Thomas Lennon as Leo Getz, Damon Wayans as Roger Murtaugh
The “Odd Couple” star Thomas Lennon said that working with Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford and the rest of the cast and crew in Season 1, episode 15 of “Lethal Weapon” was a “blast.” Tyler Golden/FOX

Thomas Lennon revealed why he agreed to play the role of Leo Getz on FOX’s “Lethal Weapon.”

In an interview with CarterMatt, Lennon admitted that the role originated by Joe Pesci in the “Lethal Weapon” film series was difficult to match, but it was actually one of the reasons he decided to do it.

“Part of the reason why I took Leo Getz was just because I thought it would be really, really hard,” said Lennon, who didn’t immediately accept the role when it was offered to him.

“About a week or so before we shot the episode, they reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in taking on the character for the TV show,” the 46-year-old actor recalled. “My reaction was ‘Wow, that sounds really, really hard’ because Pesci’s performance is one of the most quotable movie roles of all time.”

“I rolled it around in my head a little bit and I liked the script,” the 46-year-old actor said. “[And] I came to them and I said ‘I can’t do an impression of Joe Pesci at all.’ I’m not that kind of weird little weirdo; I’m my own kind of weird little weirdo, you know? I asked if they were okay with a version of Leo Getz that was much closer to me than Joe Pesci, then I was certainly willing to give it a try. Then, we went from there!”

Lennon makes his debut appearance as Getz in tonight’s Season 1, episode 15 of the buddy cop series. Getz is an ambulance-chasing attorney who happens to be the key witness to a murder related to the Cartel.

According to the synopsis for the episode, Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) and Riggs (Clayne Crawford) are forced to work with DEA agent Palmer (Hilarie Burton) once again to protect Getz from the Cartel. As the trio’s investigation goes deeper, they start to realize that Getz may not be the only one with a target on his back.

While Pesci’s Getz played a prominent role in the “Lethal Weapon” film series, Lennon told CarterMatt that fans won’t see his version of the character on the TV show that much. “It was really a one-time deal for now,” he said. “[But] obviously, it was a lot of fun. … Everyone on the show I would work with again in a heartbeat. It was really a blast. And, it was fun to get shot at a lot. I enjoyed it.”

“Lethal Weapon” Season 1, episode 15, titled “As Good As It Getz,” airs tonight at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.

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