Jean-Ralphio may have gone down in “Parks and Recreation” history as a party and scheme-loving wild child, but the actor behind the role remembers a time when his NBC character wasn’t quite so insane. Ben Schwartz stopped by “The Tonight Show” to promote his ongoing live tour, “Ben Schwartz & Friends,” and to reflect on one of his best known roles.
“I thought [Jean-Ralphio] was going to be a one-off. That character started off as almost a normal human being and then, if you track the show, slowly just becomes a muppet and a cartoon character,” Schwartz told host Jimmy Fallon.
The “Sonic” star also called Jean-Ralphio “something that doesn’t live on this Earth anymore” and said that he had a “the perfect name for a character in a television show.”
To prove his point, Schwartz came to “The Tonight Show” with two clips of his character, which showed his first and last appearance on the NBC sitcom. “You’re going to easily tell that I got a little bit more comfortable, and then things got bananas very quickly,” Schwartz said.
The first clip featured Tom (Aziz Ansari) introducing Jean-Ralphio to his boss, Ron (Nick Offerman). After Ron says Jean-Ralphio’s name, the character interrupts Ron to say, “You got him right here. Leave a message after the beep.”
“That’s like a person you might see,” Schwartz told Fallon. But as his role on “Parks and Rec” was expanded, Jean-Ralphio became “more bananas.” At one point, Michael Schur, who co-created the series with Greg Daniels, pitched an idea that Jean-Ralphio would “just pop out of nowhere.” ” I never enter a room anymore, I just appear,” Schwartz said.
The second clip Schwartz takes place during the series’ finale. After Jean-Ralphio has faked his own death, he and his sister Mona Lisa (Jenny Slate) are trying not to raise anyone’s suspicions. Both decked out in bright, memorable clothes, the two get so wrapped up in creating a song about not being suspicious that they garner the attention of everyone around them.
“He’s a muppet. That’s an intense little muppet,” Schwartz said of the scene.
Schwartz spent most of his time on “The Tonight Show” showing off his improv chops. When he first walked out on stage, Schwartz confidently welcomed the audience to “Saturday Night Live” and called Questlove Lorne Michaels, prompting Fallon to correct him. He and Fallon then reminisced about a fake multi-season NBC show they both starred on together, titled “Chest Bumping.” Watch the very silly interview above.
