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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Tony Nominee Darren Criss on the 'Miracle' That Is 'Maybe Happy Ending'
Darren Criss Darren Criss Laurel Hinton "I always like to say that the victory is in the conversation." Darren Criss is an Emmy-winning actor, but deep down he's a musical theater nerd. Which is why he's so proud to be part of this year's Tony-nominated musical Maybe Happy Ending. "Everybody involved in [Broadway], we all work within a 10-some-odd block radius, and it is really like a campus celebration." For Criss, who plays Oliver, a robot in futuristic Seoul in love with another robot, Claire (played by Helen J. Shen), it's "nothing short of a miracle." "You kind of hope for this your whole life." After picking up 10 Tony nominations, including Criss' for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, it's clear countless others did too. "I hope it runs for many moons in other countries and in other dimensions." Part of what makes the show unique is its path to Broadway. "Every step along the way, it has been an exponential groundswell of positive response, because everything is just earnest ideas believed in by earnest people." And it's been a benchmark for diversity and Asian stories on Broadway. "I always like to say that the victory is in the conversation." SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTING SHOT WITH H. ALAN SCOTT ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY AND WATCH ON YOUTUBE Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication. How does it feel to be a Tony nominee? I don't know what to say that can be concise and all-encapsulating without me shortchanging a lot of ideas swirling in my head. Especially if I'm talking to folks like yourself in situations like this, when people ask about these things, something that is a big concept suddenly becomes like a press conference answer. Let's make it easy and good old-fashioned—It's great. Feels great. Cliches exist for a reason. It's an honor, because it is, and it feels great because it is great. And hopefully that doesn't shortchange any of the ideas I mentioned in my head. Criss in "Maybe Happy Ending." Criss in "Maybe Happy Ending." Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Not at all. A lot of millennials, and some Gen Zs too, I suppose, have been with you since the start of your career when it blew up because of Glee. And the fact that you're in a category with a person who was also on Glee, Jonathan Groff... There's a lot of things. I'll be honest—I haven't gotten to unpack this at all. This is the first time anybody has asked me this question, or that I've had to speak about it since I found out. Literally right now. So, you have a very interesting position of watching me process this in real time. You're bringing up something that I haven't even really gotten to get to my head, which is—It is so exciting to be in a category where I know every single person. That's awesome, and not in a sort of superficial way. These are all men whose work I have gladly paid money for to watch them perform time and time again, and I love their stuff. And this isn't some kind of cute, charming way to pose the nomination pool as this brotherhood of men. We all work on Broadway, and we all work just as hard as the other guy, because we all have eight shows a week. It's a nice thing. I've been in situations where I've been nominated with people, and there's people that I've been nominated with that I've never met. I love them. I love their work. And I was so excited. I figured that's a Hollywood thing, where you're only friends at award shows. Hollywood—and I don't mean this in a trivializing or mean way—but it's a very partitioned thing, for better or for worse. It's very impersonal. It's just separated. Again, that's not to pooh-pooh it, but it's just how it is. Whereas working the theater and Broadway, as any stage performer can tell you, is infamously familial, personal. We're all roommates. We all live with each other. Helen J. Shen and Criss in the Broadway show. Helen J. Shen and Criss in the Broadway show. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Things happen, the backstage is small... Yeah. We're all living in closets, and we all show up, and no matter what happens that day, we got to do the damn thing the next day, if we're lucky, right? All these men and women, everybody involved in this sort of thing, we all work within a 10-some-odd-block radius, and it is really like a campus celebration. And that's why I love the Tonys. I think it's a wonder and a miracle that it's still nationally televised. I think that in this day and age, it's an amazing thing. When things are honored at this level, it's so beyond the self. It's about connecting with kids like me growing up wishing that [the] thing I saw on the Tonys would come to my hometown and be on the cast album that I clung to. any luck, this show that I'm in, I hope it runs from many moons in other countries and in other dimensions. If I'm lucky, I get to see a mishandled version of this show, because it will have survived long enough to be part of the cultural fabric that I can go to a maybe not-so-hot version of a production of this show. When I get to do that, I'll sit there going, "We