Stephen Colbert Dana Carvey Interview Too Funny to Fail
There's a lot to love about writer/director Josh Greenbaum's Too Funny To Fail. Now streaming on Hulu, this riveting documentary chronicles the rise and fall of ABC's infamous mid-nineties sketch series TheDana Carvey Show. The movie is an absolute must-stream for comedy nerds, but it's also the type of absorbing doc that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of comedic preference. While the film focuses on the cult ABC sketch program, it also delves into the fascinating comedy friendship between two of The Dana Carvey Show's most well-known alumni: Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.
Long before Carell was exciting slipping "That's what she said" into workplace conversations and Colbert became America's most fearless purveyor of "truthiness," the future comedy juggernauts were just two Second City standouts desperately searching for their big breaks. Colbert, who was actually Carell's understudy at the legendary Chicago comedy theater, admits in Too Funny To Fail that things were dire before he got the job on The Dana Carvey Show.
"I remember my mom asking how [my wife and I] were doing, and I remember saying, 'Mom, I know she doesn't have a job, and I don't have a job, and we got a new baby, and I don't know why but I'm not worried,'" Colbert said. "There was a long pause and my mom said, 'I don't know why either.'"
Things weren't going much better for Carell. "I remember my agent told me if 'it' doesn't happen for you soon it's not going to happen," remarked the former Office star.
Watching Carell and Colbert open up about their friendship is sunshine on a cloudy day levels of heartwarming. Before the two officially joined the cast of The Dana Carvey Show, they found themselves squaring off at one final tryout. The two shared almost the exact same memory of what it was like to see each other during an audition.
Carell: "Whenever I see Stephen at an audition I'm like, 'Well, that's it. I'm not going to beat Stephen Colbert out."
Colbert: "When I found out that Carell was auditioning I was like, 'Well, that's it. I'll never get the job now. I'd hire Carell.'"
There ain't no party like a mutual admiration party 'cause a mutual admiration party is… adorable.
The two also reminisce about a hilarious, awkward encounter moments before Colbert was set to audition. Having been all but assured he got the job from Carvey himself, Carell was on cloud nine. When he saw his old Second City pal backstage, he wanted to catch up and talk about life, family, and the like; the same thing you'd do if you ran into an old friend. The only problem? Colbert was in the midst of preparing for the biggest audition of this life, a job he absolutely needed to support his family. The two laughed about the exchange on Too Funny to Fail.
"It was like I was trying to remember a combination to a safe and [Carell's] going 4, 28, 7, 6, 3.14, like that," Colbert said. "Please, please. I'm about to go on. Please go away. God, please go away."
When Colbert got the call of a lifetime informing him that he got the job, it was his good friend Steve Carell who was on the other end of the phone.
Even though The Dana Carvey Show only aired 7 episodes, the renegade sketch series has had an unmistakable impact on legions of comedy nerds. In Too Funny To Fail, Colbert tells the story of how the "Nauseated Waiters" sketch helped him get hired at The Daily Show. It wouldn't be long before that bit helped another Dana Carvey alum earn a spot on the incisive Comedy Central series.
"I was there for awhile and then Carell was now out in the wilderness without a job," Colbert explained. "And I said, 'You gotta hire this Carell guy. He was the other waiter in Waiters Nauseated by Food.' They were like, 'Get him on the phone!'"
In a time when daily headlines grow increasingly grim, the redemptive power of positivity is more important than ever. Ostensibly, Too Funny to Fail is about a series that was a spectacular failure, but at its core, it's really an affirming tale of comedy and camaraderie. The heartwarming friendship between Colbert and Carell proves that, contrary to popular belief, nice guys often finish first.
Stream Too Funny to Fail on Hulu
Source: https://decider.com/2017/10/23/too-funny-to-fail-steve-carell-stephen-colbert/
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