‘F Is for Family’: Justin Long Admitted He Would ‘Overcompensate’ in High School Because He Was Only 4’9″ and 85 Pounds
Even at 43 years old, Justin Long admits he’s the perfect fit to voice an awkward and rage-filled teenager on Netflix‘s animated series F Is for Family. Tapping into his own childhood, Long recently reflected that his small physical stature in high school made him turn to acting and comedy as a way to fit in, ultimately opening the door to Hollywood.
As F Is for Family celebrates its fifth and final season on Netflix, the versatile comedic actor is right at home in creator Bill Burr’s irreverent love song to parenting in the ’70s.
Justin Long was an 89-pound class clown in high school
Not everyone remembers exactly how much they weighed in high school, but Long certainly does. On The Meredith Vieira Show, Long mused that his small size helped shape his personality at a crucial point of his development. He originally flirted with being a priest at a younger age. But by high school he was gaining popularity as a class clown, admitting he might have even been too small to bully.
Even while making his classmates laugh and getting into acting, Long still relates to the awkward teen phase. That has made him an uncanny fit as Kevin Murphy on F Is for Family.
Long plays the volatile son of a grumpy dad (Burr) who always seems on the verge of a breakdown. The He’s Just Not That Into You star voices Kevin for 44 episodes over the show’s five seasons, which boasts an impressive cast including Laura Dern, Sam Rockwell, and the late Michael K. Williams.
Long brings teen angst to life on ‘F Is for Family’
A fledgling musician with a dark past, Long’s Kevin Murphy serves as a guidebook to growing up in the 1970s. The pot-toking troublemaker who suffers from aquaphobia is a challenge for his parents, who are often busy with their own less-than-perfect lives. Kevin’s unique background — he nearly drowned as a kid — often makes ordinary tasks extremely difficult. Everything is tinged with Burr’s brand of dark humor along the way.
On top of voicing Kevin in the series, Long also provides the voices for Chuck Sawitzki and Phineas. Going against the grain for Long, Sawitzki is an obnoxious and vindictive boy who likes to prank Kevin every chance that he gets. Phineas, meanwhile, is a friend of Kevin’s dad who works as either an airport baggage handler or at the circus.
Although Long’s own background makes him an easy fit for Kevin, the Waiting star also gets to flex his other voice talents to round out the show’s eclectic set of characters.
Long followed in his mom’s footsteps
Growing up in a conservative Roman Catholic family in Fairfield, Connecticut, Long originally liked the idea of being a priest. But he didn’t consider it for the reasons one might think. Long told Meredith Vieira that he liked the idea of celibacy as a means to avoid awkward entanglements with girls.
Instead of continuing along that route, the Lavender star chose his mother’s career as a stage actor. Not only was his mother, Wendy Lesniak, an actor, but his brothers, Damian and Christian, also have acting talent. When Long chose not to be a priest, acting seemed a natural fit as an undersized teen.
According to Buddy TV, Long found success in a sketch comedy group at Vassar College and then pivoted to Hollywood after graduation, finding his first screen role in the 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest. Since then, Long has appeared in a wide range of work. He might be best known for his role in the 2004 blockbuster comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
Long has appeared in several TV shows, including That 70s Show, King of the Hill, and New Girl. He also directed his first feature film in 2021, the comedy Lady of the Manor starring Judy Greer, Luis Guzman, and Ryan Phillippe.