made it." There's nothing I enjoy more than watching YouTube videos of local theater fails—someone falling, or some set piece falling—like that's all I want to see. I have that s*** for breakfast. It's so enjoyable. I mean, you are watching a little bit for the schadenfreude of it, but there's something so endearing about the Mickey and Judy paradigm of like, "Hey kids, let's put on a show. Let's just do it. Let's make something." And I am so endlessly endeared to that concept. But that's the dream for this show. So again, the breadcrumbs go far. It goes all the way back to things like these accolades. To be with all these people and to celebrate this community and the people that it represents, and just how hard everybody works. I love this community so f****** much, and I love getting to watch the Tonys because I know everybody in there, and I know how hard they work. No one's in here for the glitz and glamor. Everybody's here for the real love of the game. It's an honor to be rubbing shoulders with those people. Criss and Shen in the show. Criss and Shen in the show. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Maybe Happy Ending feels so unique, not just for you but for a Broadway show in general. Do you see that? And how did it come about for you? Oh my God, it's a big question. I kind of white-lied a little bit being able to process this. I generally stay away from Instagram, but I wrote a small piece this morning to acknowledge what happened yesterday. And the word that I keep coming back to is—this show has just been nothing short of a miracle on so many levels. It's an exponential miracle across so many facets. Making s*** at this level is obscenely expensive. I think what's interesting about this show is that the guys who made it—Will Aronson, Hue Park—they had no intention of this being a Broadway musical. I think that's a really important thing to mention. And every step along the way, nobody was like, "Let's make some money!"—said nobody ever making a Broadway show. That's kind of a way to just paint a target on your back. It's just not a really healthy way to make any piece of art. We know this is not the way to make stuff. Every step along the way, it has been an exponential groundswell of positive response, because everything is just earnest ideas believed in by earnest people. And just incrementally over a long period of time, that sort of lightning-in-a-bottle cream rising to the top over time. This did start in the States, but was originally produced in Korea. You have two writers in New York that have an idea to make something, but because one of them is Korean, he was like, "Well, we can get this made in Korea." Which is a very novel concept, because most things are incubated in the States or maybe overseas in the U.K. So, they kind of moonshot in and got the gravitational pull of what was going on in Korea, because they could get it made instantly over there, and it did very well. And it was with support there—it did so well over there, it kind of got moved. It was in China and in Japan—those ain't the same three places. Those don't have the same culture or language. Yes, it's Asia, but by no means are those the same audiences. So, if that doesn't speak to its universality, I don't know what does. Finally, after however many years, because of the pandemic and [actors'] strike and everything, it finally came back here, like, turnkey. Because it essentially had an out-of-town tryout for years.... It's been just such a gift. You kind of hope for this your whole life. In the way that I gravitated towards Hedwig [and the Angry Inch] when I was a teenager, I loved it because it was just so f****** original. It checked all the boxes for me. It was subversive. It was rock and roll. It was queer, and all the things that means, just like, culturally, or sex. It just had all these things that were just so, like, "F*** you," but like, moving. There's real pathos in Hedwig, which is, I think, why it has stood the test of time, and why it's connected with some people. Like, yeah, it's cool. Yeah, it's funny. Yeah, the music kicks ass. But like, those have a ceiling, you know? It really is about the beating heart and the pathos and of storytelling that has made it move on and translate. And that's exactly what's happening with Maybe Happy Ending. The songs are beautiful, the story and the concept is cool, but it's really the beating heart of the storytelling and how strong the dramaturgy is that has made this so interesting to me. And it's something that you kind of pray for as an actor, but you can't just summon that lightning to fall into the bottle. And we got nominated for 10 Tonys yesterday. This was not part of my itinerary. I did this because I was available and because I thought it was beautiful, that's why. And I got to work with my friends. It's why you do things. It's a polite reminder of the zero-loss game that it is to follow your heart. I am not patting myself on the back. Everybody in this piece loved it and was passionate about it before other people told us we should feel that way. And that's what's been so validating and encouraging about the response that we've had, because it's just something that we have cared about, and to have other people respond in the same exact way that we did when we read