POEHLER PAIR
As ‘Parks & Rec’ wraps up, co-star Jim O’Heir remembers the funniest behind-the-scenes moments with his famous boss
JIM O’Heir, who plays moniker-challenged office schlub Jerry/Garry/Larry/Terry Gergich on “Parks and Recreation,” says filming the NBC series’ upcoming finale was a four-hankie affair.
“I cried like a bitch,” he says. “Itwas tougher than I thought itwould be. But they dids omething really sweet ... Instead of saying, ‘That’s a series wrap,’ they gave us each our own moment.
“Then Amy made a speech thatwas lovely and fromthe heart. She was so good until the very end, when she lost it — and then everyone else lost it. Itwas an incredibly emotional day.”
“Amy,” of course, is Amy Poehler, the star of “Parks and Rec,” which lampoons bureaucratic life in the fictional townof Pawnee, Ind.
The show’s seventh and final season starts Tuesday.
While Poehler’s fame has grown exponentially since theshow’s 2009 debut, O’Heir, 52, says she’s remained the same grounded, caring person shewas on Day One.
“Amy is all about the ensemble,” he says. “I really believe that she’s from the old school [of] ‘If you’re funny, we’re all funny.’ ”
O’Heir points to one particular “Parks and Recreation” episode in which his character Jerry— the office laughingstock— splits his pants and passes wind. “Amy asked meif I was comfortable with that, and I loved her for it,” he says. “She never expected us to do anything we weren’t comfortable with.”
O’Heir says the show’s wrap partywas extremely emotional, especially when the entire cast and crew paid tribute to Li’l Sebastian— Pawnee’s beloved miniature-horse mascot who died in the Season 3 finale.
“At the wrap party, Nick Offerman [who plays Ron Swanson] was on guitar and Chris [Pratt, who plays Andy] got on the mike andwe all sang ‘Bye Bye Li’l Sebastian,’” he says. “There were hundreds of people singing and crying.
“The goodbyes were rough.”