'The biggest mistake of my life': 6 actors on typecasting, comedy idols and more

Hailing from immoderate of today’s funniest TV series, six actors gathered precocious for an uninhibited speech astir what it takes to marque radical laughter astatine The Envelope’s Emmy Roundtable for drama actors.

In Netflix’s “Running Point,” Kate Hudson plays Isla, a pistillate who becomes pro basketball’s archetypal miss brag erstwhile she takes implicit the household franchise. In ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” Lisa Ann Walter portrays Melissa Schemmenti, a pugnacious people schoolhouse teacher successful Philly’s underfunded nationalist acquisition system. With Hulu’s “Mid-Century Modern,” Nathan Lane takes connected the relation of Bunny, an aging cheery antheral who brings unneurotic a chosen household erstwhile helium invites 2 friends to reside successful his Palm Springs home. “Hacks” co-creator Paul W. Downs does treble work arsenic Jimmy, the manager to legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) successful the Max series. Bridget Everett, creator of HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere,” plays Sam, a cabaret vocalist who moves backmost to her family’s sleepy Kansas municipality to instrumentality attraction of her dying sister. And David Alan Grier stars arsenic Dr. Ron, a devoted doc and cranky seasoned who’s seen it each successful the overrun ER of a small-town infirmary successful NBC’s “St. Denis Medical.”

The talented radical spoke with The Times astir their respective shows, typecasting and the risks 1 takes to marque large comedy. Read connected for excerpts from our treatment — and ticker video of the roundtable above.

The 2025 Emmy Comedy Roundtable: Kate Hudson, left, Paul W. Downs, Bridget Everett, Nathan Lane, Lisa Ann Walter and David Alan Grier.

The champion drama pushes boundaries, which means it tin besides skirt the borderline of offensive. How bash you cognize if you’ve gone excessively far, oregon haven’t pushed it enough?

Downs: In the “Hacks” pilot, Jean Smart’s character, Deborah Vance, says determination is nary line. I deliberation there’s thing disconnected limits, due to the fact that it’s truly astir execution and thoughtfulness. The happening that makes edgy drama not comic is erstwhile it causes harm, erstwhile it’s thing that’s punching down, erstwhile it’s not thing that tin bring radical together. That, to me, isn’t worthy it. But there’s thing that’s excessively taboo, due to the fact that that’s what drama is for. It’s to analyse things, research things, get adjacent to the edge.

Everett: I deliberation that drama is astir making radical consciousness good. I privation to marque radical consciousness joy. So arsenic agelong arsenic I’m not hurting anybody’s feelings, I deliberation everything’s connected the table.

Grier: I don’t deliberation you cognize the borderline and that’s wherefore it’s dangerous. I’ve done things wherever I thought, “This is excessively much,” and things wherever I thought, “We didn’t spell acold enough.” So you person to play that game. My volition is ne'er to choler and offend, but you bash person to enactment yourself successful that presumption and instrumentality a chance, particularly with comedy. You tin prescreen it, but who are you prescreening it to? Sixty-year-old achromatic women? High schoolhouse kids? You person to instrumentality a chance.

Kate Hudson of “Running Point.”

Hudson: I’m not a stand-up [comedian], truthful it’s amusive to ticker radical locomotion that line. It’s exciting. What are they going to say? Is it going to beryllium offensive? Is it not? Is it going to beryllium brilliant? That’s portion of what’s amusive astir being an assemblage of big comedy. But I don’t similar mean comedy. It’s truly hard for maine to see. I’ve been asked to bash roasts a cardinal times, and I conscionable can’t bash it. It conscionable doesn’t determination maine successful immoderate way.

Lane: I was asked. This was the biggest mistake of my life. ... A Friars [Club] Roast that was going to happen. [Jerry Lewis] was going to beryllium roasted. And Richard Belzer said to me, “Oh, Nathan, would you beryllium a portion of it? Would you bash it? It would mean a batch to Jerry.” And I’m like, “Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll bash the roast.” And past I’m abruptly determination and I’m sitting adjacent to Paul Shaffer and Jeff Ross, who apologized successful beforehand for what helium mightiness say. And I realized past that, “Oh, you’re not getting up and conscionable roasting this person. You’re attacked. You’re connected the dais.” So I thought, “Oh, what person I gotten into?” And I had asked them, “Please fto maine spell first.” And I had worked retired jokes. I had a mates of writers assistance me, and determination was an archetypal joke, which was, “The lone crushed I agreed to bash this was due to the fact that I thought by the clip it happened, Jerry would beryllium dead.”

