Does Ray Romano Doom 'Parenthood' Lovebirds?

Does Ray Romano Doom 'Parenthood' Lovebirds?

Jubilation over Jason Ritter's return to Parenthood as Sarah's fiance, Mark, was short-lived once Ray Romano was cast as a new foil for Lauren Graham's character. A woman who clearly is incapable of allowing herself to be loved.

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But does the addition of this new character truly mean the end for Parenthood's May-December duo? TheInsider.com caught up with Romano before he performed at The Everybody Loves To Laugh Comedy Benefit and found out that this character is unlike anyone the Emmy winner has ever played before!

"I play a photographer named Hank," Romano told us. "The role is cool because he's a bit of a curmudgeon. [He's] divorced and a little bit cranky and cantankerous. A bitter guy. Something I haven't played yet."

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According to Ray, Hank and Sarah meet when she applies for a job at his store. But in true Sarah fashion, "she lies about her experience, but they connect and help each other out," Ray teases.

Turns out, Ray was a fan of Parenthood long before getting cast on the show, so he was eager to join when showrunner Jason Katims asked! "I've always watched Parenthood and thought, in tone, that it was very similar to what we were doing on [TNT's recently axed Men of a Certain Age]. It's about human relationships and connections. I knew Katims, and he said, "Would you do it?" I said yes, and haven't been fired yet!"

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But a familiarity with the show didn't fully prepare Ray for what actually goes into making the show. "We've [shot] three episodes so far and they let you improv a bit on that show. I'm a little intimidated [by Lauren] she's so good at it. Everyone assumes I'm the great improviser because I do standup, which isn't necessarily true. But so far, we've been having a lot of fun!"

Check out a sneak peek of Ray on Parenthood and be sure to set your DVR for the season four premiere, September 11 at 10 p.m. on NBC!

Additional reporting by Allen DiBenedetto.


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