it or watched it is like, OK, good. There are other human beings that we can connect with on this feeling. With a show like this, this is not a Tony-nominated show, historically. A show like this—and I want to compare it to Oh, Mary! in that respect—they're just so far outside the box that you just think it's almost too not in that lane to get a Tony nomination, even though it is great, you know what I mean? I think folks like us that tend to subscribe to the left of centerness are used to those things not being part of the cultural zeitgeist, which is kind of why we like them. It's this weird catch-22. It's like when you're in high school and you like this band that no one's heard of, and as soon as somebody else hears about it you're like, "I don't know if I like them anymore." Which is really silly, and I'm not saying that's how we are now. But I told Cole [Escola, from Oh, Mary!] this. I got to do an Actors on Actors interview with them, and it was so awesome because I said this; I was like, I saw that off-Broadway, and I felt like it was built in a lab for people like me who just think, I just eat that s*** all day. It's so funny. It's just, again, subversive and clever and original. And I think the key here is being singular and authentic to yourself. This is no new concept. Artists have said this forever and ever. Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself, darling. Everybody else is taken." It's true. I'd rather see something that is so undeniably of that one person and thing and have it not be very well put together, but authentic, than I would something disingenuous, but, like, glued together really well. Because again, there's only so far that can go. Audiences are smart. They can smell a rat pretty quickly. So yeah, I appreciate the comparison to Oh Mary! because, even though we're different stories, there is something that can cut through if you double down on your own singularity. And I think that's what happened with Maybe Happy Ending as well. Criss as robot Oliver. Criss as robot Oliver. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman With this show, one of the things that I found so surprising in watching it is with this character, it does feel like you almost have to change how you sing in order to do the character. Because there's a cadence to the way the songs even go that I find so fascinating. I just thought about this recently, because I will sing the songs outside of the show. And this happened with Hedwig. I've actually never sung on Broadway with my own voice, ever. Content dictates form. I'm not gonna sing with my usual flair—another Sondheim line, God, I'm such a musical theater nerd. Hedwig had a voice and an accent and a panache, but it was still my voice at the end of the day. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that I'm like some chameleonic Daniel Day f****** Lewis. It's me. It's me up there. However, there are margins of difference that have to be applied for the character and the type of show. So Hedwig sounded like Hedwig, because there's an East German accent that's been in the States for a long time. So I'm singing with that accent, and then in this, because it's a robot that's sort of overproving consonants and vowels in the way that a lot of our artificial intelligence [does] now—now, it's becoming a little more colloquial—but like 10 years ago, when you would like put something into a dictation software, it would be very articulate. And to sort of denote that this is not actually a human. Now, it's so humanlike, it's crazy. It'll only get more humanlike. But for me, it was very important to use the body. This is drama school s***, but, like, the body, voice and mask [need] to telegraph as much as possible that this is not a human being. So, I am singing with a certain over-precision, which is a really great gift, because it's the kind of thing that helps you actually lock into notes and lock into character. Maybe Happy Ending is certainly part of the unique amount of diversity currently on Broadway. How do you feel about being part of that? I always like to say that the victory is in the conversation. No matter what the conversation is about, there's no conclusion to any of these conversations. I think there's, like, predominant belief systems that will be popular for a long period of time, but culture is a constant conversation. It's always moving around. And there's going to be some sort of ironclad truths that will hold evident forever, but for the most part, we're always learning. We're our own language model. We're always learning new language and how to identify itself. That prism is constantly shifting in all kinds of directions, and we're always trying to learn and become more aware of what the next paradigm is. And that's a beautiful conversation. And as tricky and as scary as it can get, I treat it like it is an open dialog, and that if, as long as we're treating everybody's input as there's no right or wrong, but we're always just trying to have a conversation so that we can get closer to some sort of, like, agreement, that's what culture is. Culture is not a singular target. It's a moving one, and that's what makes it interesting and beautiful. So that's my sort of macro comment on that. But this is part of that conversation. And what makes it