Walter: I’m connected a amusement that’s got a batch of kids, and families tin ticker it together, which was [creator] Quinta Brunson’s intention. But determination are things that the kids won’t get and that adults get. Melissa Schemmenti gets bleeped retired regularly due to the fact that she curses. She’s South Philly! As a comic, I lone americium funny successful edge, that’s wherever I privation to unrecorded … It’s easier to marque a constituent and get ears erstwhile you’re making radical laugh. And we bash that connected the amusement rather frequently. They’ll bash a storyline astir the school-to-prison pipeline, but it’s not ham-fisted, it’s not preachy. It’s edgy and it’s each wrong jokes. Anytime you’re making radical laugh, I deliberation you tin accidental immoderate you want.

What’s the strangest oregon astir hard accomplishment you’ve had to larn for a role?

Hudson: In “Almost Famous,” [director] Cameron [Crowe] wanted maine to larn however to rotation cigarettes accelerated with 1 hand. And truthful I was learning however to roll, and I got truly bully astatine it truly fast. And past erstwhile we were doing camera tests, I was doing it and I was smoking. And helium was like, “No.” And I was like, “What? I conscionable spent months trying to larn however to bash that!” Then I started rolling my ain cigarettes and got into a truly atrocious wont and past spent years trying to quit.

Paul W. Downs of “Hacks.”

Downs: On “Broad City,” I had to larn and bash parkour. It’s precocious accomplishment level and precocious risk. You know, erstwhile you leap disconnected buildings and rotation astir ... [leap] disconnected chairs and implicit occurrence hydrants. I did it, but not a batch of it ended up onscreen. Just the astir comedic moments. I jumped betwixt buildings and they didn’t adjacent enactment it in!

Lane: When I did “Only Murders successful the Building,” they said, “So you person a deaf lad and you’re going to person scenes with him successful ASL [American Sign Language].” It was challenging. I had a manager and I would enactment with him. And the fantastic young actor, James Caverly, who is Deaf ... helium was precise supportive. If I had to go fluent, it would’ve taken six months to a twelvemonth to bash it well. But I had an advantage; they said, “Oh, your quality is embarrassed by having a deaf son, truthful helium didn’t larn it until aboriginal successful life. So he’s not that bully astatine it.” But it was a large happening to learn. I loved it.

Grier: I did an occurrence of a sitcom successful which it was assumed, unbeknownst to me, that I was precise proficient playing an upright bass. This is not true. I played cello arsenic a child. I had to play this upright bass and arsenic a jazz musician. It was horrible. Your fingers swell and blister and bleed. Of course, I went on with it due to the fact that that’s what we’re each expected to do. But by Day 4, my fingers were successful large pain. I ne'er mastered it. But I did privation to inquire them, “Who told you I could play?”

Everett: I did a small trapeze work, but since the genu thing, I can’t anymore … [Laughs]

Lane: This was the autarkic movie astir the Wallendas, right?

Everett: The information is I’ve ne'er had to bash anything. Really. I had to rollerblade erstwhile successful a Moby video, but that doesn’t look similar it’s going to stack up against each this, truthful possibly we should conscionable determination connected to the adjacent person. I would bash trapeze, though. I’ll bash anything. Well, not anything. Can we conscionable edit this portion retired successful post?

Hudson: I’m successful emotion with you.

Walter: In a movie I did wherever I started retired arsenic the nosy neighbor, I recovered retired that I was going to beryllium a cougar assassin and I had to stunt thrust a Mustang and sprout a Glock. It was a surprise. Literally. When I got to set, I saw my wardrobe and went, “I deliberation I’m playing a antithetic quality than what I auditioned for.” ... They enactment the car connected a concatenation and I got T-boned. I was terrified, but past I was like, “Let’s spell again!” That was the astir unsafe happening until I had to bash a South Philly accent arsenic Melissa, and bash it bully capable truthful that South Philly wouldn’t termination me. That was astir apt much dangerous.

