‘The Comeback’ Star Lance Barber [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]: Paulie G Deals With Seth Rogen & Valerie Cherish In Season 2 Of Lisa Kudrow’s HBO Series [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

Back in 2005, HBO's The Comeback introduced us all to a character we would soon love to hate – Paulie G. As Valerie Cherish's show runner in the Lisa Kudrow-led series, Paulie G was the guy everyone knew. As actor Lance Barber, who plays Paulie G, puts it: he is the a$$hole everyone meets at some point in their lives. Well, now, Barber is bringing that a-hole back with Season 2 of The Comeback. Episode 3 aired earlier tonight, showing his character trying to make amends with Cherish during an awkward shooting scene with actor Seth Rogen.

With a career that has spanned the likes of The Big Bang Theory, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Justified, Grey's Anatomy, and more, Lance Barber is back as Paulie G to wreak havoc on Valerie Cherish's life once again... and vice versa! After talking with Laura Silverman for the series, MStars News spoke with Barber about the return of The Comeback, what it's done for his career and what it was like working with Seth Rogen on Season 2!

MStars News: What were your thoughts when you heard The Comeback was returning to HBO?
Lance Barber: I was flabbergasted. There was a lot of buzz about it through the years, and a couple of different times where there were rumblings of a return. Maybe like an Arrested Development Netflix-type thing. There was even talk that a movie might happen, but I learned not to count my chickens because none of those came to fruition.

Then when I heard HBO might be picking it up again I didn't want to get too excited just for that reason. But when I got the official word that everyone was onboard and it was going to happen I was beside myself. It's literally a dream come true to revisit this show.

MS: Did you find you all jumped back into it easily, despite the 10-year gap?
LB: I think that none of us left them too far behind us. It was easy to get back into those characters. They were so rich and played out. Frankly, I've watched the show a couple of times in the last ten years [laughs]. I was a fan the show. I would have watched it had I not been in it. I think everyone would agree. It was only one season but everyone had a pretty good hold on their character.

MS: In Season One, Paulie G became the character that everyone loved to hate. How did you feel about playing him?
LB: It was a thrill! I think most actors would tell you it's fun to play the bad guy. It was fun also because Valerie Cherish is your tragic hero; she is our protagonist who is a little hard to tolerate. So, to allow Valerie to be a sympathetic character, the antagonist had to weigh extremely heavy on the a$$hole side, and that was enormously fun to do.

In Season One, that was pulled off through glances and stares and a lot of quiet stuff with Paulie G and it really worked well. This time around, he and Valerie get to have a little more of a complex relationship, which I'm looking forward to seeing.

MS: Speaking to that a$$hole comment. With Season 2, we find Paulie G after a couple of rounds in rehab. Because of that, does that make him any less of an a$$hole?
LB: I guess if you know an a$$hole and you get perspective as to where they're coming from, then yeah. It doesn't make them less of one but it makes you a little more tolerant. [laughs]

MS: How do you think he felt about having Valerie star in Seeing Red? Did it ruin things for him?
LB: It was the last thing he ever anticipated would happen. I'm sure Paulie G had no notion it was even a possibility that Valerie Cherish would be a part of this project. He probably assumed she'd stay away from him. Seeing her come in that room, and having HBO be onboard with having her be a part of that project was an absolute nightmare for him.

MS: Of course, because you can't say no.
LB: You can't say no and you are trying to have your very own comeback. And this is your big shot with HBO.

MS: Episode 3 aired earlier tonight. In it, we see Paulie G talk with Valerie about making it work this time and starting fresh. Was he sincere?
LB: I think he was definitely sincere in as much as Valerie is sincere; there are ulterior motives. He's sincere about his big comeback into show business after having a ten-year hiatus. Unfortunately, he's in a situation where they have to work together. He also saw her in the audition and knows she did a good job. In a way, her playing herself makes it an event. It's genuine but also selfish.

MS: Alongside Lisa Kudrow and the other castmembers, you got to work with Seth Rogen. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
LB: Seth Rogen is so Seth Rogen-y I can't even believe it. His reputation precedes him. His reputation is that of a genuinely warm and easygoing professional guy, and that's what he proved to be. He was a delight. Everyone was thrilled to have him there and I enjoyed working with him to pieces. He was terrific professionally and just a lovely person.

Also, Seth Rogen has had a career trajectory that I think Paulie G wishes he had. I can't think of anybody more appropriate to represent that and be in Paulie G's face. I think it's kind of a brilliant turn.

MS: In Episode 3, Paulie G is shooting Valerie in a specific and awkward scene with Rogen,  which he kind of saves her from by offering an alternative way of shooting. Paulie G accepts it. I found myself wondering if he actually liked Seth's idea or is he just afraid of losing that star on his show?
LB: [laughs] I think Paulie G, like most writers, wouldn't change a single word or idea in his script. Writers have to oblige the celebrity that has been gracious enough to be a part of their show and get it recognized. Very much like it is in show business, he would never have changed anything without the concern of losing a celebrity like Seth.

MS: Despite lasting one season, it seems to be a show that made a mark, which is obvious because it's back. Why do you feel it left such an impression?
LB: That's a good question. It's not completely original, but it is a good way to tell a story. This one hit home. People in show business watched the show even though people in Middle America didn't. [laughs] It's wonderful satire. It sums up reality TV and the human ego so well. That's what got people on board in the first place.

MS: It seems that even though the series aired for one season back in 2005, it opened an amazing amount of opportunities for you. Would you agree?
LB: I would say 90% of the work and auditions that followed that show is because of that show. The last ten years I've been approached for jobs and auditions for people who were fans of the show. I couldn't be more grateful for that one season. As disappointed as we all were that it only lasted one season, it behooved my career enormously.

MS: Even outside of The Comeback, you've been on so many successful shows – Californication, Grey's Anatomy, Justified, Big Bang Theory, It's Always Sunny – what do you get most recognized for more than anything else?
LB: Those two roles [It's Always Sunny & The Comeback] are the ones I get approached for the most more than anything. Another one that has an enormous following is The Big Bang Theory. I did one single episode and I get approached for that show all the time, because the fans of that show are crazy fans. I played the bully and was told it was an episode they thought about for a long time. I was really lucky to get that role.

Tune into The Comeback Sunday nights on HBO at 10 p.m.