stand out to me is how I think the show means a lot to Asian folks, but it is not exclusive to Asian folks. In the Asian community, especially in Broadway, there's, like, the menu of the Asian shows. For better or for worse. And as a white-presenting Asian, this is not something that is, like, on my menu. But for many of my peers that are very clearly Asian American presenting, or Asian in general, there's the "menu," right? It's like, Miss Saigon, The King and I, Flower Drum Song. These are shows that have employed many men and women in the Asian diaspora for many years. So, no matter how you look at it, there's this "menu," quote, unquote. And in somewhat in a joking way, that's the joke. Like, "Oh, which ones have you done?" And this has been something that I've noticed for a lot of my friends and colleagues. This show is about as exclusively Asian as Romeo and Juliet is exclusively Italian. It is so universal in its construct, and has so much beaming, bursting potential with where it can be contextualized and who it can be contextualized by. It's representation at its best. We'll meet folks afterwards, of any part of the Asian diaspora, that say the show means a lot to them. And yes, that's why visibility and reputation is so important, because it signals what's possible. And that's a very powerful thing to be showcasing. However, nobody is walking away from the show going, like, "Oh, do you see that Asian show?" That's so not part of what your takeaway is of the show. And that, to me, is just such an unintended victory lap for great storytelling. That it can mean something to who it's important to mean something to, but it's not only for them. I hope to do the show for many, many moons. But, you know, after this original cast is done with their time in the show, I love that we can dare to have a non-Asian cast, as opposed to the other way around.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
‘How did we scout this guy?' – Man Utd fans stunned by ‘horrendous' video of Hojlund training with Angryginge
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED fans were left gobsmacked after seeing a video of Rasmus Hojlund training with Angryginge. The Denmark international recently took part in a first-touch-and-finish challenge with the YouTube sensation. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Rasmus Hojlund recently took part in a first-touch-and-finish challenge with YouTuber Angrygine Credit: YOUTUBE@PRODIRECTSOCCER 3 The Dane first touch, as it often did last season, let him down in the challenge Credit: YOUTUBE@PRODIRECTSOCCER And the former Atalanta hitman's first touch left little to be desired, as it did several times when he led the line for the Red Devils last season. Footage of Hojlund's link-up with Angryginge spread like wildfire on social media and drew the ire of the Old Trafford faithful. One wrote on X: Broo still looks a** around YouTubers." Another channelled their inner Jose Mourinho by saying: "If I speak… [I am in big trouble]." READ MORE ON MAN UTD DONE DEL Man Utd 'agree Liam Delap deal with personal terms over £30m transfer accepted' And another said with three laughing emojis: "Lol how did United scout this [guy] again?" One remarked: "I don't remember his first touch being so s**t the first season." Another chimed in: "No way is this a professional footballer." Some United fans, however, leapt to the 22-year-old's defence. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 3 One said: "I actually feel compassion for him." Another said: "I have a feeling this guy will come good." Napoli 'make contact with Man Utd over Rasmus Hojlund deal that would open door to stunning swap transfer' And another said: "Am I the only one who sees that this was obvious during a rest day? "Look how he's trying not to run and strain." Hojlund endured a dire season in the 2024/25 campaign, in which United finished a staggering 15TH PLACE in the Premier League table. He only managed ten goals and four assists, with only four of those strikes coming in the league. Despite his woes, Italian giants Inter Milan have been linked with a summer swoop for his services.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘How did we scout this guy?' – Man Utd fans stunned by ‘horrendous' video of Hojlund training with Angryginge
MANCHESTER UNITED fans were left gobsmacked after seeing a video of Rasmus Hojlund training with Angryginge. The Denmark international recently took part in a first-touch-and-finish challenge with the YouTube sensation. Advertisement 3 Rasmus Hojlund recently took part in a first-touch-and-finish challenge with YouTuber Angrygine Credit: YOUTUBE@PRODIRECTSOCCER 3 The Dane first touch, as it often did last season, let him down in the challenge Credit: YOUTUBE@PRODIRECTSOCCER And the former Atalanta hitman's first touch left little to be desired, as it did several times when he led the line for the Red Devils last season. Footage of Hojlund's link-up with Angryginge spread like wildfire on social media and drew the ire of the Old Trafford faithful. One wrote on X: Broo still looks a** around YouTubers." Another channelled their inner Jose Mourinho by saying: "If I speak… [I am in big trouble]." Advertisement READ MORE ON MAN UTD And another said with three laughing emojis: "Lol how did United