|
All Information Compiled by Emily Melton | Lifestyles Editor
The Appalachian: What got you interested in comedy?
Owen Smith: I was 9 years old. I saw Eddie Murphy in ‘Delirious’ and I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, just not in that outfit. He had on this tight, red, leather outfit. I didn’t know, at 9 years old, that comedians didn’t wear outfits, like the mailman or the UPS man. I was hoping there wasn’t a [uniform for comedians.]
TA: Describe your experience on the set of ‘Everybody Hates Chris.’
OS: I played a lot of roles in ‘Everybody Hates Chris.’ It was like getting a Ph.D in television because I got to sit back and watch how one of the greatest comedic minds of our day, Chris Rock, would approach a joke. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s the same way I approach a joke.’
TA: In terms of comedy, what are you doing right now?
OS: Right now, I’m writing a sitcom for my show. We’re going to shoot it this year. Currently, I’m working on ‘The Brian McKnight Show’ as a writer, and also, I’m in it occasionally. We’ve shot five episodes. They’ve already aired, but I don’t know how much longer that run is going to be. Today, I was supposed to go to a baseball game, and I’m a little bummed out because we drove an hour and I printed out the tickets but left them at home, so we couldn’t get in to the stadium. So, I’m not being really funny right now. I’m kind of bummed out.
TA: What will your sitcom be about?
OS: It’s called ‘In the Meantime,’ and it’s basically about how
they say ‘It takes 20 years to achieve overnight success.’ I’ve been
doing this 15 years, so the sitcom is about what I do in the meantime.
This is everything that’s happened to me while I’m doing stand-up,
acting, writing, all of that. And my character – I always make the
wrong choice. Like, today, I should have stayed at home and done some
work, but I tried to come to this game and we never got in, but after
some time, I’m sure I’ll be able to make the experience funny.
TA: What is your typical day like?
OS: It varies. I have no schedule. I may wake up and have a
series of auditions that I’ll go to for various shows, programs. I make
calls, I may read the paper, write some jokes. But at night is really
when my days begin. I perform four to five times a week at comedy
clubs, coffee houses. When I’m working on a TV show, like, when I was
working on ‘The Brian McKnight Show,’ I’d wake up, get to the office at
10 [a.m.] and be working from 10 [a.m.] till 9 [p.m.]. When I was
working for ‘Everybody Hates Chris,’ I’d get to the office at 7 [a.m.]
and work on that show until 8, 9, sometimes 10 at night. We go from
zero to 60 [in L.A.]. Once you get a gig, you’re working all day.
TA: Any advice for aspiring comedians?
OS: Find a stage. Do talent shows, open mic night, coffee
houses. Get on stage. Study comedy; there are several books on it, and
just start doing it.
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments