Steven Prusakowski
Making an impact on screen is the goal of every actor. Somehow, Jeff Hiller finds a way to make the most of every moment he is on screen, short or long. From his Emmy-winning work on HBO’s Somebody Somewhere where he played the beloved Joel to his partner-in-crime Sam (Bridget Everett), the actor found the perfect blend of humor, heart and honesty to lead him to take home the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy. It was a surprise win for some, but for fans it was a case of IYKYK.
As my guest on TV Topics, the very spirited and funny Hiller shared some incredible insights into his work, but also hit television’s loving past. Our conversation uncovered a lot, like how his dad used to call him “Mr. Television” because, as a kid with no cable, he knew the entire prime-time schedule of every network by heart. And, as you may expect, how Joel from Somebody Somewhere is the character he feels is most like his real self, but also that he loves the 227 theme song, so much so he used to audition with it. (Watch the full conversation to hear him graciously sing for us.)
It was easy to sense that Hiller’s past was rooted in comedy, hailing from UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) where he worked with Widow’s Bay creator Katie Dippold for years, ensuring his comedy instincts are sharp as a tack, while also possessing the dramatic skills to make his characters believable no matter the situation. Which is why the actor received so much praise for two of the smaller roles of his career, both of which helped elevate critical darlings Apple TV+’s Pluribus and Widow’s Bay, the former leaving the actor with his second Emmy nomination for just seven minutes of screentime.
Going into the role, Hiller knew little about what the role or series entailed. “Well, it was an audition. So, and I have to tell you I didn’t know what was happening before I auditioned,” confessed Hiller. “But the big thing was it was Vince Gilligan, and I knew Breaking Bad. I knew Better Call Saul. I’d watched both of them and I knew he was a singular voice in television and a genius and so I just wanted to be a part of it. But I didn’t even know it was a sci-fi show. I thought it was, I don’t know, I just thought it was about a lady. I knew Rhea Seehorn was in it and that was it.”
What Hiller did not know did not hurt him; it may have actually enhanced his performance.
“Well, my big thing was because it took a long time for me to even understand the concept of the show because I didn’t get a full script of the episode I was in. That’s how secretive it was. And so, it was called a different name, it wasn’t called Pluribus – it was called Wicaro. When I was auditioning, I was told I was playing the father of Carol and I was not wanting to tell her that her mom didn’t like her paintings,” shared the actor.
The secrecy went even further. When Hiller showed up for his fitting, still completely in the dark, they handed him a bicycle outfit complete with those unforgettable shorts. He had no idea why. The wardrobe team literally refused to explain the costume, telling him they weren’t sure what they were allowed to say. “When I had my fitting… they put me in this weird thing and I was like, ‘What is this show?’ …Please God don’t do an action figure of that,” he later joked.
For EP and writer Allison Tatlock, who wrote this episode, it was important to keep the truth of what the series was about away from Hiller, while using his audition to learn if he had the chops to convey the Hive’s love for Carol. The parallels of a parent who loves their child but wants to avoid hurting their feelings was the perfect solution.
“They actually do love her. It’s genuine, that they love her, and they cannot lie, but they don’t want to hurt her. And so, the big thing I was trying to do was and I thought the idea of being a father who didn’t want to tell their child that their mother didn’t like their paintings was a really good comp. That was really what I was trying to play,” explained the actor. “It was really complicated and we spent several hours in a rehearsal on a Sunday. They gave up their Sunday, Rhea and the director Zetna and Allison to rehearse with me for three hours and it got kind of nerdy. It was really fun.”
The results were one of the standouts of the season. Not only did Hiller play out the Hive’s love for Carol in a creepy way, he also played the surrogate for Carol’s lover, Helen, played by Miriam Shor. After she was taken during the Joining, it was the last time she and Carol spoke, but through Hiller’s Larry, painful truths about Helen’s thoughts on her writing come out. We get to watch a lover’s spat by proxy where Carol is having her feelings hurt by Helen from beyond the grave, through the all-knowing entity who absorbed her mental existence.
It sounds like a lot, but Hiller’s performance and the work of the great Rhea Seehorn make it one that lands an emotional punch, while also exposing one of the show’s biggest secrets: the Hive cannot lie to Carol.
And scene. Hiller turned seven minutes into an Emmy nomination. But that was not the only performance of his that gained attention. His work in Apple TV’s surprise horror-with-humor hit Widow’s Bay grabbed the attention of audiences and even the show’s creator Katie Dippold. “When I got hired, Katie was like, this is a very small role. And I think I can say this now,” shared Hiller. “‘Your character is going to die. That’s kind of the only reason you’re here.’ But then, and this is even before I got nominated for an Emmy, they said, ‘We actually really like having you around. Would it be cool if we didn’t kill you off?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’d be cool. I’ll sacrifice,’” said the exuberant Hiller. “So in episode four, I wasn’t even supposed to be in episode 4. They were supposed to have a different DJ. And Sam Donovan, the director of that episode, was like, ‘Why don’t you just have Jeff do it?’ And then that kind of explains why he’s so bad at being a DJ. So when I got that script with my role, with me playing the DJ instead of this other guy, I was like, ‘This is hilarious and I’m going to make this hilarious.’” Dippold ended up rewriting and expanding Dale’s role across the season simply because she loved his energy on set—another clear example of Hiller elevating whatever material he’s given. And that he did. Four little words delivered one of the biggest laughs of the series to date: “I don’t have premium.” His comedic instinct elevated the comedy with what seemed like ease, but it is more about finesse.
“Well that’s in that scene in particular, I was like, how big can I be because there had been a lot of discussion about we’re not trying to be funny. We’re playing this as serious. So I wasn’t sure how broad I should go,” shared Hiller.
“Basically when we were dancing we could go broad and when we were not dancing we needed to be small but I have actually had a lot of the comedy lines. The fact that I say, ‘I don’t have premium’ or (when asked) how many people would be there and I say, ‘I didn’t want to tell you that it was zero.’ I think that is my wheelhouse. That is what I’ve done for the last 25 years of this career. So I think it makes it easier to do that for me.”
When asked which world he would rather live in, that of Pluribus or Widow’s Bay, he gave a thoughtful answer that said as much about the shows as it did the actor. He’s as smart as he is hilarious. “I think in a weird way Pluribus is almost scarier because it is so confusing at what is good and what is bad which is actually feels very like our real world,” declared Hiller. “Katie and I have talked a lot about (Widow’s Bay) and I’d love to go to a haunted island. I mean it’s all fun and games until the sea hag sits on your face.” He shared with a laugh. “I think I would like to have a lobster roll rather than have no individuality in the world of Pluribus. But I guess if I were someone who didn’t transform into the Hive mind, I would probably be more like Samba’s character than like Rhea’s character. I would be like, ‘Yeah, bring me dinner. I’ll eat it.’ The thing is, I think after a little while you’d be like, ‘All right, well, I’m tired of having everything and you want the challenges of life. It’s not being on top of the mountains. It’s the climb that makes it worth talking about if you just like I saw a great view.’”
Throughout our conversation Jeff had me laughing. Whether it’s seven unforgettable minutes on Pluribus or a once-doomed small part on Widow’s Bay that expanded into something special, Hiller proves again and again that he makes an impact wherever he goes. Be sure to watch (or listen to) the full interview below where we more deeply cover his current work, his past work and the TV that influenced him.
(Pluribus fans may also want to watch Jeff’s Pluribus co-star, Karolina Wydra’s episode of TV Topics.)
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