scout this [guy] again?" One remarked: "I don't remember his first touch being so s**t the first season." Another chimed in: "No way is this a professional footballer." Some United fans, however, leapt to the 22-year-old's defence. Advertisement Most read in Football Exclusive Exclusive JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 3 One said: "I actually feel compassion for him." Another said: "I have a feeling this guy will come good." Advertisement Napoli 'make contact with Man Utd over Rasmus Hojlund deal that would open door to stunning swap transfer' And another said: "Am I the only one who sees that this was obvious during a rest day? "Look how he's trying not to run and strain." Hojlund endured a dire season in the 2024/25 campaign, in which United finished a staggering 15TH PLACE in the Premier League table. He only managed ten goals and four assists, with only four of those strikes coming in the league. Advertisement Despite his woes, Italian giants summer swoop for his services.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
US news anchor delivers news, then baby
Despite contractions reportedly happening just minutes apart, anchor Julia Jaquith remained composed throughout the three-hour newscast. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CBS6 ALBANY/YOUTUBE Ms Olivia Jaquith had more than just headlines to mull over when she turned up for her morning newscast on May 21 . The CBS6 Alba ny co-anchor showed up for work ready to report the news - only to become it after she found herself in the early stag es of labour minute s before going live. Her water broke in the ne wsroom bathroom j ust before the broadcast, but the award-winning presenter decided to stick it out and do what she does best. Her co-anchor Julia Dunn ' broke' the news with some light-hearted banter. 'We do have some breaking news this morning,' Ms Dunn said. 'Literally, Olivia's water has broke, and she is anchoring the news now in active labour,' she added, while describing the studio as a 'delivery countdown zone'. Ms Jaquith added: 'I'm happy to be here, and I'll stay on the desk for as long as I possibly can. But if I disappear, that's what's going on.' She kept things light between traffic updates and weather reports. 'I don't know what's going on, this is my first time, I'm new here,' she joked. Viewers were treated to cheeky ticker headlines like 'Baby Watch' and 'Days Past Due Date: 2'. Funny ticker headlines like 'Baby Watch' were flashed on-screen during the morning show on May 21. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CBS6 ALBANY/YOUTUBE At one point, Ms Jaquith turned to the weatherman to ask if conditions were favourable for a hospital dash. His response? 'Not so great,' he said, although he vowed he 'd fireman-carry her there himself , if needed. Instead of taking a coffee break, Ms Jaquith winked and called it a 'water break'. Despite contractions reportedly happening just minutes apart , the seasoned anchor remained composed throughout the three-hour newscast - laughing, chatting, and sticking to the rundown like it was just another day at the office. Ms Jaquith, who won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing, later told the Times-Union that being surrounded by her newsroom colleagues made the experience easier - and much funnier. On May 22, the day after the broadcast, she officially shared the real breaking news: her son, Quincy, had arrived. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Cory Michael Smith Embraces Chaos in Jesse Armstrong's 'Mountainhead'
Cory Michael Smith portrait supplied by PR Cory Michael Smith portrait supplied by PR Emilio Madrid "I'm really grateful that I feel like I didn't f*** it up." Four tech CEOs, drunk on power, reunite at a mountaintop home amid a global economic crisis they might be partially responsible for. "There is a power that is purchased by money, where they don't have to apologize for their behavior," Cory Michael Smith says about playing Venis in Jesse Armstrong's HBO film Mountainhead (May 31). "A lot of these guys probably grew up not being the coolest kids in class." Part of the struggle for Smith was finding the space between drama and comedy. "Figuring out the balance was a little nerve-racking." Plus, Smith was excited to work with Armstrong. "I watched Succession, like most actors, with awe and envy, thinking, 'Wow, that's the luckiest cast.' Being invited into his [Armstrong's] feature directorial debut is so dreamy." Smith was also eager to work alongside Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman and Ramy Youssef. "I'm really grateful that I feel like I didn't f*** it felt like a monstrous opportunity, and a monstrous opportunity to fail and have to really consider going back to school if I just humiliated myself." SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTING SHOT WITH H. ALAN SCOTT ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY AND WATCH ON YOUTUBE Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication. I just want to, for the record, put it out into the world that your performance in this, I think, is going to be A: a standout, and B: people are going to be talking about it, and C: it's haunting. It's funny, but it's also haunting in a way. Like I'm unsettled by you in this, which