FX’s new comedy series The Comedians is a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketchy comedy series, where Billy Crystal and Josh Gad play versions of themselves, struggling with clashing egos and generational differences that prevent them from being able to work together in a civil, professional manner.
The series premiered last night, and earlier this week we had an opportunity to chat with Josh Gad during a conference call with journalists about playing a “heightened” version of himself, and working alongside one of his childhood idols to bring this series to life.
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You have such great comedic timing. Is it something that’s always come natural to you, or have you had to hone it at some fashion?
I got a book called Comedy for Dummies, and I just read it front to back… No, I think we’re all born with an innate sense of what is funny, right? I was fascinated watching the SNL 40th anniversary special because there are these sketches that are 40 years old, which feature the likes of John Belushi and Richard Pryor, and all these different people that are still funny to this day.
I still revel in how a movie like Modern Times holds up and feels, for lack of a better word, as modern and fresh as ever before. So I think that comedy is something that’s innate in all of us, and understanding what is funny. And then you hone that skill like you would any other by getting the proper training. For me it was going to Conservatory, and not only learning how to be funny, but learning drama techs, and learning how to do theatre and all that stuff. And then going to places like The Groundlings.
And I’ve been fortunate enough to work with people like Jon Stewart and Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and now Billy Crystal, and that continues to be a master class education in comedy. So you keep picking up new things along the way and you keep learning. And you’re always growing, hopefully, as an artist and as a comedian.
What was your first impression when you met Billy Crystal?
My first impression was, “Oh my God, I’m in the midst of not only a brilliant comedian, but an icon who I’ve looked up to my entire life.” I can vividly remember wearing out the VHS tape of Princess Bride growing up and City Slickers, and watching Comic Relief as a ten-year-old, and being like, “Oh my God this is one of the greatest performers I’ve ever seen.”
So you’re awestruck. But at the same time you just jump into it because you want to leave a good impression on an idol, and you want to be worthy of sharing that billing with him. And so for me, it was like I said, a master class education in comedy. But also the foundation of a friendship that I’m beyond honored to have, and to be able to call Billy Crystal your friend is a dream come true for me.
Is it fun, or scary, or both to play a version of Josh Gad, this is vain as needy, as self-loathing, as screwed up as the one we see in The Comedians?
Absolutely terrifying, probably the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. Anybody who knows me will hopefully tell you that I’m much more modest in real life that I am on the TV series. And for somebody like Billy, I think it’s slightly easier to play on preconceived notions about him because he has such a history with audiences. I’m sort of newer. I’m a younger guy. I’m just developing that relationship with my audience, with my following. And so to trust the audience enough that you figure they’ll be in on the joke is something that requires a leap of faith, especially when you’re playing some of the ugly colors that I get to play on this series.
Having said that, it’s also exhilarating to keep the audience guessing as to what’s real and what’s not. I like to joke around that there’s probably like 8% to 10% of similarities that fake Josh Gad and real Josh Gad share, and those 10% are absolutely heightened beyond belief. So what you’re seeing is a very meta-heightened version of who I am really am in real life, and that’s both exhilarating and terrifying.
Do the writers conjure up all of these character flaws for fictional Josh Gad and you take it and run with it? Or do you sometimes go to them and say “Here’s another of my shortcomings that you can work into the show?”
I think it’s a mixture of both. The creative team came up with the foundation for what they wanted this character to be in order to service a relationship with the heightened version of Billy’s character. And to give the show enough conflict that it wasn’t just two guys kissing each other’s ass for thirteen episodes.
In doing that, a lot of times I’ll get a script and I’ll be like, “Wait a second, is this really what you think of me?” You don’t have the safety net of having a different name, you’re literally getting lines as Josh Gad and you’re like, “Wow, these guys must really think I’m an asshole.” And that is always a terrifying thing because you’re not sure what their perception is of you, or if they’re just creating these conceits from scratch just because this is what’s going to service the show best.
Working with Billy Crystal, do you have a favorite episode or a scene that you would like to share with us?
I would say that there is this great birthday episode that really speaks to what the crux of the series is about, which is this generational disparity that exists between two guys who are after the same goal, but approach it differently. And it wasn’t only a hysterically funny episode, but it was a very poignant one. Billy was so fearless in it, because he really had to call upon some of his own experiences – not only in his career, but throughout his life – that I think are, for lack of a better word, the foundations of insecurities or fears or whatever they are. And that episode truly speaks to the potential of what this series ultimately can be, and it was a really amazing experience to sit back and watch a master do what he does best.
Can you talk about your role in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast? Are you children excited that you’ll be involved with that?
Yes. Look, I’ve worn out the Frozen welcome in my house, so I needed something to win back their affection. And Beauty and the Beast, it’s funny, because it’s just as much for me as it is for the kids. It was my Frozen, I like to call it. I was kind of that age when I first saw that movie, it was everything to me.
And like Little Mermaid and Aladdin and Lion King, it was one of those movies that I saw over and over again in the theater and was mesmerized by the songs, by the storytelling. And so to now bring those characters to life in a way only Disney can do, I’m really excited about it and I’m excited that it’s going to give me the opportunity to do my first live-action musical, which I haven’t been afforded before.
Do you have any stories you can share from the set of The Comedians?
My first day on set with Billy was a very strange, surreal one, because not only am I acting alongside this guy who’s an idol of mine, but I have to sort of insult him to his face without the safety net of calling him by a different name. And so on the very first day of shooting the pilot, we had to have a conversation and just be at ease with each other and tell each other, “Okay, so now I, real Josh Gad, am going to say things as fake Josh Gad that are going to be a little bit insulting to fake Billy Crystal, but I want you as the real Billy Crystal to be okay with it.” So it was a very surreal first day where we had to make a pact and come up with the rules of the game.
I remember we had this scene that takes place in a restaurant where I come in and I’m sort of like, “It’s so great to meet you.” And I said to him “Usually when you meet each other, you’re not sure what the other person is going to look like, but I’ve been seeing you a lot on Starz Family lately.” And it was this quick zing that wasn’t scripted or anything and I’m like, this is going to set the tone. He’s either going punch me in the face right now or he’s going to go along with it. And once he went along with it, I knew that I was in a safe zone and that the sky was the limit in terms of what we can do.
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The Comedians airs Thursday nights at 9pm, exclusively on FX.