The spy who came in from the cold

H. Jon Benjamin is so smooth, so dashing, as the voice of FX's animated spy "Archer" that you might assume he has at least a passing resemblance to Cary Grant. Such is not the case. In real life, Benjamin is a 5-foot-6 middle-aged bald man with a scruffy beard and a slight paunch. He looks less like a suave operator and more like Martin Mull's misfit son.

But that doesn't mean Benjamin doesn't stand tall in his first on-screen lead role, as an obnoxious TV reporter in the new Comedy Central sketch series "Jon Benjamin Has a Van." The star and co-creator Leo Allen have patched together a collection of ambitious, absurd ideas, including a visit to Little Little Italy (a miniature town in a Little Italy backroom), a drunken-driving incident that kills an alien child and a "Cash Cab" spoof in which Benjamin tries to recruit contestants in bathroom stalls.

Benjamin, who also provides the voice of the put-upon dad in Fox's "Bob's Burgers," spoke recently about his golden throat, his idea for a new drinking game and why he might abandon comedy.

Q So how do you determine when you use the "H." and when you don't?

A I let other people decide. We've got a think tank. But "H." really is part of my name.

Q What does it stand for?

A It stands for the sound "H" makes.

A Since day 126. I developed it over time. I kept pushing it, trying to change the tube. It's a hard thing to do.

Q Do people ever recognize your voice, like when you order at a restaurant?

A When I order food, I order just like Archer would. I'm just yelling at people. If they don't recognize me as Archer, they just think I'm a jerk.

Q A lot of your fans are going to see what you look like for the first time. Is that daunting?

A I'm going to disappoint a lot of people. It's physically impossible to get into shape and be good-looking in time for the premiere.

A It's a mixed bag. If I go out there and I'm terrible, then that puts me in a real awkward position. I've got a natural reluctance to put myself out there. I like the anonymity of voice work. But now that I've done this show, I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed making people do stuff. I can see the allure.

Q I found it hard to differentiate in some of the skits when you were using real people off the streets and when you were using actors. Did you do that on purpose?

A I think we wanted to ride the line between fake and something real. But I'm not going to tell you which is which. I'm hoping it can become a drinking game.

Q The show looks like you filmed all over the world, but I'm guessing you didn't have that kind of budget.

A The production team did a good job because it was really all shot in South Korea. No, we shot predominantly in L.A. with a little bit in New York. We originally wanted everything to look real and then realized we couldn't afford it. At one point, we really want to shoot in Africa. Can't we just get $5,000 and go? And if that's not enough, can we just send them $5,000? If we can't shoot there, at least we can help.

A We're both bald and we both wear ironic hats. "Wait, you're wearing a 'Jesus Loves Me' cap? I've got 15 of those at home."

Q You're one of those guys who gets called a comic's comic. I always think that means someone who's a comic, but not making much money at it.

A Well, I'm not really a comic, so it's a complete misnomer.

Q Why, because you're not a stand-up? Why haven't you done it?

A That's definitely something you have to want to do. It's a specific discipline. I don't know many people who take it lightly, and the ones who last are the ones who keep doing it. I mean, I'm still trying to decide if I want to keep doing comedy at all.

A I've got some ideas. I'm not an idiot. I'm a Renaissance man, but only in my attitude towards women. So I could become a pimp.