is kind of a nice thing, I think. That's the aim. I really appreciate the review. Thank you for your generosity and your kind words. I really appreciate it. Most jobs that I say yes to, I'm a little afraid of in a great way. But this one was daunting in a very unique, new way for me. And part of it was trying to figure out what the balance was between the comedy and also being deeply unsettling, where this guy has a lot of power, and he is arguably responsible for a lot of the terrible things happening around the world and the chaos, and is unwilling to show his concern or care to people. So there should be something that's really disturbing and upsetting about him, but he should also be funny. And trying to figure out how to do that well, in the company of three brilliant comedians, I was like—I had high hopes, but did not know how this was gonna roll. Cory Michael Smith in HBO's 'Mountainhead.' Cory Michael Smith in HBO's 'Mountainhead.' Macall Polay/HBO Well, that's kind of why I say you stand out. Because the character is so absurd and huge, but also dangerous and maniacal. There are so many different levels of why I want to laugh at this person, but I also want to go hide in a corner and delete my social media so that this person can't follow me. You know? I appreciate that. You're one of the first people I'm talking to about this, so I'm also really hearing responses to what I've done for the first time. And I really do appreciate all this, but I'm calibrating in real time. You know what I mean? I think it's going to get a lot of attention. Are you prepared for that? I don't know, but here we are. I mean, of course, you make something, you want people to watch it. There have been plenty of projects that I really believe in that are on the great wide river of television and film, and some of them are seen more than others. I'm really proud of this. I'm really excited to be in a Jesse Armstrong project, and I think he's just one of the most brilliant people I've had the pleasure of working with and for, so I hope people do see this. I think it's a pretty unique, special piece. How did it all come about for you? Oh, it was pretty fast, man. It was really very fast. We were all cast within a month of starting the shoot. Steve was first, and then I made an audition for this, trying to fight against some actors much bigger than I. I made this tape and sent it to Jesse on a Monday, and he called me Tuesday morning and asked me to do his movie. That was really very cool for me, because I did not know that that's what that phone call was going to be. And then a few weeks later, we were in Utah shooting this thing. Cory Michael Smith, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, and Ramy Youssef in HBO's 'Mountainhead.' Cory Michael Smith, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, and Ramy Youssef in HBO's 'Mountainhead.' Macall Polay/HBO Insane. You guys just finished filming it not long ago, right? Yeah, we just finished it. It truly was—I mean, it was really a whirlwind, and we were aware of it the whole time. But like the four of us, our little quartet of actors, we're so lucky that when we all arrived there, we really clicked. I mean, there was a lot of mutual respect going into the process. But the thing that was so incredible about this, and I think why the movie works—whatever this bond is that we created very quickly, as friends and frenemies, it was so easy to work with these guys. I've worked with some amazing, talented, kind people, but as a whole unit, I don't know if I've worked with a small group where everybody was so different, uniquely different. There was no sense of competition outside of what's happening in the script. Just the most supportive, generous actors. It just clicked immediately. And so, we sort of fell into this friend unit very quickly. And we were aware from the very beginning, like, oh, this is very special, and this is going to be over before we know it. So let's relish every day of working together. And also with the subject matter, I understand the rush to do it all, because in this world we're living in now, it seems like every week it's a different world. And with this subject matter, it does bring about a lot of questions and comparisons. How did you figure out how you were going to play this person, someone who's going to remind a lot of viewers of a lot of the people we see in the newspapers? The Elon Musks, the Mark Zuckerbergs, etc. I know there are going to be some comparisons, just by nature of the job and this status of power and wealth. But, you know, these are unique individuals born of Jesse's mind. There are plenty of interviews out there on podcasts and video of many of these tech CEOs and billionaires who are very comfortable today giving political dissertations outside of their work, and that I'm really fascinated by. I'm fascinated by paying attention to these people who are sort of drunk on power and wealth, who are untouchable even by the U.S. government. It's really interesting that we're living in a world where our elected politicians are sort of at the mercy of the tech oligarchs. And watching [this] play out in this current political climate and moment, there's so much there to look at to understand. This current moment of these egos and these figureheads