“Makes me laugh so hard”: The scene Bill Hader called “the funniest thing I’ve ever been in”
Bill Hader has played a central role in some of the funniest moments in my film-watching life.
Watching him test smoke a joint in the early stages of Pineapple Express lives long in the memory, while his hospital scene in the stupid, albeit fun, Hot Rod showcased his innate comedy timing. But it was the role of Officer Slater in Superbad that introduced my adolescent brain to the world of cinema comedy.
He was the unsung hero of a film that fired on all humorous cylinders, propping up the sideplot of McLovin’s cop-fueled quest with his one-liners. I won’t get into the specifics of any of his jokes, but it’s best left saying that his performance has left the career of Waylon Jennings as completely marred to me now.
He is one of the most well-timed comedians in the business, having learned his trade in the unforgiving live environment of SNL. But while his tools were fine crafted on that set, it was clear he had an innate talent that would take him as far as he has. And it wasn’t just critics who noticed that, no, it was one of the greatest comedians on the planet, also. Bill Murray once said, “I think Bill Hader probably did the best work anybody ever did on that show. It took him a little while to get going, but I think when he got rolling, it was extraordinary.”
But while his acting has been the source of my own laughter, time after time, it’s clear that he is an actor who loves to share that same sense of emotional joy. Every joke he makes or line he delivers is tightly holding back a fit of laughter that is ready to break at any given minute, sparking joint chaos amongst his cast.
In fact, on SNL, he was regularly known for breaking character during sketches and, in turn, causing a domino effect of laughter amongst his fellow castmates. So it’s no surprise that an episode of television, which he considers one of the funniest of all time, is one he was in, in the background.
“I don’t know how many people saw it, but I did this show called Documentary Now! There’s an episode of that called ‘The Eye Doesn’t Lie’ that I think is the funniest thing I’ve ever been in. That episode makes me laugh so hard. And one of the actors in it, Gary Kraus, that’s why I cast him as the Chief of Police in Barry—because he’s so funny in ‘The Eye Doesn’t Lie’.
For all the brilliant performances Hader delivered, in the world of someone else’s writing, Barry is a show he would happily consider his baby. It’s seen him take on the role of a writer as well as an actor, and allowed him to straddle the line somewhere between drama and comedy, which in the end, earned him a much-deserved Grammy win. But as he continues to become a prolific force in drama and comedy, he should probably steer clear of Kraus.
