played him like a guy who thought of himself as the chosen son even though it was obvious to everyone else that he was the least favorite. A lot of guys went 'New Yawk' with it, almost played it 'street savvy.' It just turned out to be a very difficult target to hit."

And along came Arnett. "He really is as natural a talent, both as versatile and focused, as anyone I've ever worked with. He's a true delight. That's about the simplest way I can put it." Still, nothing stops Hurwitz from lumping "stupidly handsome" and "annoyingly tan" onto the praise pile.

As for 'Running Wilde,' GQ contends that Arnett plays a slight twist on the now infamous Will Arnett Role. As described by editor Devin Gordon, Arnett plays "the scion of a ruthless oil baron," a man-child who "throws decadent parties to give himself humanitarian awards and competes with his neighbor/arch-nemesis over who can buy the teensiest, priciest miniature Arabian horse. But at his core, Steve is a sad-sack romantic, desperate to win back the hand of his childhood sweetheart, an always-saving-something environmentalist played by 'Felicity' star Keri Russell."

Sounds like the oblique answer to our prayers for an 'Arrested Development' spinoff starring Gob and only Gob.

http://www.popeater.com/2010/08/24/w...running-wilde/