Chris Hardwick

Chris Hardwick, who  is a producer, writer, actor, comedian, and TV personality, is best known for hosting “Talking Dead @Midnight” and “Talking with Chris Hardwick.” He is the host of the American game show, “The Wall,” which gives contestants the chance to earn large sums of money by battling trivia questions and a 40-foot wall. New episodes of the show premiere Tuesdays on NBC, Peacock, and Hulu. He also known for his comedy special “Chris Hardwick: Funcomfortable.”

What inspired you to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
I was always obsessed with comedy, from as far back as I can remember. In the 70s, I loved watching Steve Martin on SNL (he was the reason I ever wanted to do comedy in the first place). My parents took note and started feeding the comedy habit: recording stand-up specials, buying me books, records, etc. Other kids played sports and collected baseball cards, I played video games and collected comedy albums. In the 80s, there was a massive stand-up comedy boom, so the timing was perfect for a comedy-hungry kid like me.

How did you get started?
I did comedy in college a bit but my first break in the business was hosting a game show at MTV in 1994 called “Trashed.” It was a silly, fun show where teams of people would bring their personal possessions and during the game, if they missed a question their stuff would get destroyed by elaborate contraptions. It didn’t last long, but thankfully MTV kept me around to VJ for a Summer before they put me on a dating show called “Singled Out,” which luckily was much more successful and ran from 95-98.

Can you share a piece of advice you received early on in your career that has stuck with you?
I was lucky to open for a wonderful comedian named Louie Anderson in about 1996. The Friday show went GREAT. I had a really good set. So good, in fact, that I invited my parents to the Saturday show. Then, the Saturday show came. I bombed it so hard! I didn’t understand; they were the same jokes. What happened? I was inexperienced. I was devastated and embarrassed. Louie Anderson was a stand-up I had loved watching for well over a decade, and I just ate it right before he went on stage. Not surprisingly, he immediately won the crowd back when he went up and had a killer set. After the show I apologized profusely but he was so calm and kind. It didn’t faze him. He very empathetically told me, “Eh, don’t sweat it. You’re a new comedian! Go get on stage 100 times and then see where you’re at. You just can’t know who you are on stage or what you wanna say until you do it at least that many times.” And he was right. It’s just something you have to do repeatedly. Even after you have you have a crappy show, curse at the Universe, and hate yourself the whole ride home, you’ll still want to get on stage the next night. And if you’re doing shows most nights of the week you can hit 100 shows pretty quickly. It’s advice I have re-shared many times over to other new comedians asking for advice. Sadly, Louie passed away last year. It was a great loss for comedy. He was brilliantly hilarious and a kind soul.

What is your approach to hosting?
Every show has a structure that ultimately is the foundation for why the show exists. I do my best to have fun in the gaps in between those structure parts. I think the keyword there is FUN. It’s important to do so. Otherwise, what’s the point? I’m not sure it would be enjoyable to watch someone who didn’t want to be there. As far as my more boring technical approach to hosting, not to sound all horse-whisper-y about it, but if you listen, each show will more or less tell you exactly what it needs you to do.

How do you prepare for each show?
This might sound weird, but there isn’t a ton of prep for me to do. As long as I understand the basic structure and framework of whatever the show is, the majority of what I do involves just being present. If I overprepare then I find that I’m too focused on that and not enough on being in the moment. Obviously for “Talking Dead” my prep was watching “The Walking Dead,” but with other shows I’m more or less able to turn up and go to work. Now, it is necessary to point out that it is possible for me to do this because I am fortunate enough to have worked with PHENOMENAL producers, writers, directors, and crews who are so flawless at their jobs that it makes it easier for me to show up and do mine.

As a stand-up comedian, how does your approach to stand-up differ from hosting?
My stand-up is WAY less structured. About 40% of what I do is chat with the audience, so even though there are core jokes that carry over, no two shows are exactly the same. Also, a few years ago I brought a guitar on stage and started turning bits into songs. At that time, I hadn’t been playing for very long so I was up front about it. I said something like, “You basically just paid to watch a dude learn to play guitar on stage,” and the audiences were cool about it, I think because I included them in the process. With stand-up, for me, of course, you tend to want things to go perfectly every time you go on stage, but honestly the imperfections and little mistakes can often be the gems that end up being the best parts of the show.

From the variety of shows you’ve hosted, which one has been your favorite so far? Why?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I honestly don’t know if I can answer that. Each show has its own personality that is gratifying in different ways. Maybe @midnight was the most like an extension of me? Making dumb jokes and puns about stuff we found on the internet with a panel of great comedians was an absolute blast! But I’m beyond grateful that I’ve gotten to do a job I love for so many years, let alone for so many fun shows.

What can people expect from Season 5 of The Wall? Will there be a chance to see new rules or challenges in Season 5?
Every season our wonderful showrunner and creator Andrew Glassman adds something new to up the stakes. This season contestants have the option to do something called “Wall To Wall,” where they can put a ball in all seven slots during a question. However, they need to be confident that their teammate might know the answer because if they don’t, it’s seven red balls raining chaos down on their total dollar amount. More people did this than I would have thought. It is a nailbiter! Obviously, I have no control over what happens but I’m always rooting for the contestants and happy when they win. They’re all such nice people and lovely examples of how humans can be—kind, selfless, compassionate. I love doing this show and it holds a special place in my heart.

What can fans expect from you in the future?
I’m working on a new show that I’m excited about but hasn’t been announced just yet, so hopefully I’ll be able to talk about it sometime in the not-too-distant future. Also, more stand-up. I have a new comedy special brewing. And separately I’ve been making and recording a bunch of dumb comedy songs the last couple of years so maybe I’ll release those in the form of an album-type thing at some point? But most importantly, Lydia and I will be hanging out with the coolest and best little human in the world, our daughter Dimity, who is already sixteen months old. How does time move so fast? I do love working, and it used to be my main priority, but now it’s definitely her and family. So, I’ll be a dad first, then fit in fun work stuff here and there around that where it makes sense.

Social Media.
Instagram: @hardwick

CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz + @mikeruiz.one
Talent: Chris Hardwick
Videographer: Zapman Creative Haus
Fashion Stylist: Estelle Aporongao at Exclusive Artists
Groomer: Raquel Moreno
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Gabriela Gonzalez, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine

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