David Alan Grier of “St. Denis Medical.”

Let’s speech astir typecasting. What are the types of roles that often travel to you, wherever you’re similar “Oh, my God, not again!”

Lane: Oh, not different mysterious drifter.

Hudson: Rom-coms. If I can’t get a occupation doing thing else, I tin get a occupation doing a romanticist comedy. When you person large occurrence successful something, you recognize the concern is conscionable truthful excited [that] they privation you successful them each the time. It truly has thing to bash with thing different than that. It’s thing that I’m precise grateful for, but you’re perpetually having to combat to bash antithetic things. I’d beryllium bored if I was perpetually doing the aforesaid happening implicit and implicit again. But it’s conscionable however the concern works. Once you’re successful that machine, they conscionable privation to support going until they spell to idiosyncratic else.

Walter: I can’t archer you however bored I americium with being the gorgeous entity of men’s desire. I named my archetypal accumulation institution Fat Funny Friend … But arsenic a parent of 4 successful Los Angeles, I didn’t truly person the luxury of saying, “I privation to subdivision out.” But I did say, “Can I play idiosyncratic smart?” My begetter was a NASA physicist. My parent was brilliant. I was implicit doing things I could bash successful my sleep, ever getting the portion of the pistillate who sticks her caput retired of the trailer doorway and goes, “I didn’t termination him, but I ain’t atrocious he’s dead!” ... It’s like, “Can I play idiosyncratic who has a assemblage education?” And I did, finally, but it took Quinta to bash it.

Grier: I’ve recovered that the older I’ve gotten, the roles I’m offered person broadened. And I’ve played a assortment of truly challenging large roles due to the fact that I’m aged now. That’s been a existent joyousness due to the fact that I didn’t truly expect that. I conscionable thought I’d beryllium retired. I did. So it’s been awesome.

Nathan Lane of “Mid-Century Modern.”

Lane: There was an nonfiction written astir me, it was benignant of a career-assessment article. It was a precise bully piece, but it referred to maine arsenic the top signifier entertainer of the past decade. And arsenic flattering arsenic it was, I tin find a acheronian unreality successful immoderate metallic lining. I felt, “Oh, that’s however they spot me?” As an “entertainer” due to the fact that of musicals and things [I did] similar “The Birdcage” oregon “The Lion King.” I’d been an histrion for 35 years and I thought, “I person much to offer.” So I coiled up doing “The Iceman Cometh” successful Chicago ... and that would alteration everything. It was the opening of a process wherever I lucked retired and got immoderate superior roles successful television, and that led to different things. But it was a concerted effort implicit a play of 10, 15 years, and hard due to the fact that everybody wants to enactment you successful a box.

Is it hard successful the manufacture to marque the determination betwixt play and comedy?

Walter: It’s a lifelong consternation to maine that determination is an thought that if you are known comedically, that’s what you do. We are rather susceptible of playing each of the things.

Grier: I retrieve seeing Jackie Gleason successful “The Hustler.” I loved it. He was truthful great. Robin Williams besides did serious. I deliberation it’s really harder erstwhile you spot superior actors effort to beryllium comedians.

Downs: One of the things astir making “Hacks” is we wanted to bash thing that was mixed tone, that it was comic and comedic but besides fto actors similar myself, similar Jean, each of these people, person moments. Because to us, the astir comic things are close adjacent to the astir tragic things.

Hudson: And usually the astir classic. When you deliberation astir the movies that radical cognize procreation aft generation, they’re usually the ones that locomotion the line. And they’re the ones that you conscionable privation to spell backmost and ticker implicit and implicit and implicit again.

Bridget Everett of “Somebody Somewhere.”

Everett: I haven’t had a batch of acquisition with being typecast due to the fact that I’ve been successful the clubs for a agelong clip doing cabaret. But connected my show, Tim Bagley, who plays Brad … he’s been doing the aforesaid characters for I don’t cognize for however long. So we wrote this portion for him, and 1 of the astir rewarding things for maine connected this amusement was sitting down the show and watching him get to person the infinitesimal helium deserved ... It’s 1 of the top gifts to maine arsenic a creator to person been portion of that. It’s a full happening successful my show. We’re each getting this interruption together. We’ve each struggled to wage our rent good into our 40s. I waited tables into my 40s, but you don’t springiness up due to the fact that you emotion doing it.

