Interview: Vik Sahay, star of NBC's Chuck and the Genie-nominated film Amal (VIDEO)

Posted by: Paul Little // April 2, 2009 @ 9:27pm

Filed under: Interviews

If you're not watching Chuck on NBC every Monday, you should rectify that. We know, we know -- there's lots of great television on at 8 on Mondays. House is on. The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are on. Well you should get a PVR or time shifting or something, because Chuck is one of the funniest shows on television, and with all the spy action thrown in, it's also a bit of a thrill ride. Sure, most of the action is predictable, but that's kind of the point of an espionage comedy -- you know what's coming, but you revel in either the intense action or the hilarious consequences of the screw-ups.

One of the main sources of laughs on the show is Buy More employee Lester, played by Canadian actor Vik Sahay. He may be one of the secondary characters on the show, but with most of the "spy" scenes between Chuck, Sarah, and Casey featuring either high-octane action or intense emotions, the goings-on in the Burbank Buy More are where the show finds its laughs. Lester's intense need for control and getting what he wants is only topped by his crazy fear and feelings on inadequacy when he does actually get that control (see when he was named Assistant Manager or when he recently had to sing publicly) -- and either way, it's hilarious.

Despite his clear ease with comedy, Vik Sahay is mostly known for his dramatic chops, having studied theatre from a young age. He appeared in the CBC series This is Wonderland, has appeared in small roles in Hollywood films like Good Will Hunting and The Rocker, and recently starred in the Richie Mehta-directed film Amal, which is nominated for six Genie Awards (honouring the best in Canadian film) at this weekend's ceremony in Toronto. Vik will also be a presenter at the 29th Annual Genie Awards, hosted by comedian Dave Foley and airing in Canada on Saturday, April 4th @ 9pm ET on Global and IFC.

ShowbizMonkeys.com had the opportunity to speak with Vik recently in Los Angeles, and he talked about his early years as an actor, his character on Chuck, and what a moving experience Amal was to film.

Tags: Vik Sahay, Chuck, Amal, Genie Awards