The Anders Holm Interview

The Anders Holm Interview
Photo by Matt Hoyle
The Anders Holm Interview
Photo by Matt Hoyle

The Anders Holm Interview

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Anders Holm (photo by Matt Hoyle)
You may know today’s interviewee from the popular and funny show Workaholics on Comedy Central, now in its second season. Holm stars, writes and was co-creator of the series along with his colleagues from the comedy group Mail Order Comedy. If you’re like me, however, you know today’s interviewee because you attended high school with him in Evanston, and are not at all surprised that he’s gone on to a career in acting/comedy, mostly because you watched him (and perhaps wrote a few sketches for him) in the renowned ETHS comedy revue show YAMO. If you’d like to follow Holm on Twitter, you may do so here.What did you learn working on the first season of Workaholics that you applied to the second season, either in terms of writing or just the technical aspects of making a show?I learned a lot.  My brain almost broke.  But I think the thing I learned most is don’t write scenes where I have to wear a wig for 12 hours a day.  IT REALLY SUCKS.What are your favorite episodes of the show to date?My favorite episode is Checkpoint Gnarly.  That’s the one where we take Alice’s brother Brad out for a night on the town and we lose our car with him locked the trunk.  It had good jokes, adventure, heart, and the actor that played Brad, Eddie Barbanell, crushed it.When the show aired for the first time, did you do anything special to celebrate it, IE a blowout screening party?The night the show aired Comedy Central threw a party.  It was cool.  We were partying so hard that when the show came on, people watched the first part, then cheered at commercials, and then just drank through the rest of the show like it wasn’t on.How did you prepare for the Charlie Sheen roast pre-show? Was there anything you wanted to (or were told to) avoid addressing? There was NO prep for Charlie Sheen Roast Red Carpet.  They just asked if we wanted to do it, and we said “Sure.”  The rest wasn’t TV history.What TV comedies do you make a point to watch? I watch EVERYTHING.  I’m a TV junky.  30 Rock, Sunny, Curb, The League, Louie, East Bound, Hung, Bored to Death, Parks and Rec, Community, Happy Endings, The Office, Modern Family, Eagle Heart, Children’s Hospital… I watch everything.  But I’m not a huge cartoon guy.Which comedy/acting colleagues have you gotten the biggest kick out of meeting? I got to meet Jeff Fahey.  He’s the man.  He’s a great actor, but this dude is for real the guy from the Dos Equis commercials.  I don’t know where to start, just Wiki the guy.  OK, here’s one thing; He’s lived in Afghanistan for the last 40 years.  So.  Yeah.  Interesting cat.A good number of graduates from our high school have gone on to successful careers in entertainment: do you think it’s the odds, since our school is bigger than many small towns, or is there something specific that drives so many ETHS grads to success? ETHS is a cultural, socio-economic, science experiment and that breeds interesting people.  Everyone is exposed to different types of people that not everyone else in the US grows up with, so you form a unique point of view.  Also we’re a university town which means there’s a lot of smart people having smart kids and staying in Evanston, and I also feel like the arts are a big part of Evanston’s make up.  And we’re next to a big city… the list goes on.  Oh and the food is good, so that has to count for something.Do you miss anything about Evanston/Chicago?I love Evanston.  I love going back and going to the beach.  I’m not a Chicago guy.  Not tough enough.  If I stayed in Chicago I would be a total drunk fat ass.  Oh the food.What are some of your favorite comedy groups/troupes? I don’t really follow any comedy troops.  I’ll go to UCB and watch shows sometimes.  They’re always good.  And when I’m back in Chicago, I always hit up Second City.Aside from future episodes of Workaholics, what are some future projects you have coming up?We’re writing a feature right now, an action comedy.  Adam is filming a movie called Pitch Perfect.  It’s gonna be really funny.If you could try something completely different, either as an acting role or some other angle of creativity, what would you like to try some day?I would love to be an architect or music producer.  I love building things.  That’s what I love about writing, building a story piece by piece.Is Lasik more or less creepy/uncomfortable the second time around? (I’ve had it done once and am worried that it’s worse if you know what’s coming.) I love getting Lasik.  I’m hooked.  It’s soooo much better the second time.  I love watching them sweep the flap back over my eyeball.  My wife don’t like it so much.  She fainted at the doctor’s office when I was merely EXPLAINING what they did to me.  It was awesome.Who would you say are your influences, either as a writer or performer?My influences are all the Bill Murray’s and Steve Martin’s from 80’s movies and then more recently the guys from Sunny and Lonely Island.Since you’ve moved to the West Coast, which cliches about the entertainment industry (or Hollywood in general) have you found to be completely true? The cliche’ that is totally true is “let’s do lunch.”  I love hearing it and now I love saying it.How often do you get recognized out in public? Have you been mistaken for anyone else?  I get recognized a lot now.  It’s not everywhere I go, but it’s getting there.  It’s cool.  People usually just say they like the show.  I’m proud of the show, so that kind of thing is a nice bonus that I didn’t get when I was actually telemarketing.How does it feel to be the 295th person interviewed for Zulkey.com? Is that what that tingle is?