We interview Eric Petersen, Emmy-nominated actor and star of Kevin Can F**k Himself on AMC!
We interview Eric Petersen, Emmy-nominated actor and star of Kevin Can F**k Himself on AMC. Tune in to learn more about how he achieved his dream of staring in a sitcom, his take on the theatre industry, how to break into the voice acting field, insightful life advice, and useful fashion tips!
Spoiler Warning from 28:09 to 36:36
Eric’s Social Media:
instagram.com/theportlygentleman
Transcript available on our website
BJ (00:10):
So, welcome to The Pilot Podcast. This week we have a special episode. Today, we're joined by the Emmy nominated actor and the man behind the quintessential sitcom husband, Kevin McRoberts. Welcome, Eric Petersen.
Eric Petersen (00:23):
Hi, guys. How you doing?
Mitu (00:25):
Welcome. We're so excited and happy to chat with you today. Would you like to introduce yourself to our listeners?
Eric Petersen (00:30):
Sure. My name's Eric Petersen. I'm an actor. I live in Los Angeles, California. I'm originally from Chicago, suburbs of Chicago to be more exact. If I ever say I'm from Chicago people that are actually from the city of Chicago really give me a lot of gruff. So, I have to say suburbs of Chicago. And I've been an actor for 20 years or so. So, yeah.
Mitu (00:54):
So, to start, we have to talk about the role of Kevin. And I don't know if you listened to our review of the show. I felt bad if you did, because I shared that I felt, in credit to your acting skills, mad and like itchy every time you were on screen. And so, I'm curious about what inspired your portrayal of Kevin McRoberts?
Eric Petersen (01:18):
Thanks. And that's okay. That's okay that you said that. It's right. I think the point of the character is to make you uncomfortable, right? So, Kevin McRoberts is your prototypical, stereotypical, right down the middle of the barrel sitcom husband, right? So, what I was sort of drawing on as I created the character with our brilliant show creators, Valerie Armstrong and who's our brilliant EP and show creator, and the rest of the cast and crew.
Eric Petersen (01:47):
I really was trying to take inspiration from all those sitcom husband/dads that we've seen over the years. People like, obviously, Jackie Gleason and The Honeymooners, Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor in Home Improvement, Archie Bunker in All in the Family, Peter Griffin on Family Guy, Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray Romano's character. So, really, obviously, Kevin on King of Queens, Kevin James' character. So, there's a lot of stuff to draw from.
Eric Petersen (02:19):
What I was aiming to do with the show in my character for what my role is doing is to hopefully make it so that the performance feels familiar and it feels like, "Oh, yeah. We know this guy. We've seen him in hundreds of hours of television." And hopefully does make you laugh, hopefully there are a few moments here and there that the physical comedy or the jokes will make you legitimately laugh, but then also to sort of highlight the bad behavior that has sort of slid under the radar once there's a laugh track somehow our minds kind of get immune to the judgment that we probably should be putting on these characters.
Eric Petersen (02:56):
So, I was trying to make it where you would be like, "Oh, yeah. We know this guy. We like this guy. We're supposed to like this guy and he's funny." But then I'll say things or do things that make you go, "Ugh, god. Wait. What have we been laughing at? Is this really what we've been like cheering on for decades and decades?" So, if you felt uncomfortable, mission accomplished.
Mitu (03:19):
Thank you. I definitely did feel uncomfortable, but as you shared, you do have those genuine laughs like we talked about this in the pilot where there was the gag with your boss that was genuinely funny. It made me laugh out loud when you won your boss over, but then like you said there's that moment after where you go, "Oh, no. He's actually not being the greatest husband right now."
Mitu (03:42):
So, you mentioned a lot of sitcoms that inspire your portrayal of Kevin and it definitely as I watched made me think of all these sitcoms that I grew up loving. I grew up in a home with immigrant parents so I learned a lot of colloquial English from like classic sitcoms. And so, it definitely made me rethink my relationship to those sitcoms. And I wonder if it did the same for you as you were creating this character with the powers that be with behind the show?
Eric Petersen (04:14):
Yeah. It did. And it's interesting because I, like I'm not alone in this, but I love sitcoms. I've always loved them, even when I was a young actor and sort of coming up in my career. My main goal was to be on a sitcom. Doing a dramatic movie would be awesome, star in Broadway shows that was also awesome, but the main, the mountaintop for me and what I loved growing up and why I think I sort of became an actor was I wanted to be on a sitcom.
