Will Sasso from '$#*! My Dad Says'

Will Sasso stars on the CBS comedy "$#*! My Dad Says," which is based on a popular Twitter feed by former Maxim online writer Justin Halpern. TheCelebrityCafe.com spoke with Will about reuniting with MadTV alum Nicole Sullivan (who plays his wife on the show), working with William Shatner, and critics' reactions to the show.

TheCelebrityCafe: For anyone who just got back from Mars or out of a Turkish prison, tell us about Vince.

Will Sasso: Vince is Ed's older son, the half-brother of Henry, who doesn't live with his father. He lives with his wife, Bonnie, played by Nicole Sullivan, and he's this sweet guy with a sense of morals and he tries to live by those morals and not upset anybody. As the show goes along I'm beginning to realize he's a lot like Ed, but only happier.

TCC: Ed is one of those guys who knows exactly what he likes and what he doesn't. As long he gets what he likes he's happy, and if he doesn't he'll let you know. Vince will let you know if he doesn't like something but in a happier way?

WS: Vince just won't tell you he doesn't like something. He wants people to be happy. Look at his relationship with Bonnie. She's definitely the alpha there, and he couldn't be happier.

TCC: You worked with Nicole on MadTV. That's got to be awesome working with her again.

WS: It is. Nicole is one of the funniest actors out there today. The networks haven't given her a big break since MadTV though she's appeared in dozens of pilots and episodes since MadTV, but she is definitely one of the funniest - if not the funniest actor - on television.

TCC: Working with William Shatner has got to be awesome. That's like heaven for an actor.

WS: It really is. He's got 50 years in the business and he's so relaxed and personal it's amazing. After taping three episodes I finally got past thinking, "I'm working with Mr. Shatner." I can go up and say, "Good morning, Bill." He says to call him Bill but, to me, he's Mister Shatner. He's a legend. And with 50 years in television he could tell you so many things but he won't. He's not that type of guy. He comes in and when he reads, he's all about the script, saying his lines, focusing on the words. There are times when I see him perform and I want to go up to him and say, "Don't take this the wrong way, Bill, but you did a great job there."

TCC: He's got to be, what, 79?

WS: He just turned 80.

TCC: 80. Wow. He's got amazing energy. I want to have that energy when I'm 80.

WS: The funny thing is I was just talking to [the show's creator, co-writer and co-executive producer] Justin Halpern and he's 30 and I'm 35, and we both said Mr. Shatner brings so much energy. We wish we had that much energy when we turn 80.

TCC: The series premiered to 12 million viewers. That's got to be a good feeling.

WS: I grew up in Canada and when I was a kid I always wanted to be an actor. That's the reason why, to make people laugh. In most medium you won't get to that many people, but in TV and with big blockbuster movies you can reach millions. Even if it was just 4 million people who watched and laughed, I'd be happy.

TCC: Critical review to the pilot wasn't so good. Did that have any effect on the cast and crew? Did it make you want to come back and show them otherwise?

WS: I don't care about the reviews for the pilot. The pilot changed so much. They recast Henry [originally Ryan Devlin, now played by Jonathan Sadowski], and the tragedy to that was someone lost their job. They also wrote another character out [played by Stephanie Lemelin] so that was another job lost. That hurts. As far as critics, those who say things from watching the pilot, it's like you're not even watching the show. It's totally different. And a lot of shows got poor reviews in the beginning and they became huge. And for those who watched the series, well, they're entitled to their opinions, they're critics and I don't pay much attention to that. They can say the show took this wildly popular Twitter feed and ruined it. Those are the same people who loved Metallica until they cut their hair. Go listen to "Kill Em All" or watch "TJ Hooker" or something.

"$#*! My Dad Says" airs Thursday nights on CBS.