who are really actually the chess players in the world right now, or elected politicians. And that is a really interesting thing. So when looking at this script and these people, it's like, "What is the task here? Who are we building?" And Jesse's dialogue is so delicious. There's so much in there. And so, as you're figuring out the puzzle of what was a very long script with a lot of words and ideas and tracking the power play in there, that was the task at hand here. How did you figure out the angle in which you were going to approach this this? Figuring out the balance of this guy was a little nerve-wracking at first. When I showed up in Utah, I said to Jesse, "You gotta just help me out here. Like, turn my dials. If I am too intense, let me know. If I need to lean into the comedy more, let me know." Because I gotta navigate being terrifying and being funny. But the thing that's a little freeing with these guys, and what I glean from when I listen to them, there is a power that is purchased by the money that they have, where they don't have to apologize for their behavior, and they don't have to adapt as readily for someone else's comfort. And a lot of these guys probably grew up not being the coolest kids in class. So there's a lot of overcompensation happening. They're really so pleased with themselves that they have this power, and they can buy nice clothes, and so many people need them and want them. You can feel it. It's a very particular indulgence. Especially now in this political climate, they say things that are inappropriate, and they're allowed to both because of the cultural climate and also because they're so f****** rich, no one can say anything. And they work in an industry that everyone is reliant on, that most people do not understand. That's a really fascinating cocktail for human behavior, and I think Jesse captures that really beautifully. And I was trying to calibrate it such that, what is the unique identity of Venis compared to the other guys? And it's that he's far more rich than they are, even though they have tens of billions of dollars. But there's a big difference, you know? There's like an audacity to that. Having some money to buy nice clothes, but not necessarily the best clothes or the ones that fit exactly right. You're like, "Oh, you have money, but you're still a millennial wearing skinny jeans in 2025." It's like, "You're cool, but you're not fully cool." Trying to figure out where Venis sits in that concoction of these guys. It was a balance of trying to plan some of this stuff in advance, trying to figure out how I can present him so that he's a little terrifying and intense, and then kind of just seeing what happened with these four guys, and where everybody sort of fell on the dashboard. Cory Michael Smith, Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, and Jason Schwartzman in HBO's 'Mountainhead.' Cory Michael Smith, Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, and Jason Schwartzman in HBO's 'Mountainhead.' Fred Hayes/HBO One of the scenes that I keep thinking about is when they're climbing the mountain to get to the top, and then they write on their chests how much they're worth. But it's not even so much the monetary value of them writing on their chests that is the main thing. It's the fact that all of their chests are so perfectly shaved. It shows how insanely vain and out of touch these dudes are to the point where they're even obsessing over their body hair on a mountaintop. Yeah, just a way to celebrate one's net worth, man! Climbing Mount Techmore. That one was wild to shoot, to be fair. The weather that day—I mean, it was perfect. The sky was clear, but the wind was crazy, and you had these massive gusts of wind that were blowing the snow up into our face when we were shooting. You can see from the drone shot, pointing down at us. We're faced away, it was toward the end of the day. The wind was really picking up. Steve and Ramy have these beards and the snow is like coming up, and I turn over and look, and these guys are absolute snow monsters. And we're all shaking. Ramy is bent over like, "We gotta finish this. We gotta finish this." It was a very cold, brutal, brutal day, but we looked like we're having a lot of fun. I mean, we had fun, but it didn't look as brutal as it felt. I mean, it's quite a scene and it says a lot. But after doing all of this, did the subject matter make you reevaluate how you do things online? How you approach social media? God, I wish it had a bigger impact than it did. I don't love social media, but oh, God, it's one of those things where you're like, I know this is bad, but I can't step away. It's a terrible, terrible addiction. They've really made us feel like we need this in our lives. It's this, this feeling of connection. I don't know how connected we all are, but it has not changed my behavior with it, no. Still looking at the memes? I like your memes. Yeah, I try not to spend too much time on it. I read a book—this is so dumb—I'm not a big self-help book guy, but I did start the year reading one that was about making time. And it's not about being more efficient with your time, but figuring out how to cut things out. And one of the things that it suggested, that I did, was redesign your cell phone to spread out all your