Dean Haglund, known as "Langly" of the "Lone Gunmen Trio" in "The X-Files," will appear at Mainstreet Comedy Showcase tonight. Although it may be hard to imagine the computer nerd we see on television as remotely funny, Haglund has been a stand-up comedian much longer than he's been on "The X-Files."
"I did stand-up to pay my way through college so I could eventually get my degree in theater," Haglund said. "The two have been synonymous for me ever since. It's just that everyone else seems to think it's weird. I guess I have the Howie Mandel syndrome."
Haglund said he does stand-up comedy all over North America whenever he has the time. On this trip, he will only visit Ann Arbor. It's not really a bonafide tour because he has to go to Vancouver to shoot "The X-Files."
Haglund said he caters to his audience while performing. "I improvise the brand new episode of 'The X-Files,'" he said. "It's based on audience participation and audience suggestion. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to jam with the University's comedy improvisation groups which is always fun. When Robin Williams was in Vancouver shooting 'Jumanji,' he did improvisation with my group."
The "Lone Gunmen Trio" were not originally written as reoccurring characters on the show. Viewers that identified with the computer hackers, or simply had an affinity for the trio, demanded the three be part of the cast.
"There was so much feedback from fans on the Internet, that the producers and writers kept bringing us back," Haglund said. "However, now I don't think they have as much time. The producers and writers were using feedback as a way of gauging the show - of course at first, they were calling their mothers."
Haglund said he has evolved from a drug dealer to a geek in his acting career.
"Before I was a computer geek, I was always cast as a drug dealer because of my long hair. I played a drug dealer in 'The Commish' and 'Street Justice'. I actually sold drugs to Lorenzo Lamas in 'Masque of Death.' Ever since I was cast in 'The X-Files,' I've been cast as the geeky guy."
Because the Lone Gunmen are not in every episode of "The X-Files," Haglund said he has plenty of time to pursue other endeavors.
"I enjoy doing live theater sports. This entails two teams of actors who improvise scenes for points and the judges determine who wins each round. It's quite funny and always really fun."
This will be Haglund's first trip to Ann Arbor. He said he has performed in Chicago and Madison, but has never entered the state of Michigan.
"I certainly am excited to visit Ann Arbor. I've never been there - dying to see it," he said.
The general manager of Mainstreet Comedy Showcase, Roger Feeny, said he's really excited to have Haglund here and is already looking forward to having him back.
"For those of us that are 'X-Files' fans, I'm really excited to see his 'X-Files' improvisation that he does onstage. That's going to be a lot of fun," Feeny said. "We're always trying to bring in fresh faces that we think are going to be stars of the future and I think Dean is certainly one of them."
Dean Haglund plays a member of the Lone Gunmen trio on Fox's "The X-Files."