Joel McHale looks back on getting naked for Community: 'A lot of bravery on my part'

Actors often have to show their vulnerable side to make a scene work, but Joel McHale offered his all—and then some—to his castmates on Community.

In "Physical Education," a particularly memorable episode in season 1 of the acclaimed NBC series, McHale's character, Jeff Winger, strips naked to prove he's not vain to his billiards teacher at community college. Appearing on PeopleTV's Couch Surfing with Lola Ogunnaike, McHale revealed that the garment he was wearing didn't provide full coverage, and he ended up giving everyone a good look at his butt during filming.

"I was wearing what's called a dance belt," he says. "It's a thong and they paint it to whatever the tone of your flesh is. It really just covers the front and the back, and it's like right there. People just saw right up my ass. That actually required a lot of bravery on my part, I will say. Because I'm not that proud of my butt, I hadn't been fully naked—I have since—in a scene, but I had never leaned over a table and lifted my leg."

Created by Dan Harmon, the irreverent comedy ran from 2009 to 2015 and featured Jeff, ex-lawyer, and his Greendale Community College study group of fellow misfits: recovering amphetamine addict Annie (Alison Brie), endearingly clueless ex-jock Troy (Donald Glover), passive-aggressive mother Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), lewd millionaire Pierce (Chevy Chase), misguided activist Britta (Gillian Jacobs), and Abed (Danny Pudi), a self-aware TV nerd who's Truman Show-ing it at all times.

McHale also touched on the cast's recent Zoom reunion, during which they held a virtual table read and Q&A. Many fans hoped that this new momentum meant a Community movie was in the works, and McHale dropped some unbelievable news (literally) to raise the anticipation even more.

"I'm going to reveal something awesome right here," the comedian teased. "We shot the movie. It's already shot. We shot it after that Zoom call. It's just another Zoom call, it's a two-hour Zoom call. The budget was about $230 million. Most of that went to Donald."

No matter what McHale says, we still believe in #SixSeasonsAndAMovie. Watch the video above for more.

Related content:

• EW's BINGE of Community is now available as a podcast
• EW is binging Community with the cast and creator: Watch the first episode now
• The 15 best episodes of Community