Psych set visit, part two: Spotlight on Dulé Hill

I noticed that from the end of last season and during this season with the firehouse, you rescuing Juliet, but also the tapping, it seems as if you’re becoming less of the Watson and more of an equal partner to Shawn. You’ve always been that, but you’re kind of calling it out more.

You could be right about that. I mean that’s more of a writer’s question. Steve had always said he had planned to do that as the show went on, that they’d be more equal partners, and he would be less of a sidekick. So, I mean, you’re probably right about that. Obviously, you know, Shawn Spencer is the main guy, but I do feel that it’s a two-hander. I feel that we play off each other a lot, and that kind of gets through.

So how long have you tapped for?

Since I was three.

Did your mother sign you up? Your father?

My mother was a ballerina. She was teaching at a dance school, and my older brother and my cousins were all going, so I was following the crowd. I did jazz tap, and ballet. And then the older I got, I just kept going more and more towards tap. And once, I think at the age of 10, is when I got The Tap Dance Kid. Once I had a chance to work with Harold Nicholas, that was it. I was hooked on tap after that.

Since you just said, “I hear that,” three times, did they pull that from you for Gus?

Yes. Yes, that does happen a lot. You know, a lot of things that we do off camera makes their way into the show. “I hear that” is definitely a Dule-ism. And, like, “You know that’s right.” I got that because one day, my brother and my friend Tiffany were talking and laughing about how cats used to say that back in the day. I was like, “You know what? I’m going to take that and use that, too.” So you hear Gus say, “You know that’s right.” What else?

“Wait for it.” “You know what I mean.” “I hear that.” “Hold on.”

I don’t know how the “what” just came about. I wasn’t really saying that before. So I don’t know if that came from Roday. I don’t know how that came up. Now I say it more because we say it so much on the show. You kind of, you know, keep morphing into one person.

So you use lavender oil, too?

You know what I mean? And then the high-pitched, “I don’t know.” That was me off-camera one day, talking to an AD, just playing around, just acting the fool, and I said it like that.

You do have the best high-pitched scream sound on set.

Yeah. That was a Gus thing, though. That was in the script. I don’t normally run around and scream at the top of my lungs, all high like that.

Who would you [date]? Technically, you’ve actually had two people that you’ve dated on the show, and Shawn has only dated one person.

I’ve dated two people?

Three people, actually.

I have gone on three dates, I think. I have gone on three dates, and I’ve married one person.

So who else would you like to have as a love interest, even if it’s temporary?

Even if it’s temporary?

Which it would be, since—

Yeah, it’s always temporary. You know, I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest with you. I mean, I always say somebody like Halle Berry, but that’ll never happen. You know what I mean? Lisa Bonet? That’d be cool. I don’t know, just anybody. Anybody’s good for Gus. You say what?

Do you have any other upcoming projects? Are you ever going back to New Jersey again?

I am going back to New Jersey. I was back in Jersey. I’m there all the time. My family’s still out there. And at this point, no, I don’t think I have any upcoming projects. Not right now. We’ll see what happens when the season’s over. I don’t think I do, though. Yeah, unless I’m forgetting something. No.

Clacked by An Nicholson
on Sep 02, 2010 @ 14:00 EST5EDT