Yesterday I had the fortunate opportunity to participate in a conference call with the hilarious Chris D’Elia, who plays the boyfriend, Alex, of the title character on NBC’s Whitney. It was a fun call, and I’d like to thank Chris for taking the time to talk with us.
Be sure to check out tonight’s new episode, “A Decent Proposal”, at 9:30/8:30c on NBC. (A preview of tonight’s episode can be found at the bottom of this page.)

Alex is a much more stable adult than some of your more recent characters like on Workaholics and Glory Daze. Do you find it more difficult to be funny while playing, like, a normal character than one of these crazy, over the top characters?

Chris: I’ll say.  That’s an interesting question. It’s a different thing. I think that when you’re playing an over the top, say, child molester, yeah, it’s more wow and in your face. And I think it’s a little – if you have a handle on the character it’s a little easier to make people laugh with it.

But I think the humor from Whitney comes within the – it’s not the, “Wow, oh my God, what am I watching” factor, it’s the, “I can identify with that.” And that’s why I think it’s funny. So if you can kind of hook into, you know, the real life of it all, I think that that’s what makes people laugh as well, in a different way as, you know, in a much different way than the character I played on Workaholics or Glory Daze on TBS, we’ll say.

Alex and Whitney are always competing with each other.  Why do you think everything is a competition with them?

Chris: I think that what it is is Whitney comes up with a nonexistent problem that she just creates in her own world and in her head, and then Alex kind of has fun with it and just kind of, like, goes along with it. And then, you know, he’s just a guy about it, he’s like, “All right, if this is what she thinks, then I’ll just go along with it and I’ll try to make it better and fix it, even though it’s not really a problem.” So I think it’s less about him being competitive with her and more just about him having fun with it.

And she kind of – she’s the competitive one. But I will say in a few episodes, you’ll definitely see Alex’s competitive side come out because it has to do with sports. He gets way too competitive and kind of flies off the handle.

Speaking of that romantic competition in the upcoming episode, how well would you do in a real life situation like that?

Chris: Oh, gosh. Trying to be romantic? Oh, you know, if I have to, like, set things up, I would not do well. I mean, if I had to, like, do a picnic with, like, roses, I don’t think I would fare too well with that. I’m not good at, like, location picking.

And, you know, dressing up I can do and I think I can – I think I’m good with, like, saying romantic things that would make a girl maybe, like, giggle, or – but dude, if you’re coming to me to look for you – to take you on, like, a horse and carriage ride, I would just be – I would just not even – I’d be like where do you get – I don’t even know where you get a horse and – I don’t know where any of that happens. I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know, if you want to go on a picnic, I don’t know where to – what park do we go to?

I would feel like I’d go to the wrong park and I’m not the guy for that. That’s so – that probably paints me in a terrible light, but yeah, that’s funny. Alex has gotten me beat on the romance, for sure.

How much does Alex reflect your views of modern relationships?

Chris: Actually, I think his views on relationships are pretty similar to mine, you know. I mean, Whitney wrote this with me in mind, and so I am playing, I guess for lack of a better word, a version of myself. But I think I do believe that, you know, nowadays especially, that people can be happy couples and be unmarried and just be a couple.

I think that’s okay. We live in, like, a society where everybody’s like, “Oh, when are you getting married?” And then you get married, it’s like, “When are you having kids? When is this and when is that?”

It’s like, but it’s okay to just be. And I think that that’s what Alex and Whitney are doing and they’re enjoying themselves a lot more than a lot of married couples. I mean, not all of them but some of them.

You know, it’s not about being married or not married. It’s about just being and being happy with the person you’re with and taking it day by day. And that’s exactly how I feel, so…

You’re an actor and a comedian, but if you weren’t performing, what else could you see yourself doing?

Chris: Oh, man. I think I’d have one outfit and I’d be on a bench somewhere. I don’t know, man. I mean, I’ve stuck with this profession for a long time.

I’ve just recently gotten some success in the past few years, but there were ten years there were I was just kind of just, I mean, kicking around. I was really just, you know, and people were like, “Oh, you stayed with it, that’s so great, it’s such a great success story.” But it’s like, I just kind of didn’t know what else to do.

I don’t even know what I would – I don’t know what I could do. I have – I really don’t know, and I’ve thought about this a lot. Like, there’s no way I would have 9 to 5, absolutely now.

I couldn’t – I mean, but I would need to do something creative. So I don’t know what I would do. I mean, I’ve always been somebody who wanted to be in front of strangers making them laugh, so standup is just kind of what I felt like I was born to do.

I guess I have no answer. But let’s say fireman, because that sounds – fireman sounds good. Let’s say fireman.

Do you watch Whitney when it airs on Thursday nights?

Chris: I like to watch it. I know some actors are weird about watching themselves, but maybe I just like myself too much. I just, like, watch – I like to watch it with, you know, I mean it doesn’t even matter with who.

