May 11, 2026
"A character doesn't know if they're in a comedy or a drama. They're just living their life, right?"
"And so if funny things happen around this character, then the movie or the show is a comedy. But if it's tragic or scary or whatever, it leans towards drama. Sometimes it's a mixture of both. But I think if you can tell a character knows they're in a comedy, it's intrinsically less funny. I like somebody like Alan Arkin or Peter Sellers—they always seem very true to their characters. You couldn't tell whether Alan Arkin was doing something intensely dramatic or something crazily funny. He'd play different characters but he was equally committed to both of them and never letting on. He was never winking like, 'I'm in a comedy. Here we go. Watch this joke. You're going to laugh.'"
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37 comments:
Trump's enemies think he's living in a drama, but they've become the joke.
Alan Arkin in "The In-Laws". 10 out of 10. Perfect. No notes.
Odd, Parks & Rec and The Office were well known for just the opposite, breaking the third wall and having actors stare at the viewer with a WTF expression, especially Steve's character and Jon K's. Seems like an odd answer from Carrell, best known for NOT being so-called committed like Arkin and Sellers were. Are they saying The Office was not comedy? It was too self-aware?
Even in the muppets segment arkin waa committed
Arkin was often dead pan foil for falk for instance
Actually, the premise of The Office was that a film crew was present to film a documentary. In that context, characters (who are supposed to be real office workers) looking into the camera would actually make sense and would not be an actor "breaking character."
The last thing to determine conclusively is whether you're in a comedy or a tragedy. To quote Italo Calvino, "The ultimate meaning to which all stories refer has two faces: the continuity of life, the inevitability of death." Tragedy, you die. Comedy, you get hitched. - Stranger then Fiction (2006)
Carell mugs too much for the camera
James is right. I've watched the in-laws dozens of time and Alan Arkin is perfect. I think Carrell is mostly right about comedic acting.
At one point in that interview, Poehler and Carell are talking about doing a live play together and Carell suggests "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Is that a comedy?
No it isnt
Surprised they're using table mics. You can hear when Carell slides his coffee mug.
(Guy who wants people to know he has a podcast.)
John O'Hurley (J. Peterman) talks about his first, confusing Seinfeld experience:
https://youtu.be/T239Et669q8?si=ExDVb03-w2zBStyZ
Says the key was to play it like you were doing Virginia Woolf.
Most comedians can do drama convincingly. Most dramatic actors cannot do comedy well. Gemini confirmed my biased opinion:
It is a widely held belief in Hollywood and among acting professionals that comedic actors can transition to dramatic roles more successfully than dramatic actors can transition to comedy.This perspective suggests that comedy requires a higher level of discipline, timing, and understanding of human psychology, which can be dialed down for drama, whereas drama lacks the necessary technical skills for comedy.
The worst thing a comic actor can do is try to be funny. Usually, you play it straight and let the comedy come naturally. Tom hanks can do it either way, drama or comedy. Martin Short has shown the same quality. Belushi was going that way when he died.
Some people like Bob Hope tried to do serious drama but couldn't pull it off. Probably the most praised at the time, and strangest, case of a comic going straight actor was Red Buttons. The Academy and film producers loved this guy. From Sayonara to The poseidan Adventure. He was in a ton of movies.
Both Amy Poehler and Steve Carell seem to be very healthy.
IRC, Arkin started out as a straight dramatic film actor terrorizing Audrey Hepburn. And then played a Russian sub commander in the comedy "The Russians are coming".
He was great Glenn Gary Glen Ross, but then so was jack lemmon and everyone else.
If you watch the beginning when she gets interview ideas from Carell's friend Stephen Colbert, he mentions that Carell's comedy/drama acting "is all the same to him." A prelude to Carell's observation.
I still would like to see those giant flies carrying the children off in their beaks. It’s really a shame that the negatives got Martinized.
Tragedy or comedy?
A ridiculous person doesn't know he's ridiculous. He doesn't realize he's starring in a comedy for the amusement of the people around him. He thinks he's a tragic hero. If you play the ridiculous character this way, you'll probably get it right. CC, JSM
My first thought was, "Aren't those two married or something?"
You couldn't tell whether Alan Arkin was doing something intensely dramatic or something crazily funny.
I think I know what he meant, but if you take that literally, it's not exactly a compliment.
Reminds me of Kamala Harris. Ever notice she only laughs hysterically at her own stories and jokes in order to convince us how funny she is?
Jack Benny was awesome in "To Be or Not to Be".
Kimmel and Colbert's jokes are tragic. Their serious stuff is pure comedy.
That is a great, perceptive take on Alan Arkin and Peter Sellers.
That set looks like a kindergarten class.
"Actually, the premise of The Office was that a film crew was present to film a documentary"
Exactly. Parks and Rec followed this but not as much. And there are times in both where the "crew" are explicitly referenced. In the last season of the office the documentary crew even are involved in the plot.
"Is that a comedy?"
Only when Richard Burton pulls out the gun.
We used to have a name for that kind of performing in theater. We called it "acting."
Comedic actors translate better to dramas because they are used to be the object of the joke. Dramatic actors suffer from not being able to take the piss out of the themselves so to speak. A few dramatic actors, like Ryan Gosling, can be humble enough to be funny. He's very funny in the Nice Guys and is often good on SNL.
"Modern Family" was originally supposed to be a faux-documentary, similar to "The Office" and Parks & Rec", with a foreign exchange student being the one doing the filming. They ended up dropping the idea, but continued to let the characters acknowledge the camera, including doing sit-down "interviews". There was never any indication as to who was filming them or why, though.
That was what olivier said
Rocean: Russians Are Coming was before Wait Until Dark, which was before the most heartbreaking movie ever filmed: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Red Skelton wasn't funny on his TV show because he wanted everyone to know he was doing comedy. Wink wink. Ich.
I've never seen Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. But having read the plot summary I don't think I'd enjoy it.
Coincidentally I don't enjoy Carell's and Poehler's style of comedy, which I have seen.
This is not limited to characters in TV and movies. I know about number of people who believe they are living a drama, when they are in fact living a comedy. A fairly predictable one.
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