Michael Showalter
Michael Showalter
Michael Showalteris an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, and director. He is a member of the sketch comedy trio Stella. Showalter first came to recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995. He co-wroteand starred in Wet Hot American Summerand he wrote, directed, and starred in The Baxter, with Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux and Elizabeth Banks. Both of these movies featured many of his co-stars from The State, and so do several of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth17 June 1970
CityPrinceton, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
I think narcissists are endlessly watchable. The way they view the world and the way they interact within the world.
Love is such a confusing word. You think I'm joking but I'm not.
One of the things that is always difficult about a collaboration is that you don't necessarily find the same thing funny. And so the challenge becomes, how do you tell the other person that you don't think something's funny? The best collaborations tend to be when you are willing to be told that. But there's also ego involved, and so there's a lot of frustration in knowing that you're writing something, and the other person, on some level, needs to think that it's funny.
A lot of my humor centers on the act of telling jokes and I think this can prevent certain audiences from suspending their feeling of disbelief. It might piss a few people off, but I can't help it.
I've always loved going to see Broadway shows. I've seen 'em all: Rent, Chorus Line, Cats, West Side Story, Guys & Dolls, Wicked, you name it!
I've always balked at anything that feels like a clique, even if it's not always in my best interest to do so. I like each individual, fedora-wearing hipster - it's just the greater gestalt that rubs me the wrong way.
I wanted to do something that wasn't vulgar,
Every character is likeable and jarring at the same time,
Did you ever wonder about the guy left at the altar?
Michael, David and I get along very well, ... That is why we have been able to stay collaborating for so long. The State was a much more tumultuous collaboration, that was a lot of fighting, and a lot of people needing their way. We had 10 very strong opinions in there, very strong comedic voices in one room is too many cooks.
I think comedians see themselves as people among people.
John Roberts is a Baxter. Have you seen his hair? It's parted with a snow shovel!
Given the current state of publishing, I think it helps to have a brand name on the cover of your book. Comedians are proven commodities with built-in audiences. They may not have the writing chops of a Dave Eggers, but they're salacious and funny and self-reflective.
Cats aren't cooperative in the same way that other animals are. You can train a dog to act, but you can't train a cat in the same way.