I just like to, just kind of sit and watch. Because, you know, you work so hard on these episodes, it’s just like there’s something cool – oh, I’ll tell you what I do, actually. I like to check Twitter while I’m watching it and see what people are saying. That’s what I like to do.

Last week when you guys were doing impressions of each other, it looked like you guys were honestly laughing. Is there a lot of ad lib that’s done on your part?

Chris: That’s a huge compliment. There’s not that much ad lib. I mean, we have a lot of really great writers that work, you know, tirelessly on, like, what’s the best joke or thing to say.

And I think that’s, you know, I take that as a compliment because, you know, it makes it feel like we’re really – I think that what people are responding to when they say that is Whitney and I know each other. And so I think it comes – I think our playfulness, because we know each other, you know, we weren’t two actors that were just hired and then put in a room together that try to act like we know each other, we do know each other. And I think that, you know, look – I laugh during takes and it’s not out of character.

It’s in my character because that’s who I am with Whitney, you know? I mean, we’re not in a relationship together, but we – but that’s what we do. We talk and we laugh and that’s what people do, and so I think that people respond to that and think that sometimes it’s ad lib.

You know, I will say I’m not spot on line by line, because I’m just – because of my unprofessionalism, and so maybe that comes off because, like, I’ll throw in something that wasn’t in the script. But that’s, you know, that’s every now and then. But I think that, you know, if that’s what you count as ad lib then yeah, maybe a little bit, but mostly it’s, I mean, 95 to 98% is just the writers’ work.

What do you find are the benefits of having a live audience for Whitney versus the other stuff you’ve worked on where there was no live audience?

Chris: Well, I like both. I like the challenge of no live audience because I can try and make the crew laugh, and I know if I hear giggles from the crew, because they’re supposed to be quiet, then I’m definitely doing a good job. But if I hear – you know, the audience is great for – especially for Whitney and I, because we’re both standup comedians and we’re used to that.

I mean, we’d go on stage every night and so – for standup. So having that audience there really feels good for us because we can know a joke is funny because the audience is laughing at it or not. And so, you know, if the joke bombs we’ll rewrite it real quickly – the writers will rewrite it real quickly and then we’ll do another, well, alternative version of it.

So the energy is a lot higher on a multi-camera, that’s for sure. And we feed off that as comics, it’s great.

We’ve already seen Whitney’s silent treatment stand-up routine in the show. Will we see any of yours in upcoming episodes?

Chris: We actually – last week there was – I played the German character for a scene, just like as – to spice up our sex life. And that’s definitely from my standup act.

There’s – you know, the writers know me and Whitney, obviously, has known me for a while so she writes for me. There’s a scene where I play, you know, where I’m playing drunk – where I am drunk in it, rather, and I have a lot of standup about – a lot of material about that. And so they’re kind of trying to write towards my strong points, which is great, and they try to do that with all the characters and actors.

But, you know, they write a lot of physical stuff for me too because, you know, I do – I am kind of more of a physical comedian. But yeah, so every now and then they are dropping some stuff in like that, you know, Whitney’s always really cool at passing the ball and letting me do my thing too. She doesn’t have this whole, like, mentality where she’s like, you know, it’s my show, I want to be great. It’s way more about all of us which is so nice and refreshing.

What’s going to be on the gag reel, the extras that won’t be used on the show?

Chris: A lot of laughter. I mean, we just have a good time, man. It’s like, her and, you know – not just her and I, everybody on the show – it’s like, you know, like I say, we feel like every – at least every few seconds that we’re going to start laughing. I mean, we try and make each other laugh. We’re trying to mess each other up.

We’re trying to make each other laugh so we have to cut and do it again, because that’s when we feel like the energy is best and that’s fun. So on the gag reel there’s going to be a lot of – I mean, there’s just a lot of busting up and laughing and messing with each other and, you know, little things like we can’t get in the door and just goof-ups and stuff like that, so we’ll see.

Alex sold an Internet company. Will we see more from that geeky side of him?

Chris: You know, I don’t know. I know they’re trying to paint Alex as, like, a guy’s guy, so I don’t know if that’ll come in more. I mean, there are – there have been mentions of it, but Alex is kind of just out of a job right now, just kind of enjoying his time because he made some money off of his Internet company, so it’s less about that geeky side right now and more about just, you know, him being a guy’s guy.

How did you and Whitney initially meet?

Chris: We met at – I’ll tell you where. Well, it was definitely – it was an open mic over at – in L.A., somewhere in Hollywood, and we just kind of were both starting out. She had been doing standup maybe a little bit longer than I had, but we both didn’t know who each other was and we just kind of started talking and we took a liking to each other, and we just started doing standup.

And then we both wound up at the Comedy Store where we would bring each other up on stage, you know, I would follow her, she would follow me, and it just became – we became really good friends. And we’ve known each other now for about five or six years and she, you know, she put me on the first thing she produced, called Live Nude Comedy as a standup. I was in a segment on that and that was my first standup set that I ever did, and now she’s casting me in these network shows.