Eric Petersen (04:45):
I love that family sitcom dynamic. There's something about it that always really spoke to me. So, I was a huge fan. I've watched hundreds and hundreds of hours of sitcoms. I was actually teaching a class on multi-cam sitcom acting at a college in Los Angeles a month before I got this job. So, it's something that is deeply ingrained in my psyche and experience and stuff that I love. So, as we were creating character, one of the things that was important to me was that we weren't bashing sitcoms and making it so a comment that like all sitcoms are terrible and we should hate every sitcom that's ever been made.
Eric Petersen (05:22):
And luckily, Val, to her credit said, "That's not what we're trying to do. We're trying to expose the flaws in it and kind of tip it on its head, shake it a little bit, and shake out the bad stuff. But there is still like as an art form, I think it still stands. There's great art that can be made through multi-cam sitcom." Now, how it has affected my viewing of sitcoms after making this show, it definitely has changed it. There's a character like Tim Allen on Home Improvement.
Eric Petersen (05:48):
Home Improvement was one of my favorite shows as a kid, but now looking back and looking at the character of Jill, the wife, who was always put upon. There was always something for her to be like, "Oh, geez. What are you guys doing?" And they didn't give her a lot of stuff to actually be funny with or have a character arc that was really, she had something that she was working towards. It was all usually pretty just reactive to Tim's terrible ideas and hijinks, right?
Eric Petersen (06:16):
And so, it has really made me sort of view some of those shows with a more critical eye and definitely with a sense of like, "Oh man, I wish they wouldn't have made that joke or couldn't we have given that joke to a different character or maybe they should have been called out on their bad behavior more aggressively." So, it's definitely made me view the shows that I grew up loving with a more critical eye I would say.
Mitu (06:41):
I feel very similarly. I empathize and I sympathize, because sitcoms are the highest form of art to me. BJ often makes fun of me for how much I love them. And you were featured in many. Do you have any favorite experiences from shows that you guest starred on or were part of?
Eric Petersen (07:01):
Yeah. That is true. I've been able to do a lot of multi-cam acting, which is fun. I think that's one of the reasons that I probably was cast because I know that… When we were shooting the multi-cam stuff, there was quite a few times where not only some of the cast, but even the directors were like, "Okay. What should we… Is this the right vibe, Eric? You've done a bunch of multi-cam, but we…" Even our director had never done multi-cam before. So, they would ask me like, "Is this sort of, are we in the right wheelhouse?" And I'm like, "Yeah. This is right. This is where it should be."
Eric Petersen (07:33):
And so, yeah. Things that I've done, I was on a show called Kirstie for a full season which was very exciting for me. It was my first real big TV job it was with Kirstie Alley, Michael Richards, Rhea Perlman and myself, and that was awesome working with these people that had been on legendary shows, the Seinfeld and Cheers. Basically, two of the top shows ever in regards to sitcoms.
Eric Petersen (07:57):
And then, with me, and so I learned a lot through them and learned a sense of timing and how to work with the cameras in regards to multi-cam acting as opposed to single cam acting. One of the things that we sadly were not able to really experience that we wanted to because of the pandemic was originally the plan was when we did all the multi-cam stuff, we were going to have a full studio audience and do it the way that they do it normally with a warm-up guy and have the music playing, and they're serving pizza to the audience and it's like a whole experience.
Eric Petersen (08:28):
We weren't able to do that obviously because of COVID. We did have a group of about, I think it was about like 12 to 15 laughers is what we call them. And they were like local Bostonian people who got paid some sort of day rate to basically come to the studio. They were all masked up and six feet apart and sort of behind the curtain, but they were watching the live feed of what we were doing, and they were recording their laughter.
Eric Petersen (08:50):
So, we actually had something to work with, because doing multi-cam comedy without actual laughter coming back at you is death. It throws off the timing and the feel of it. And so, I was glad that we had that. To your question about do I have any experiences that have been great in multi-cam? I would say I mean obviously doing Kirstie was amazing. One of the cool things that I did, I was on one episode of Big Bang Theory, and A, that's a hugely popular show. So, that was exciting.
Eric Petersen (09:21):
I was on it in its, I don't know, like sixth, fifth or sixth season something like that. So, sort of right at the height of it when it was super popular. Number one show on TV. And what I found that was so cool on that set was that every single person down to the last grip and PA had such a... I described it as a forward energy. Everybody was sort of leaning forward on their toes with an attitude of like, "We are the number one show on TV. Let's make the number one show on TV."
