When you think of Seth Meyers, what images come to your mind? Funny faces, probably. Like the time he made an appearance on Saturday Night Live dressed as Robin Hood, complete with a living archer attached to his hip. Or when he introduced the “New Yorker” cover on his Late Night With Seth Meyers show, using a cartoonishly large magnifying glass to emphasize his words.
Meyers is known for playing up his geeky interests and for making observations about current events and pop culture that make you laugh. Now, he’s turned his sights to Hollywood, and he’s taking aim at the beautiful people of Tinseltown.
On Wednesday night, Seth Meyers visited the Laughing Moose Café for a live interview with the Hollywood Vampires. The comedy writer and actor/director/producer/founder and CEO of Meyerism came to L.A. to share his views on Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and surprisingly, he didn’t bring a single joke. Instead, he brought a message of hope and optimism.
Here, we explore what makes Seth Meyers tick, how his mind works, and what he thinks about Hollywood in today’s society.
The Education Of A Stand-Up Comic
Seth Meyers was born in 1981 and grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He went to Bard College at Simon’s Town (now Simon’s Rockland). He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. After getting his start there, he moved to New York where he continues to film and appear on TV shows, including The New Yorker and Saturday Night Live (SNL).
Meyers has credited SNL with helping him build his “tool kit” of comedy. He has also said he has learned a lot from Bill Murray and Alec Baldwin. At 35, Meyers is already a veteran of TV and film and has released an acclaimed career-spanning comedy special. And let’s face it, at this point, he’s probably best known for that Robin Hood costume.
A New Approach To Old Problems
One of the defining features of Meyers’ comedy is how he uses his observations about current events and pop culture to comment on — and often critique — the entertainment industry.
Perhaps his best known bit is his routine about Donald Trump. In the bit, he imagines what it would be like if Trump became president. In doing so, he highlights the absurdity of much of Trump’s rhetoric and positions, not to mention how little he has actually done to accomplish any of his campaign promises — aside from the fact that he’s already appointed more than half of them.
While comedy is a serious matter to Meyers and his team at Meyerism, they also know when to have fun. Here, he and Alec Baldwin are seen playing Pokemon Go on a mobile phone.
Meyers also lampoons Meryl Streep’s over-the-top romantic comedies. In one of the most hilarious scenes from The Last Donavan, Streep plays a diva who insists on having a gigantic wedding cake for her reception, even though the bride-to-be (Kerry Washington) is vegetarian. (A veggie wedding cake? Unthinkable! How quaint!)
Why Hollywood?
Meyers is making the rounds of LA talk shows to promote The Last Donavan. The film, he says, is a love letter to Hollywood and the entertainment industry. “It’s funny to me that people think of Hollywood and entertainment as separate things, like they’re not connected,” he says. “Because if you look at history, people have always turned to the movies to escape the stresses of daily life, whether it was the Great Depression or World War II. Now it’s our turn.”
Indeed, Meyers sees the current pandemic as an opportunity to have some fun with Hollywood. “This is a chance for people to go to the movies and forget about their problems for an hour,” he says. “I think people will really respond to that. It’s a nice change of pace.”
Ambitious Comedy Writer
Seth Meyers is certainly not your typical Hollywood comedian. Besides having an interest in politics and current events, he is also a serious writer and film director. Meyers has written for The New Yorker and Saturday Night Live (SNL) and also directed and produced the 2018 documentary Trumped: How the Media Undermined America’s First Black President.
The Trump documentary won a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Meyers was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Meyers is certainly not your typical Hollywood comedian. Besides having an interest in politics and current events, he is also a serious writer and film director. Meyers has written for The New Yorker and Saturday Night Live (SNL) and also directed and produced the 2018 documentary Trumped: How the Media Undermined America’s First Black President.
The Trump documentary won a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and Meyers was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Meyers has said that he wants to make Hollywood his “forever home,” and for good reason. There is a wealth of opportunities in Hollywood, not just for comedians but for anyone who wants to succeed in this versatile industry. According to the Hollywood Vampires, there are currently more than 500 open positions in film, television, and content creation. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Hollywood Is A Comedy Genre All Its Own
Not only is Hollywood a city, but it’s also a genre. While people in other cities might watch Shakespeare in the Park or see a musical while they’re dining at a restaurant, in Hollywood, they might go to the movies to laugh.
The industry has always been a source of humor for those who work in it and those who watch it. Perhaps the most famous example is Wayne Knight — he of The Walking Dead and The Fresh Pea Chili Caper fame — who played Rockefeller in a series of Benjamin Muller short films in the 1950s. The first one was named Oh, Say Can You Swing (a play on Muller’s Oh, Say Can You Dance film).
Or take Robin Mueller, who played Ted on How I Met Your Mother and the titular character in the Ferris Bueller film. He began his career in the industry as a television writer, and many of his scripts were dark comedies. His writing partner, Bob Gale, described him as a “comic genius.”
The list of comedic giants who worked in the industry is staggering. Perhaps the best-known screenwriter/director in history is Billy Wilder, whose credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Double Duck (twice), and Sunset Boulevard. In fact, Sunset Boulevard was the first movie ever nominated for an Academy Award.
Another important consideration is that, unlike many cities and towns, there is a thriving population of older generations in Hollywood. This has led to a rise in the number of senior jobs in the industry. For example, the senior director roles on TV shows like Greys Anatomy and The Handmaid’s Tale have increased by nearly 50% since 2014. And the Hollywood Vampires noted that the open positions for writers, editors, and producers increase with each passing year, which could potentially lead to more employment opportunities for people over 55.
Hollywood And The Entertainment Industry Are Dynamic
Not only does Hollywood change with the times but so does the entertainment industry. Even the most traditional industries, like drama and music, have seen major changes in the way they operate since the beginning of this year. And, of course, digital media and social media have forever changed how people get their news and entertainment.