Seann William Scott and Daryl ‘Chill’ Mitchell Preview ‘Shifting Gears’ [Interview]

Seann William Scott and Daryl ‘Chill’ Mitchell bring plenty of humor to the new sitcom Shifting Gears, and from the sound of things, they’re both having as much fun behind the scenes as they do on screen.

The show follows Matt Parker (Tim Allen), a widowed car restoration shop owner whose life changes dramatically when his estranged daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) unexpectedly moves in with her kids.

Riley’s return doesn’t just shake up Matt’s world — it also impacts Scott and Mitchell’s characters. Scott plays Gabriel, an employee who sees Matt as a father figure and grew up around Riley, while Mitchell plays Stitch, a longtime friend of Matt’s who has known Riley since she was a baby.

Scott and Mitchell shared a few details with Tell-Tale TV about their characters, the family dynamics at the heart of the show, and what it’s like behind the scenes of Shifting Gears.

Tell-Tale TV: What’s your favorite thing about each of your characters on Shifting Gears?

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell: Mine is the fact that I’m able to be visible. That’s the main thing, my visibility to the world. Because they know what I do and they let me interject a lot of my personality into my character.

Seann William Scott: I guess I think so far, what I love about my character is that they’re just letting me play with the character in a bunch of different ways. So far, he feels kind of like a lovable weirdo, which I like a lot.

Tell-Tale TV: How do your characters fit into Matt’s life and the dynamics of the car restoration shop? Would you describe them more like allies, troublemakers, or a bit of both?

Mitchell: You got to match [Matt’s] energy and his attitude. So you’ve got to be a troublemaker because he is a troublemaker, and that’s not going to change.

Somebody could mess with me, but he ain’t going to let nobody mess with me. It’s the same thing. You know, our relationship goes back. I’ll mess with him, but I ain’t going to let nobody else mess with him.
 
Scott: Well, my character, I think, looks up to Matt. And I think he’s a bit of a father figure to him as well. So I think that Gabriel really respects him and wants to make him proud.

Tell-Tale TV: How would you describe the dynamic between your characters and Riley when she arrives?

Mitchell: I’ve been around them since she was a baby because me and [Matt] go back. We already said it — how long — almost 20-plus years of being around him. So Riley is like my niece. I’m protective of Riley as well as he is. Sometimes, I want to protect Riley from him.  

Scott: Yeah, Gabriel grew up with them, grew up with Riley’s brother. And he started working at Matt’s shop when he was 15. So I think that he’s a bit protective of Riley as well and maybe has a little bit of a not-so-secret crush on her.

Tell-Tale TV: The car restoration shop is such a specific setting. Is that something either of you had familiarity with? Does that setting offer any specific challenges or especially fun moments?

Mitchell: I love cars. And I always loved working on cars. So I worked… in school, we had automotive. So every time we bring a car in and come through, I’m elated because that’s my thing. I love cars.

Scott: For me, it’s just faking like I know what I’m doing in that shop. It’s like any of these scenes where we start off where I’m supposed to be under the hood and doing stuff — dude, I wish you could see what I’m actually doing.

The whole time, I’m going, “I don’t even know what I’m doing or what I’m looking at.” I’m like doing this, cranking like a screw. I’m just feeling like the biggest idiot because I’m like, “I don’t know anything about cars at all.”

Tell-Tale TV: How is working on Shifting Gears different from your past projects?
 
Scott: Well, gosh, it’s completely different than anything I’ve done. I’ve never done a multicam, so just the entire process. And doing something in front of a live audience.

It’s the most fun that I’ve had. People talk about [how] there are multi-cams where it’s like doing theater. And I’ve never done theater, but it feels like it’s what it would be like.

You get to work with the same people, you get a new play, essentially, each week to start working on together and rehearsing, and then you get to put it up in front of a live audience and see how they respond to it.

Mitchell: For me, I just finished doing NCIS: New Orleans, which is a drama. But it was cool because they kind of let me have a little wisecrack, but it was so deep and heavy. And then I did Fear the Walking Dead. It was like, oh God, I was outside in the elements. Boy, you talking about serious. Then I had to do stunts. I was like, “Oh, no!”

This right here, to be back to four-camera, multi-cam where I started — it is a lot of fun going over there. I love doing different things like that, but this feels like home.

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*Interview edited and condensed for clarity.

Shifting Gears premieres Wednesday, January 8th at 8/7c on ABC.

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