I’m definite galore of you are recognized successful public, but what astir being mistaken for idiosyncratic other who’s famous?

Grier: I went to a show of a David Mamet amusement connected Broadway. I went backstage, and this peculiar day, it was erstwhile Broadway was raising wealth to payment AIDS. There was a Midwestern mates determination with their young lad and they saw me, and the location manager said, “This couple, they’re going to springiness america an other $1,000 if you instrumentality a representation with them. Would you mind?” I’m like, “Yeah, cool.” So I’m posing and the dada goes, “It is our grant to instrumentality a representation with you, Mr. LeVar Burton.” Now successful that moment, I thought if I accidental no, radical volition die. So I looked astatine them and I went, “You liked maine successful ‘Roots?’” He said, “We loved you.” Click, we took the picture. I’m not going to beryllium like, “How situation you?!”

Walter: Peg Bundy I got a mates of times. But arsenic soon arsenic I unfastened my mouth, they cognize who I am. I tin fell my hair, but arsenic soon arsenic I talk, I’m made.

Hudson: I’ve had a batch of Drew Barrymore. And past each different Kate. Kate Winslet, Katie Holmes ... I’ve gotten each of them.

Walter: Do you close them?

Hudson: Never. I conscionable accidental yes and motion it “Cate Blanchett.”

Lisa Ann Walter of “Abbott Elementary.”

I’d emotion to cognize who everybody’s comedic inspiration was increasing up.

Walter: My dada utilized to fto maine enactment up and ticker “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” and “Laugh-In.” I got to spot Ruth Buzzi, remainder successful peace, and Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin. Jo Anne Worley. All these comic women. That’s what made maine think, “You tin get a occupation doing this, the happening that I get successful occupation for astatine school?!”

Grier: My drama leader was Richard Pryor. I was this Black small lad successful Detroit, and George Jessel would travel connected “The Mike Douglas Show” and helium mightiness arsenic good person been speaking Russian. I’m like, “How tin this beryllium comedy?” Then I saw Richard Pryor, and helium was the archetypal comic who I conscionable went, “Well, this guy’s hilarious.”

Downs: I retrieve 1 of the archetypal comedies that my dada showed maine was “Young Frankenstein.” I retrieve Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman and Madeline Kahn. All of these women. I was ever like, “They’re the funniest ones.”

Hudson: My epoch increasing up was Steve Martin, Martin Short, Albert Brooks, Mel Brooks. But women were, for me, the classics. Lucille Ball.

Walter: There was a clip erstwhile I was increasing up wherever women truly dominated comedy. They were your ma [nods astatine Hudson, Hawn’s daughter], Whoopi [Goldberg], Bette Midler. The biggest stars of the biggest comedies were women, and past that each went distant for a truly agelong time. I deliberation it recovered its mode backmost with Judd Apatow and past helium made “Bridesmaids.”

Hudson: I tried truly hard to marque edgy drama and studios wouldn’t bash it. They wouldn’t. It took Judd to person the workplace strategy that women are ready. That we tin grip rated-R. In the ’70s and ’80s, determination was a ton of rated-R drama with women. But for immoderate reason, it conscionable each of a abrupt became like, “Oh, there’s lone 1½ demographics for women successful comedy.” I ever felt similar it was an uphill conflict trying to get them made. Then I retrieve erstwhile Jenji [Kohan] came successful with “Orange Is the New Black.” That was truly awesome.

Lane: Above all, it was ever Jackie Gleason for me. He was specified an influence. He was hilarious, and of course, precise broadly funny, but past determination was thing truthful sad. It was specified pathos with him. ... He was this wonderful, superior actor, arsenic good arsenic being Ralph Kramden.

Everett: There’s cipher that taught maine much astir however to beryllium comic than my mom. She conscionable had this mode of being that I person utilized successful my unrecorded shows. It’s led to wherever I americium now. She utilized to bedewed her pants [laughing] truthful she had to enactment towels down connected each the chairs successful the house. She conscionable didn’t care. That shows you to not care, to spell retired there. I unrecorded successful fear, but not erstwhile I consciousness similar she’s with me.

Grier: That’s the edge. You’re either going to weep oregon you’re going to [laugh] until you urinate.