Eric Petersen (09:53):
And so, every writer, you could just sense this feeling of like, "I'm going to write the best joke that I can for this moment." Every prop guy, "Let me get the best prop." And all the actors were on their game. So, it's very exciting to be a part or be on set with people that were really clicking at all cylinders, were comfortable with each other, knew that what they were doing was successful and just stepping into that was really exciting.
Eric Petersen (10:19):
And then, it also was a huge episode in regards to the story line of Big Bang. I was not like a avid Big Bang watcher. I'd watch here and there, but for your listeners if anybody is, I was on the episode when Sheldon and Amy kissed for the first time, which was, it was kind of a big thing.
Mitu (10:34):
Oh yeah.
Eric Petersen (10:37):
It was kind of like Ross and Rachel kissing on Friends. I think they had been dating for two seasons, but only were holding hands, because Sheldon is just sort of odd and off and had they never actually kissed. And it was the Valentine's Day episode and I played, actually, a guy named Eric that was just happenstance. Eric the train guy and basically they went on this romantic train getaway for Valentine's Day and the character of Sheldon played by the brilliant Jim Parsons is obsessed with trains, and he sort of meets me and I'm sort of basically another version of Sheldon who is also obsessed with trains and maybe on the spectrum, and is sort of… They just really bonded as characters, and then he didn't kiss Mayim Bialik's character Amy and on Valentine's Day.
Eric Petersen (11:22):
And then, eventually at the end of the episode, finally kissed. And it was so… This is kind of cool story. When they did the actual kiss, because it was a real, it was like a real kiss. And they had only held hands up to that point. When they did the first take of it of them kissing, the audience went so crazy that they actually had, they couldn't use that take because the audience was, it was nuts.
Eric Petersen (11:44):
I mean it was like they exploded, because also you have to remember that because this was their fifth or sixth season, most of the people that were at the taping were die-hard Big Bang fans, whereas sometimes when you're doing like a newer sitcom, the people that come to the taping are just like, "Hey, you want to see a Hollywood taping? Come to the television studio." They just sort of come in, and they're like, "What am I watching?"
Eric Petersen (12:05):
But when your show's been on for a while like theirs had, the people that were there were all like these were die-hard fans who loved the show. So, when they finally kissed, I mean they were tearing the seats out of the theater. I mean it was nuts. People were going nuts. So, they were like, "Okay. Now, that you've seen it, we're going to do it again and you can be excited, but contain yourselves a little bit. We have to be able to use the take." So, that was a really cool moment to sort of be a part of it.
BJ (12:29):
That's really cool. And my mom is such a Big Bang Theory fan that I'm sure if I had mention Eric the train guy, she'll remember that episode.
Eric Petersen (12:38):
You probably will, yeah.
BJ (12:40):
So, kind of taking a step back from the world of sitcoms. You also have a lot of experience in theater. You have great stage credits like The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Elf, Shrek the Musical, where you performed in Shrek on Broadway. What was that transition like going from the stage to television acting?
Eric Petersen (13:03):
Yeah. I came up in the theater. Definitely that was my first love. That's what I trained in college. I was a theater major and I love doing theater. I think it's something that I will continue to do my whole life, my whole career I would think. And the transition between the two has been… I'm one of the very lucky few to be honest, because all, I think all actors that are doing theater, almost all of them, there might be some who are like, "I don't need to do the television. I'm fine and I only work on the stage." But I would say most of them would love to be on a TV show, right? Most actors would love to be in a TV show, but it is a hard transition to make.
Eric Petersen (13:40):
It's hard to be taken seriously in both sides, because honestly if you start doing theater sometimes the TV people will be like, "Oh, he does theater. He's too big or too broad. He doesn't know how to do a smaller nuanced performance." If you do TV and you don't have any theater training or experience, it can be hard to scale it up to a larger performance size.
Eric Petersen (14:01):
I don't know why it's worked out for me, but I have been really lucky and that I've been able to do both on both coasts. I've done theater in LA and New York. I've done TV in New York and LA. I will say that like so many of these things, it's luck being prepared, ready for the moment, things just sort of feed into each other.