apps, and so the ones you want to not use more are all the way in the back. So I did my social media like that, way back [in the back of the phone]. It's the annoying thing of having to swipe a lot of pages just to get to it. Wow. That's good. I literally yesterday talked to Jonathan Groff about how he famously does not have social media at all. Not even a Finsta [fake Instagram]? That's what I asked him! I was like, well, what do you do with your phone then? Like what's the point of the phone, other than text messages and Instagram? I'm not on it too much. I'm not too addicted. But, you know, there's a group of acquaintances that sit between friends and strangers, and they live in social media world. And I like being connected to these people. Well there's a good that can come from it. I mean, just on how you approach it and how much you let it dictate how you conduct yourself. And I think this film really shows that you don't have to give in to these evil dudes' plan of knowing everything about us, but give them a little of what you want without all of it, if you will. Yeah, but you, for example, this is part of your life. Social media. Do you feel like you're in control? I am! Because—and this is what I always say—no one knows much about my life. I keep all of that separate, and I just focus on pop culture and nostalgia. Do you have a Finsta? Yes. I'll DM it to you. Yeah, you got to keep it separated. Well, the other thing I want to know from this is, you've done some great things, especially in recent years. How do you feel at this moment in your career with this project coming out? One of my favorite terms in this business is "breakthrough." Because I think, it's now been at three different times in my career, I've had some article call me a "breakout" actor, which is hilarious, because I don't know what that means. I'm like, I keep breaking through something, but I'm not there yet. How I feel right now, I feel really invigorated and activated. I'm really grateful for my career. Just to be a working actor was the dream. And it's not that I'm not ambitious or I don't have higher dreams, but I've had very reachable dreams, and I keep moving the bar. So I'm really, truly grateful for everything that I've been able to do. And some extraordinary filmmakers, some of my favorite filmmakers, have asked me to work with them, sometimes in tiny, tiny roles. And what's happening now is I'm getting invited to do really significant roles with some of my favorite creators. And that's like, it's so beyond me. This one in particular was insane. I watched Succession, like most actors, with awe and envy. Just thinking like, "Wow, man, that's the luckiest cast on television." And I also felt that way about Veep, which Jesse was also working on. So like, two of my favorite shows of all time, having the fingerprint of this man, and then being invited into his feature directorial debut is so dreamy. It's kind of beyond. So I'm just really grateful. And I'm really grateful that I feel like I didn't f*** it up. You know, this doesn't ever really get easier with each job and each responsibility. I sort of design it this way. I only really go for things that terrify me a little bit. But this felt like a monstrous opportunity, and a monstrous opportunity to fail and have to really consider going back to school if I just humiliated myself. But I feel really great. Working with three actors that I admire who are phenomenal comedians and really still being new in the proper comedy world, I've done some comedic performances and serious stuff, but Saturday Night was really my first proper comedy, and [now] I feel a little empowered. I feel really in a good place and really grateful. And I have to say too, just because I don't feel like you got enough attention or love for playing Chevy Chase, that was brilliant. Brilliant. I loved that. I loved working on that movie [Saturday Night], and I love Jason Reitman. And that was also really terrifying. That was terrifying because there's not always a right and a wrong way to do a performance, but in that case, there's definitely a wrong way. It's like, if you're far, far away from the essence and spirit of Chevy Chase, it's just wrong, you could still be funny, but it would be wrong. And that was like, oh, God. There's a real barometer here for success. So that was just working out of—partially, that hard work was built out of paranoia and fear, which, you know, is not great, I understand, psychologically, but it is inspiring. But I loved—I'm really proud of that movie and performance. I loved working with Jason. And not even just the performance, but the physicality of the performance. The way you physically were Chevy Chase, which has his own unique thing, that's what really blew me away. Just watching how you physically approached it, you know. Thank you. I psychotically spent a couple months just like imitating that man in my apartment. He was all I was watching, because I was like, I gotta figure this out. I mean, that's a mental image. It was a dark—I mean, no, it was fun. It was fine. But luckily, no one was in my apartment watching that. Well, after this movie, with these tech bros, maybe these four dudes are watching. That's true. I have never covered up this [computer] camera. Maybe I should sometime. [laughs]
