It has been three years since NBC cancelled Chuck and full disclosure: I am still not over it. The geektastic spy series left a lasting impression on all its fans, so it is no wonder the fanbase is still enthusiastic. On August 5, 2015, Jeff himself, Scott Krinsky, chatted with Chuck fans on Facebook about his favorite Chuck moments, how much he is like Jeff, and much more. Even though Krinsky has been working steadily since Chuck ended in projects like Togetherness and Tangerine, this chat proved he still looks back on Jeff as one of his most unforgettable characters.
Jeff, one half of Jeffster, was Buy More's most colorful employee thanks to his whole nomadic van-living lifestyle and mysterious stature as Buy More's longest lasting employee. The real life Krinsky is nowhere near as zany as Jeff, but he certainly makes it sound like playing the character was a blast. Below, I gathered Krinsky's eight best and most surprising quotes from the chat. Prepare to see Krinsky — and Jeff — in a whole new light, because both the character and his portrayer are unique guys.
Are you ready to rock one more time? Check out the highlights from Krinsky's Facebook chat below and prepare yourself to feel all the Chuck nostalgia.
1. "I don't play any instruments, I'm not musically inclined."
That's right, the man behind one half of Jeffster doesn't play any instruments. Although, he did tell one fan he plays the bongo and the tambourine. "Yeah I don't know a lot of people who've played a keytar," Krinsky wrote. "That must mean I did a good job. In my next lifetime I will be a rock musician."
He definitely had me fooled!
2. "I had a sub eating contest with Jerome Bettis."
Jeff was always doing weird stuff, so I was definitely interested to see how he responded when a fan asked him what the weirdest thing he ever had to do on the show was. It turns out, Krinsky really got into a Subway sub eating contest with football player Jerome Bettis on camera. As io9 points out, Subway was Chuck's savior, and the product placement helped the cult show stay alive. Knowing that Krinsky was actually wolfing down subs makes the whole scenario even cooler though.
3. "I don't know if you'd want to spend all day with him... but he's someone you'd like to have a beer with or go to a concert with Jeff. Just be sure someone knows who you're with and what time you're expected to be home."
Would Krinsky want to hang out with Jeff? It sounds like he would — in a controlled setting. Beyond a love for beer, it doesn't sound like Krinsky shares much in common with the over the top Jeff. Even when it comes to beer, Krinsky prefers craft, so his performance was certainly not based on real life.
4. "My favorite is when Jeff's mom told him that, 'Knowledge is powder.'"
Jeff had a ton of killer lines over the course of five seasons. (One of my personal favorites: "I can't leave the Buy More. I won't survive in the real world. I'm institutionalized.") It was "knowledge is powder" that stuck out with Krinsky the most though, and given Jeff's bizarre worldview, it makes perfect sense.
5. "Jeff had a very specific type of humor and he had a lot of really funny one liners. I have to say, the writers were amazing and wrote 99 percent of that. So, not a lot for me."
On the subject of dialogue — as off the cuff as many of Jeff's lines were, Krinsky rarely ever improvised. Because the lines were so specific they came straight from the writers. The fact that Krinsky made them sound so spontaneous speaks volumes though.
6. "I kind of go back and remember the first time we performed as Jeffster. That always brings back good memories because I remember being nervous as hell! But it was a lot of fun being in a band. It's always weird when I'm out in a store when I hear a song that Jeffster did!"
It's almost too good to be true, but Krinsky's favorite scene is the first Jeffster scene. How awesome is that? He also noted that he loved the Jeffster performance that ended up saving Ellie and Devon's wedding.
7. "Sarah because she really kicks ass. And Awesome, because he'd be awesome to hang out with. Sarah would protect us."
If Krinsky could be stuck with two Chuck characters on a desert island, he would choose Sarah and Awesome. That's a pretty solid life decision, I think.
8. "Believe it or not, I don't. I hate to disappoint anybody but I'm not a gamer. I did play a lot of Angry Birds at one point. I'm afraid if I play games I'll get addicted."
I know, it's a little heartbreaking, but Krinsky is not a gamer. Jeff would be so disappointed. Actually, Jeff probably wouldn't notice. It's always fun to see the actor behind the character though and Krinsky may not be like Jeff, but he sounds like a wonderful guy.
Are you missing Chuck now? It may not be on TV anymore, but there is always Netflix.
Images: Warner Bros. Television, Giphy (2); psychictwinsrph/Tumblr (6)