Eric Petersen (14:19):
I was really lucky that when I was in New York, I got some very low level basic TV stuff to begin with. So, I did some Law & Orders. I did a Comedy Central pilot that never went to air. I did a soap opera, a couple days on a soap opera. So, I had some TV credits. So, once I moved to LA, they were able to take me a little bit more seriously, whereas if you move to LA and you're like you have no TV credits, it's hard. It's a hard nut to crack because people want to see what do you look like on a screen, even though they can film it nobody wants to be that first person to give somebody a break.
Eric Petersen (14:56):
I mean it's like so many industries in the world, it's just hard to break in. Once you start getting things then they snowball. So, I've been really lucky. And in regards to the transition between the two, I always think of it as little levels. If you were a producer in a recording session, and they have the little knobs of like, "Oh, want a little more trouble here, a little less bass there whatever." You know how they're making little adjustments.
Eric Petersen (15:20):
That's how I view the difference between stage acting and screen acting is my feeling is if you as a person are believing the truth of the character and you are playing towards an objective with a truthful point of view and you're not putting anything on it, if that's like your baseline, then it just becomes, "Oh, I'm doing musical theater so I'm going to turn it up a little bit more and I'm still feeling that truth, but I'm just going to be a bit more performative with it." If you're doing indie film, you're just going to feel that feeling and you're not going to put anything on, because the camera will do the work for you.
Eric Petersen (15:52):
One of the things that I learned early with screen work and maybe not the role of Kevin because that's very big and broad, but if you're doing a more nuanced, if I was doing single camera stuff or more film stuff, it sounds so crazy, but you literally just have to think the thoughts. You don't have to do anything else. You just have to think the thoughts and the camera will do the work. If you're in a tight shot and you're thinking the thoughts of the character, it will work.
BJ (16:22):
Pro tip.
Eric Petersen (16:23):
Pro tip.
BJ (16:24):
And kind of going into more of your adjusting the levels, when you went to LA and were kind of making that transition more towards television, was that you feeling it was the right time in your career or was there an opportunity you went to pursue?
Eric Petersen (16:41):
How it really happened was… It's funny. When I graduated college, I went to work at this theater in Michigan called the Barn Theater in Augusta, Michigan, Southwest Michigan. And I was doing summer stock theater there, and my plan was to do that summer in Michigan, and then I was going to move to LA. I actually are… I was really still am, but I was really into punk rock at the time, and there was a label called Drive-Thru Records that was my favorite label.
Eric Petersen (17:05):
And I'd reached out to them when AOL Messenger was just starting and I reached out to the head of the record label and I was like, "Hey, man, can I come work at your record label and move into LA?" And he was like, "Yeah, man, you could be like a stock boy." So, I had a job in LA. My plan was do that summer in Michigan, move out to LA, work at this record label, and then try to start auditioning for TV shows. But that summer, when I was working at this theater, I met a girl and I thought she was pretty great and we started dating.
Eric Petersen (17:33):
And at the end of the summer, I was like, "What are you doing at the end of the summer? What's your plans?" And she was like, "Oh, I'm actually moving to New York." And I was like, "That's crazy. I'm moving to New York too." And I totally changed my plan in a conversation. And so, I moved to New York with this girl in 2003 and it was a wise move, because she is now my wife and we have two kids and we're happily married, and things are good.
Eric Petersen (17:59):
So, it was the right call. But that to be said, we lived in New York for about eight years. And then, when I got the tour of Shrek the musical, and I was playing Shrek. We found out about halfway through the tour that it was going to end in Los Angeles. So, I was like, "Well…" At this point I told her, "You know I really did want to move to LA. My plan was not to move to New York, but I moved to New York for you, but I really still do want to pursue TV and try LA."
Eric Petersen (18:24):
So, once we found out the tour was ending in LA, we were like, "Shoot. Maybe this is the time." My daughter had been born on the tour so we were like sort of a family unit all in this little minivan. And we pulled into LA, did eight weeks at the Pantages Theater in LA. And then, we sort of just moved and moved and stayed in LA. And I was lucky enough to get, I got to Modern Family like, I don't know, two or three weeks after I got here, which was great.
Eric Petersen (18:49):
And it definitely was helpful because I was in LA doing Shrek at the Pantages for eight weeks. A lot of LA casting directors got to come see that and it was sort of like, "Hey, this guy's staying in LA." And it wasn't just moving out here and setting down my suitcases at Hollywood and Vine and being like, "I'm here folks. Put me in the show."
