Where this was said
Stand-Up, Silence, and the Courage of the Open Mic
At 31:55 · chapter starts 30:00
The conversation pivots to stand-up comedy — a form all four have dabbled in. Olyphant did open mics near the Comedy Cellar in New York at a place called Boston Comedy Club. Will Arnett talks about preparing for his role in Is This Thing On? — director Bradley Cooper had him go to the Comedy Cellar in character (and not in character) to experience it raw, telling him to 'not try to rely on tricks.' The overwhelming consensus: nothing prepares you for the wall of silence that greets you the moment you step onstage before you've said a single word. Sean Hayes caps it with his legendary first stand-up joke: 'They say ballet is one of the most difficult things to do. So I just say, don't do it.' Olyphant, to his credit, responds generously.
To appear on SmartLess, Olyphant had to dig out an old desktop, discovered it had only USB ports, and ended up using a manager's office instead. He doesn't own a laptop. He admits he reads SmartLess transcripts rather than listening to the show.
