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Trivia

  • Neil played the cop who responds to a 911 call made by Alex Pruitt, in the movie Home Alone 3.
  • Neil had the role of Chip Heron in the movie Mean Girls. Lindsay Lohan played his daughter Cady.
  • Flynn once appeared in an episode of The Drew Carey Show, playing the fake husband/partner of future Scrubs co-star Christa Miller.
  • Neil played the Chicago Cubs first baseman, Stan Okie, in the movie Rookie of the Year.
  • Flynn was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award in 1996 for his role in The Ballad of the Sad Cafe.
  • Neil did the voice of Skidd McMarx and the Plumber in the Ratchet & Clank video game series for the Playstation 2, and the Ratchet & Clank game for the PlayStation 3.
  • Neil had the role of Police Officer Kevin Yarnel, on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode called Identity Crisis.
  • Neil's fellow members in the improv group Beer Shark Mice are Mike Coleman, Pete Hulne, Pat Finn and David Koechner.
  • Neil's most memorable moment from being an actor so far is when Dick Van Dyke appeared on an episode of Scrubs.
  • Neil has a cat named Mike that he found in a parking lot in 2007.
  • Neil moved from Chicago to L.A. in 1988, but the move did not work out because he could not find acting work. He then moved back to Chicago and worked at different acting troupes before he was able to move back to L.A. again in the late 1990's.
  • If Neil could only save one thing from his home, it would be his Michael Jordan jersey. Neil collects signed jerseys of famous Chicago athletes such as Jordan.
  • For his role as Agent Smith in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Neil had to sign a waiver saying he would not release any details of the movie. He only received four pages of script however, and he was unaware of most of the movie's plot.
  • Neil is a member of the improv comedy group Beer Shark Mice. His group was named Best Ensemble by the Chicago Improv Festival. They appeared in the 2008 L.A. Improv Comedy Festival.
  • Neil appears in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull reuniting him with Harrison Ford who co-starred with him in The Fugitive which gave way to a previously mentioned Scrubs gag.
  • In 2007, Neil appeared in the following movies:
    Sex And Death 101
    Alive And Well
  • In 1999, Neil won the NBR Award along with the rest of the cast for their performance in Magnolia.
  • Neil studied acting from Del Close.
  • Neil is right-handed.
  • Neil's favorite Scrubs character is Ted Buckland.
  • Neil is friends with Angela Kinsey, who appears on The Office.
  • Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence once slipped up in a talk show interview and referred to Neil's character as "Zack Braden".
  • It is often believed he doesn't use any lines for his role as the Janitor on Scrubs. A fourth season script reportedly had (Whatever Neil Says) whenever he had a line.
  • Both he and Scrubs co-star Christa Miller had roles on the series Clone High.
  • Neil's character on Scrubs was originally supposed to be a figment of J.D.'s imagination and didn't come in contact with anyone until quite awhile after the show started.
  • Having been a part of an improv troupe, Neil Flynn makes up a lot of his lines on the spot. Before the filming of an episode, he wrote Dr. Janitor on a chalkboard, which became a long running joke about the Janitor wanting to be a doctor.
  • His character on Scrubs has remained nameless, but some fans have speculated that his name is Neil Flynn because the Janitor admitted appearing in The Fugitive which Neil Flynn actually did. He played a rookie cop who was shot down in the final train scene. He had one line.
  • Neil graduated from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.
  • Neil attended Waukegan High Schools East Campus.
  • Neil had a small role as a street preacher in Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer but his scene was cut. The deleted scene can be seen on the 20th Anniversary DVD edition.
  • Neil is an alumni of Chicago's ImprovOlympic and Second City. He was also a member of the Chicago improv troupe known as "The Family" (predecessor to Comedy Central's "Upright Citizen's Brigade").
  • Neil is 6' 5" (1.96 m) tall.
  • He is single and lives in the Los Angeles area.
  • He enjoys a weekly game of poker in his spare time. He also watches a lot of television and is part of various fantasy sports leagues. He plays on a local softball team.
  • He is said to be the best ad-libber of the Scrubs cast by the show's creator and its writers.
  • In Scrubs, he originally tried out for the role of Dr. Perry Cox, which later went to co-star John C. McGinley. The role he did get was that of the Janitor. The Janitor's role was only supposed to be for one episode, but he was so popular that he became a star of the show.