So she’s just really – she’s been a good friend to me. And, you know, we’ve always kept our friendship, though, which is great. You know, it doesn’t feel like she’s my boss, even though she definitely is.

It just feels like, you know, a very cool, fun time on set. And it’s always great around – I mean, she’s just so – she’s such a great person to know and great person to be around.

You said that she wrote the part with you in mind, but did you still have to prove yourself to NBC, and read in front of the executives?

Chris: Yeah, as I always say, like, in Hollywood, you know, everybody always hears, “Hey, I wrote this part for you,” and then, you know, the common thing to think is just, “Oh, I wonder who’s going to end up playing it.” But, you know, she wrote it for me, with me in mind, and that doesn’t mean anything. I mean, that literally means nothing in Hollywood.

It’s just, you know, I’ve heard that a lot of times and not have gotten the part. But, you know, she definitely had me come in and I had to audition three times, just like everybody else, you know, in front of the network, in front of the producers, in front of, you know, everybody. So yeah, I still had to test and get by, jump through all the hoops and all that, but yeah.

Were you still nervous, like, this is my part to lose?

Chris: Dude, I don’t really get nervous, man, anymore. I’ve been doing this for so long and it’s just like I can honestly say that. It’s weird.

I don’t believe people when they say that, but maybe it’s because I do standup every night and it’s just like, people just watch me every day, so it just doesn’t – it’s like you’re either going to want me or not, and it doesn’t matter to me. Like, if you want me to do your project – I only want to do your project if you want me to do your project. I don’t want to do it if you don’t think I’m going to be right for it. Then get somebody else.

So no, you know, I knew Whitney wanted me to do it and I knew it was up to the network. And if they wanted me to do it, great, and they did and now I’m super excited to do it, you know? That’s pretty much how it works with me.

Alex & Whitney both confide in their friends whenever there’s a problem in the relationship. Do you agree with this approach of bringing in friends to deal with his issues?

Chris: I think that it’s tough because with friends you never know, but I think I would probably do that. In my life, I would do that more with my family. I mean, I feel – I’m a big believer in the fact that you don’t know about a relationship unless you’re actually in it. So, you know, I don’t know if that’s the best thing to do.

I mean, you definitely need to bounce off your ideas and your feelings on somebody, and if your family isn’t close by, then, you know, a lot of people’s family don’t get their situation, but I’m lucky because mine does and I can always talk to them. But yeah, I feel like it’s a good thing to do but, you know, you’ve got to always take it with a grain of salt, I guess I’ll say.

Alex’s one night stand with Whitney becomes a three-year relationship. Do you think that the quick pace contributed to her insecurities about the relationship, or does Neal and Lily’s solid relationship also make her doubtful?

Chris: She’s not – I don’t think she’s doubtful in our relationship. The only thing that she’s doubtful with in the relationship is if she wants to ever get married. I mean, in the beginning of the episode – in the beginning of the season, she’s just like, “Marriage, no way, I would never get married, it doesn’t make any sense.” But by the end of the, you know, episode in the pilot, she comes to realize why there are good reasons to get married and she sees the other side of it.

And every episode basically is her and I getting either closer to that or further away. You know, she knows she wants to be with me and she knows she wants to be with – or Alex, rather – and she knows she wants to be with Alex forever, and Alex says the same about her. But, you know, marriage isn’t necessarily the first thing on their mind, you know, if you’re talking about that, I guess…

Do you think that Alex is a good boyfriend? 

Chris: I look at Alex and I think, “Oh man, if I could be more like that, that would definitely be helpful in the relationships in my life,” yeah. I think he’s a good boyfriend, yeah. He’s a TV boyfriend, he has to be good.

How is it different for you to prepare for a standup gig and a sitcom episode?

Chris: The difference is I don’t prepare for standup. I just go up on stage with ideas that I think are funny and that’s pretty much what I – all I do. And then I go on stage and I try to work them out. That is me preparing.

But, you know, sitcom – or the live studio audience, I’ve got to go up and I’ve got to be prepared when we’re shooting, so that’s what all week is for, just rehearsing and going over it and all that. I never do that with standup. I feel like rehearsing is performing with standup.

If you had to define your costars, Whitney, Rhea, Dan, Maulik and Zoe, how would you do it?

Chris: At this point, how I would describe them in actual real life, the actual actors?  Well I keep waiting to – every time I’m on a new show or a new set, I always am, like, I wonder who the diva’s going to be or who the jerk’s going to be. But I’m still waiting. I mean, they’re really good people.

They’re really – they’re friends of mine, all of them individually, and I just – I guess I would describe them as friends, really. I mean, they’re just such – they’re really fun to be around, the set and the vibe around set is so fun, and that’s a credit to them. And it’s just – they’re really good people and, I don’t know, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and it seems to not be.