Catching Up With Kevin Nealon

With long stints on Saturday Night Live and Weeds, as well as numerous film roles, actor Kevin Nealon is certainly a recognizable face with a quick wit and an easy smile. When he’s not on the big screen, or inside your television, he’s traveling the country, performing stand-up comedy to the masses.

With three Comedy Bang! Bang! episodes added to that impressive resume, Kevin can also be considered an Earwolf legend. (Episodes #2, #19 & #82)

I caught up with Kevin in Helium Comedy Club’s green room before a recent stand-up gig in Philadelphia.

What do you enjoy about appearing on podcasts, like Comedy Bang! Bang!, that’s different than stand-up, TV or film work?

Well, when you’re doing a podcast, you’re not doing your material, you’re just talking and exploring different areas and you’re usually with somebody that’s funny. The host usually has a good sense of humor, and so it’s more like a fun conversation that you’re having with a friend.

Some guests like to do characters when they’re on podcasts. You’ve had some experience doing that on Saturday Night Live. Do you have any characters you’ve come up with recently that you want to try out somewhere?

It’s funny, when I got on SNL, I had to start thinking in terms of characters and impressions. I never really did that before, I was more of a comic just thinking of how to construct a joke. And then after Saturday Night Live, I went back to thinking about how to construct jokes, so I haven’t been thinking in terms of characters. Although there are a couple of little idiosyncrasies that I’ve noticed that people do, like my neighbor has a habit of negating a thought, like I’ll say something, “I thought you guys moved into town eight years ago…” “No, no, no, no, no. No… Yeah we did, but you know…” And then there’s the “okay” guy who okay’s everything you say, like “Where did you go to school?” “I went to University of Bridgeport…” “Okay. Okay… Okay.”

How about recent events in the news that would make for good Weekend Update pieces?

That’s what’s great about doing stand-up and talk shows. It’s not as immediate, but it’s still out there for me to do. A lot of actors, once they’re not working, they have nothing to do.

Are you currently working on new stand-up for an upcoming CD or special?

I have another special I’m taping in February of next year in Colorado, I think. This is my weekend tour until February where I’m coming up with new material. Currently I’m calling it the ‘What With the Economy.’

You’re the father of a…

Allegedly. Yes, I am. He’s four-and-a-half.

Is parenthood influencing a lot of the new material that you’re coming up with?

I’m not writing too much about him, but it’s in some ways influencing it. Like right now we’re looking for a school to send him to. My wife wants to send him to one of these rich, white kid schools, you know? And I’m thinking he needs diversity. I want to do a public school, where there’s all different races there. But she’ll probably win out. But if we do send him to a rich, white kid school, I’m going to make sure he joins a gang on the side.

Any TV shows, podcasts or guilty pleasures that you have to see every week?

Oh yeah, I love Dexter. I like Eastbound & Down. And I just got Netflix on my iPad 2, so I’m trying to watch a lot of shows that I never really got the chance to see before like Arrested Development.

Your Showtime show Weeds is in its seventh season now. Is there anything that you’re really excited for fans to see this season that’s different than what your character, Doug, has done in the past?

The Doug character has kind of evolved. He’s kind of gotten back into a real, legitimate job, but it’s in a company that’s not on the up and up, and gets more and more involved in that. The finale of this season is going to be pretty spectacular.

What are some other projects that you’re currently working on?

I did a film with Nick Swardson about a year-and-a-half ago now, maybe two years ago, it’s called Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, and that’s coming out soon. I have a nice, little part in there that’s pretty funny. And I think the film is pretty funny, so I’m looking forward to that coming out.

And I did a small part in the next Adam Sandler film called Jack and Jill.

Tell us a little bit about your roles in the films.

In the Bucky Larson film, I play his abusive roommate.

Physically or emotionally?

Emotionally. Verbally. He kind of got pushed onto me by a girl that I have a crush on in the apartment complex, and I’m trying to show her I’m a good guy, but I make his life miserable.

In Jack and Jill, it’s a small part. I play a doctor delivering the twins.

But a big responsibility.

A very big responsibility. There may be a lawsuit involved in that one.

How does one prepare for playing obstetrician?

I actually helped deliver my kid, so I kind of know what happens. And, it was actually Sandler’s sister playing the part of his mother, and the brother playing the husband, and they’re not actors, so that was interesting.

For more information on what Kevin is up to, check out his website: KevinNealon.com.
Or follow him on Twitter: @Kevin_Nealon.

Kevin had the chance to play “Would You Rather?” while appearing on Comedy Bang! Bang! So, I asked him what “Would You Rather?” question he’d like to see answered on the podcast. Watch the video below to see what he came up with.