Quotes

  • Neil: (On why fans keep watching Scrubs after all these years) That is a mystery. No, not really. I think because we've tried to maintain a level of high quality. We aren't just going through the motions, at this point. We're trying to let the show evolve and keep the humor sharp. I think the show does a good job of combining amusing farcical and sincere moments. I like that in shows that I watch so I am not surprised that many people like that about this show.
  • Neil: (On why he thinks his character tortures J.D.) One thing, I think, is probably The Janitor would be bored. I think he's fighting off boredom by seeking out a nemesis among the young doctors. As The Janitor said in one episode, "I only have about an hour of work to do a day and the rest of the time I stalk you." If there is any real animosity there, I think it is sort of a class warfare thing, blue collar versus white collar. Maybe The Janitor resents, what he perceives, as people of the privileged class. I think some people assume that all doctors grew up and never had to work for a living and so on.
  • Neil: (About his character the Janitor)I don't think we know that we know anything about The Janitor. The man lies. If you recall once, the man pretended to be his own brother. That, of course, was a lie. I think it is just to liven up the day, just to have something to do. As far as the name, I don't know if we'll ever find out his name. I like that he doesn't have a name. I think he might have said his name, I am not sure. Dr. Jan Itor is not his name. Maybe I'll say that I know his name and it hasn't been revealed yet. There are a couple of things that people tend to talk about in the chat rooms and websites that his name might be Neil Flynn because of The Fugitive episode, but that is not it. It was just something to do in one episode. His name is not Neil Flynn and it is not Dr. Jan Itor.
  • Neil: (On meeting and acting with Dick Van Dyke) He was kind of a hero of mine growing up, even before I knew I was going to try and be an actor. He was my favorite performer when I was a kid. So, I guess he was kind of an inspiration to me. It was a real thrill to meet him. I think in the episode that he did that there is a moment when we're on the screen at the same time. As corny as that sounds, it felt like an achievement to me to go from the kid watching him on TV to the man standing next to him on the TV. I wasn't nervous, but that's probably because he is such a nice man. I was more excited than nervous.
  • Neil: (On what he would say to his fans) I would say that is so difficult to get a show on the air and keep it there that you have to be grateful to the people who watch it regularly. Without the devotion of the fans, even the highest quality show won't stay on the air. So, I am very appreciative and thankful to the people who have stuck with Scrubs.
  • Neil: (About his home) I'm not much of a decorator, so I'd describe the place so far as somewhere between a bachelor's pad and a kid's fort.
  • Neil: (On Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) It was cool to have a scene with Harrison Ford. I'm not sure everyone will recognize me. I knew it was a small part going in, but it was even smaller than I remembered.
  • Neil: (About his role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) It's very cool to be in a big movie like this. It's kind of a culturally iconic film. It's like being in one of the Star Wars movies.
  • Neil: (after his show Scrubs moved to ABC in 2008 ) It's all good news. ABC has owned us all along, so I think it may be treated better by its biological parent.
  • Neil: I've never had an encounter with a janitor who recognized me. Come to think of it, at work maybe they're wondering why I'm not pitching in a little bit more. I have had a couple times where I'm in a shopping mall or a movie theater or something and I see that door with 'Janitor' on it and for a moment I feel like I'm welcome to wander on in. I've never actually done it though. Maybe I should try it. I'm curious as to how I'll be treated the next time I'm in a hospital, if that will ever come up.
  • Neil: (About his favorite moment in TV history) I'd go with something from The Dick Van Dyke Show or Monty Python. That's as specific as I can get.
  • Neil: (on the final season of Scrubs) The advantage we have of knowing when the curtain is going to come down is that we can time our exit and plan for closure for ourselves, the characters and the audience. So I think we will be able to wrap it up so that everyone's satisfied: the creators, the actors and the audience. I think the writers have done a great job all along of keeping the supporting characters visible and familiar to the audience. I don't think that the weight will be distributed too far in favor of the leads. I think they'll continue to use the secondary characters to their best advantage.

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