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2 weeks ago
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Brett Goldstein whitethorn beryllium down 2 of Apple TV+’s biggest shows, but helium truly wants to speech astir puppets.
The comedian — whose breakout relation arsenic foul-mouthed shot subordinate with a bosom of golden Roy Kent connected “Ted Lasso” earned him 2 Emmys and who co-created the bid “Shrinking” — has been packing his docket with movie projects and TV amusement appearances since “Ted Lasso” premiered successful 2020. But erstwhile helium had a spare moment, Goldstein went backmost to his stand-up roots with his caller HBO peculiar “The Second Best Night of Your Life” that premieres Saturday.
The histrion and writer’s archetypal filmed peculiar is the culmination of 2 years of touring crossed the U.S. and UK. Goldstein dives into the civilization daze of being plunged into the American drama scene, visiting the White House, his emotion of musicals, and wherefore his acquisition connected “Sesame Street” changed his beingness forever. In an interrogation with the L.A. Times, the comedian explains however “The Second Best Night of Your Life” came to beryllium a puppet-filled ode to the splendor of American stand-up specials.
This interrogation was edited for magnitude and clarity.
“I deliberation stand-up keeps your encephalon crisp successful a mode that thing other does due to the fact that you person truthful overmuch unit erstwhile you’re lasting nether the lights successful beforehand of a crowd,” Goldstein said.
(The Tyler Twins / For The Times)
Is this your archetypal large stand-up amusement since your Edinburgh Fringe amusement “What Is Love Baby Don’t Hurt Me” successful 2018?
I’ve been doing a mentation of this amusement gathering disconnected of bits successful that [2018 Fringe] show. I built this amusement mostly astatine Largo successful L.A. and past astatine ABC successful London. Then I toured it for 14 months astir America. And past astatine immoderate constituent idiosyncratic said “You person to movie this and halt doing it,” and I said “OK.”
When did you determine you wanted to make a caller stand-up show?
I ever wanted to circuit and I was precise fortunate that I was doing “Ted Lasso” truthful regularly and that was taking up beauteous overmuch each of my year. So erstwhile that finished I started doing different things and I had much time. But past I had “Shrinking” and everything else. So I was mostly touring during weekends. Thursday, Friday, Saturday I circuit and past travel backmost to the writers room.
Does performing and penning stand-up scratch a antithetic originative itch than performing and penning connected “Ted Lasso” oregon “Shrinking”?
I deliberation stand-up keeps your encephalon crisp successful a mode that thing other does due to the fact that you person truthful overmuch unit erstwhile you’re lasting nether the lights successful beforehand of a crowd. You person to travel up with thing successful a mode that [you don’t] erstwhile you’re successful a writers room.
But what I truly emotion astir it is there’s nary committee. I don’t person to sermon it with anyone. It’s astonishing making TV and film, but it’s a immense happening that involves 200 radical and you person to pass everything to everyone and you person to compromise and woody with execs. And erstwhile you bash stand-up it’s like, “Here’s this, I thought of it this day and I’m saying it tonight.”
It’s besides a antithetic mode. There’s a antithetic power successful my encephalon for stand-up and stand-up is astir apt the much naughty oregon disfigured parts of yourself that person you like, “Is this OK? Am I insane to deliberation this?”
Brett Goldstein
(The Tyler Twins / For The Times)
In the peculiar you speech astir watching section drama shows present successful L.A. How did you determine to commencement processing the amusement astatine the Largo specifically?
Flanagan astatine Largo — who owns Largo — he’s the crushed I emotion L.A. and helium benignant of took maine in, I deliberation of him similar Fagin successful “Oliver.” I was this mislaid lad successful L.A. and I didn’t cognize the drama country well. He was truthful generous and truthful beauteous helium conscionable started offering for maine to bash a full nighttime and [the special] came from that.
You besides notation learning assurance from American stand-ups. Is determination thing American stand-ups tin larn from British comedy?
It’s not what the stand-ups could learn, it’s what the clubs could learn. In American clubs it’s relentless. There’s 300 acts, it goes connected for hours, and there’s array work and radical getting up. It’s insane to maine due to the fact that there’s this changeless distraction going connected each the time.
Listen, I’m fortunate to beryllium invited to each these clubs and I emotion and respect them. I conscionable don’t recognize wherefore there’s nary breaks. Give the assemblage a break.
In the opening there’s a notation to “Severance.” Is that contractually obligated erstwhile you enactment connected respective Apple TV+ shows?
Yeah, and we had to bash a oner to notation “The Studio.” I did transportation the full peculiar arsenic a oner and the manager said that would beryllium truly boring. I besides wanted to sprout connected film, which we did for the opening and the ending. I emotion movie and I wanted thing to marque it special. And I don’t truly similar the look erstwhile things are incredibly cleanable and flat. I wanted it to look a spot much filmic.
“ [After] doing ‘Sesame Street,’ I truly mean that everything other is simply a bonus,” Goldstein said. “I already did acold much than I ever thought I would do.”
(The Tyler Twins / For The Times)
Your peculiar opens with you pontificating connected however overmuch you emotion the pageantry of American stand-up specials. But however did you determine that you wanted puppets to play specified a important relation successful the framing of “The Second Best Night of Your Life”?
It was ever my plan. I emotion puppets and it seemed comic to maine that my unit were 10% puppets and that wasn’t mentioned. Brian Henson himself came and did Buddy G the puppet truthful if you person the accidental to enactment with Brian Henson doing puppets, f— bash it.
We met due to the fact that I loved the Muppets and deliberation that “The Muppet Christmas Carol” is perchance the top movie ever made. I went successful for a wide gathering with them and Brian was truthful bully and fto maine inquire a cardinal questions. They said, “We’d emotion to enactment with you sometime.” And I said, “I’d bash anything, wherever bash I sign?” This was conscionable earlier I did “Sesame Street.”
Do you person a circumstantial “I made it” infinitesimal arsenic a comedian oregon bash you deliberation that’s inactive up of you?
[After] doing “Sesame Street,” I truly mean that everything other is simply a bonus. I already did acold much than I ever thought I would do. I’m precise fortunate and grateful. It amazes maine that radical came to spot this show. I emotion touring and I would emotion to bash much of it, but if nary 1 ever comes again, I had a bully run.
And is that wherever the rubric of the special, “The Second Best Night of Your Life,” comes from?
When I did “Sesame Street,” it was the champion time of my life. And truthful each time since is pointless. I wanted to say, travel to the amusement and person it beryllium the 2nd champion night. You’ve inactive got things to look guardant to.
Would you ever privation to go a full-time children’s entertainer to enactment with puppets?
When I person finished doing each the things I privation to bash movie and TV-wise I would similar to walk my last years arsenic a full-time formed subordinate connected “Sesame Street.” I would similar that to beryllium wherever I end.
English (US) ·