Liz Beson, Senior Staff
Bill Hader, most commonly known for the versatile roles he played on “Saturday Night Live,” has garnered increasing notoriety over the past few years. Hader plays many eccentric roles on Saturday night Live, including the flamboyant New York socialite Stefon and CNN commentator James Carville. Hader is also known for his roles in notable comedies of the past decade like “Superbad” and “Tropic Thunder.” Not only does he act in movies, but he also lends his voice to modern animated films, including his most recent voice roles in the “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” series. With the diverse of roles that he plays, Hader has, in a way, become a modern American cult classic. There isn’t a household that doesn’t know his name. With this in mind, CT had the oppurtunity to speak with Bill Hader, where he revealed his inspiration for his comedic talents and certain aspects of his life that shaped and helped his career as a comedian.
Aaron Schaffer: How did you discover your voice as a comedian?
Bill Hader: Growing up, it was one of the few things I was really confident with. Friends and people in elementary school were like “Oh, you’re really funny.” It was never anything I took seriously until I was in my mid-20s, living in Los Angeles trying to be a filmmaker. I got a bit lost and just didn’t know what I wanted to do, and then a friend of mine was taking classes at The Second City in L.A. It wasn’t until then that I realized I can actually make a living doing this. That was a big “a-ha” moment.
Adam Kadir: Growing up, did you make a lot of impressions?
Bill Hader: Not really. Never famous people. I didn’t do an impression of a famous person until my “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) audition. I had never even tried it before. Part of my SNL audition was I had to do three impressions of three characters and so I just picked up on it and tried to do it. But I’d always done voices and mimiced friends and teachers. Never famous people. That was later.
AK: Who were the three people you impersonated on your SNL audition?
BH: I did Al Pacino, James Mason and Tony Blair. I actually threw in Peter Falk in there as well. I did them all as Vinny Veducci the Italian Talk Show host. So it was like Vinny Veducci was auditioning for SNL and doing the impressions.
AS: After you discovered your voice, how did it evolve?
BH: I didn’t think about it that much until I started taking classes at The Second City. I always wanted to be a filmmaker and I read up and studied how to be one but I kind of got in my head a little bit. Some people get a lot out of that. I do to an extent but then I get to a place where I’m over thinking. What was nice with taking improv classes was that the point was not to think but just react and be in the moment. In doing that I figured out what I find funny and why my sensibility is, but it was very natural. In my instance, it’s Monty Python and early Woody Allen movies. For SNL, the question was, “What does the show find funny?” You have to find a Venn diagram of where your sense of humor and the show’s sense of humor intersect. What the overlay is. That was always very difficult. After my fourth year on the show I figured out where I stood on it and I could say “That’s a joke that could work with my friends but not the SNL audience.”
AK: You mentioned that you initially wanted to be a filmmaker. Did you have a particular idol in mind?
BH: Early Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, the Coen Brothers were huge for me. But then you get to L.A. and you’re just giving people coffee and stuff. I always wanted a career like Paul Thomas Anderson’s. But then I ended up performing. I acted a little bit in high school but it was never something I wanted to do.
AK: Now that your name is out there do you hope to go back and try filmmaking again?
BH: Yeah, maybe. I haven’t directed anything so we’ll see. I’m someone who rolls with it now. It’s good to have a North Star, a direction I’m going in. With SNL that was to find a solid lead role in a movie, one that doesn’t necessarily have to be funny, it could be dramatic. In the back of my head of every script I read, I knew that I was going in that direction. So I challenged myself, and then I got the “Skeleton Twins” script, which led me to that movie and some other things. So, it’s part of the whole North Star thing but I also take what’s thrown at me and roll with that as well.
AK: Are there any people you like to work with? Do you like the Judd Apatow environment?
BH: Yeah I just did a movie with him that’s going to come out this summer called “Trainwreck”. I love working with Judd; he’s great. It was a lot of fun doing those movies. Working with him is great but working on something that’s not so improv-heavy, like “Skeletons” is also fun. With that you pretty much stayed on the script, and it was a different vibe from the stuff I do with Judd. Seth Rogen and Even Goldberg are always a blast to work with, I’m doing an animated movie with them called “Sausage Party” which is crazy. I’m working with Kristen Wiig, she’s always fun to work with. I enjoy working with my wife. Amy Schuwer was a lot of fun to work with on “Traionwreck.” Everyone’s pretty nice. I’m pretty lucky so far, I haven’t worked with anyone where it’s like “Oh my god…”
AK: What do you think you have in store for us at the UR?
BH: Right now it’s a Q&A, it’s not a stand-up show or anything. It’s just a Q&A. But I’m looking forward to Rochester! Kristen Wiig is from Rochester, so I’ll get to see where she grew up, which will be cool.
Bill Hader will be performing at UR’s Strong Auditorium on January 31st at 9pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Common Market.
Schaffer is a member of
the class of 2016.
Kadir is a member of
the class of 2017.
