Answer with Matthew Gray Gubler

Answer 1

You've stated that your biggest passion is filmmaking, and you've directed multiple episodes of Criminal Minds. Do you plan on directing feature films at some point?

Absolutely! I plan on directing many films once Criminal Minds is over. We have been shooting Criminal Minds 10 and a half months out of the year for the past 10 years which sadly hasn't left me with enough waking hours to get my own films made. Once I have the time, I am going to make so many movies the world won't know what hit it.

Answer 2

Before getting your big break as Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds, you worked as an intern for Wes Anderson. What did you learn from your time working with him?

Working for Wes Anderson was the best film school I could have ever gone to. Being around him taught me that with meticulous attention to the small details of life filmmakers can transform an ordinary world into a magical one.

Answer 3

The show's fans are hopelessly in love with you. What's the funniest thing that has happened to you when meeting a fan?

I'm lucky to have the most spectacular fans in the universe. once in a while one will come up to me and show me a tattoo they got of something I painted. it's always a real honor to know that you have created something someone wants on their body for the rest of their life.

Answer 4

What is it about Dr. Spencer Reid that makes him such an amazing character?

I was made fun of a lot as a kid for being different so with Spencer Reid my main hope was to create a role model for anyone who ever felt like an outcast or a weirdo. I also find that super intelligence has often been portrayed in a very specific "nerdy" way on TV. I wanted to destroy the "smart-guy-as-a-nerd" stereotype and hopefully send the message that it's really cool to be smart.

Answer 5

Not many people know this, but you're the voice of Simon in Alvin and the Chipmunks! How did that come to be?

Alvin and the Chipmunks was one of my favorite Cartoons growing up and I am so honored to now get to be the voice of Simon. One afternoon 20th century Fox called and asked if I would come in and do a test recording for a secret animated film that was being made. (it's a very bizarre process to speak like a chipmunk and different than most voiceover because it entails talking very slowly and working closely with a special voice speeding machine). The test went well and the next thing I knew I was shopping for blue tunics and eating nothing but acorns.

Answer 6

During your time at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts you portrayed the Cat in the Hat and the Mad Hatter, characters that you described as "two of my favorite fictional psychopaths." You also voiced The Riddler on the animated movie Batman: Assault on Arkham. Why do you feel attracted to mentally troubled characters?

I have always been attracted to outsiders and eccentrics. My one goal in life is to make this world a more encouraging and less lonely place for those who feel like they don't fit in.

Answer 7

With the new DC Comics movie universe picking up steam, would you like to play The Riddler opposite Ben Affleck's Batman?

I loved playing the riddler and would be happy playing him on a street corner opposite a broom with a wig if the opportunity presented itself.

Answer 8

We'll be seeing you in Life After Beth. Can you describe it for us?

Life After Beth is a very hard film to describe. That is what drew to me to the script and why I am so proud to have been a part of it. Its tone is unlike anything that has ever been done before. It's hilarious, horrifying, touching, truthful, while simultaneously surreal. you will never see another film quite like it.

Answer 9

What can you tell us about your character Kyle Orfman in Life After Beth?

Kyle Orfman is a high-strung gun obsessed sweaty man child. He would like nothing more in life than to be a police man but is sadly only capable of being a neighborhood watch security guard. His naive mind only allows him to see the world in 2 categories, black and white, right or wrong. So Zombies (who are inherently ambiguous "grey" beings, alive AND dead, black AND white massively confuse/terrify him and catapult him into total mental overload.

Answer 10

How does working on a smaller production like Life After Beth compare to working on something like Criminal Minds?

My heart and soul lies in the world of low budget independent films. I am a firm believer that the smaller the budget the larger the passion.