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 b—h,” he says. “It was tougher than I thought it would be. But they did something really sweet…Instead of saying, ‘That’s a series wrap,’ they gave us each our own moment.
“Then Amy made a speech that was lovely and from the heart. She was so good until the very end, when she lost it — and then everyone else lost it. It was an incredibly emotional day.”
“Amy,” of course, is Amy Poehler, the star of “Parks and Rec,” which lampoons bureaucratic life in the fictional town of Pawnee, Ind.
The show’s seventh and final season starts Tuesday.
While Poehler’s fame has grown exponentially since the show’s 2009 debut, O’Heir, 52, says she’s remained the same grounded, caring person she was 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 me if 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 party was 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 and we all sang ‘Bye Bye Li’l Sebastian,’” he says. “There were hundreds of people singing and crying.
“The goodbyes were rough.”