Eric Petersen (19:09):
So, there was a nice jumping off point which I was very lucky to have, but yeah. So, that's sort of how I made the choice, because I didn't… When we left for that tour of Shrek, I had every intention of moving back to New York at the end of the tour and just continuing my life there. But once that sort of opportunity presented itself… One of the things that my wife and I have always sort of done and strived for and it's something that we're proud of, it's hard, but we're very proud of the fact that we really try to jump at opportunities in life.
Eric Petersen (19:41):
And it's hard, especially with two kids and to not have stability, but we sort of have always had this feeling of like, "You really only live once and you have to jump at opportunities when they present themselves. If you overthink them, it's death. You have to jump at things when given the opportunity." And then, on the flip side of that, if you are in a situation and things are not going well or it's uncomfortable or you're like, "This is not working." Just change it.
Eric Petersen (20:09):
So many people think they can't change their lives. You can. You just don't do what you're doing anymore. If it makes you unhappy and things are not working and you're not fulfilled, either financially or spiritually or emotionally or whatever it is and you just feel like things are not working, just change. Move to a new city. Get new friends.
Eric Petersen (20:28):
And I know that sounds easier said than done, but it kind of is easier said, and just do it. Once you say you're going to do it and you just sort of continue… I mean so many times we've had conversations with our friends where we're like, "Hey, we're moving back to New York." And they're like, "What? What do you mean? You just settled in LA."
Eric Petersen (20:43):
And I'm like, "Ah, but there's an opportunity in New York. We're going to New York." They're like, "You got two kids." And I'm like, "Yeah. That's what we're doing." And then, we make it work and it's hard, but once you get to the new place, you settle in, you're there until it's not where you need to be anymore. And then, you go to the next place. We go with the wind as we say.
BJ (20:59):
Wow. I know this wasn't your intention, but I feel like you're giving me life advice. Right now I am making a lot of career-related choices. So this is helpful.
Eric Petersen (21:08):
Well, I hope it's good advice.
Mitu (21:11):
I was just going to say, Eric, you're preaching right into BJ's soul right now. You don't even know.
Eric Petersen (21:17):
I'm glad. I hope I'm helping you.
BJ (21:19):
Definitely. Back to theater for a moment. We do want to pick your brain, because we've seen a lot during this pandemic of the democratization of Broadway, especially with these productions that are now packaging and selling virtual tickets so people can see their show and even at more affordable prices. What are your thoughts on the future of theater and how now with these changes they've been growing their interests to our broader audience?
Eric Petersen (21:48):
That's a great question. I'm going to say something here that it's not controversial, but I'll be honest. I was frustrated with the Broadway community as a whole over this pandemic, and not necessarily actors, but more from a producer's point of view. And I know a lot of Broadway producers and they're not bad people. I just think this was a missed opportunity, in my opinion. Sort of going off what you're saying BJ of a few shows decided, "Hey, let's film our shows and let's put them on Netflix, put them on Hulu, whatever. We'll sell, we'll do concerts or whatever."
Eric Petersen (22:25):
I think that there is a major hesitancy in the world of stage performing from the producer's point of view of like, "Oh, look, we can't film too much, because if we film it then people won't come to see it in person." And I think that that's bullshit, frankly. I just think that no one who saw Hamilton on Disney Plus was like, "No. I've seen it. Don't need to see it anymore."
Eric Petersen (22:48):
I think 98% of the people that saw it would have been like, "Wow. That was awesome. I would love to see that in-person. I bet that would be even better in-person." And I think that people that see something on a screen are going to inevitably if your product is good, if your show is strong and you are delivering a good product, it's been filmed well, it sounds good, people will say, "Wow. That was awesome. I would love to see the tour when it comes through my little town or I would love to go to New York and see this show."
Eric Petersen (23:17):
And I was sort of shocked that not every single Broadway show said, "Hey, all right, all of our actors go in quarantine for two weeks so everybody's good, everybody will have a negative test. We're going to go in the theater. We're going to film it. We're going to put it on Netflix, Disney Plus, whatever, and then we're going to sell it." And then, all those people who, A, are starving for content and stuff to watch, B, all the theater people who can't go into a theater because of pandemic, and you'll get more people who will just stumble upon your show.
Eric Petersen (23:48):
So, in regards to what some of the shows have been doing, which is what I think you're alluding to BJ, I think it's a great thing. Because I just think that you have to roll with the times and you have to acknowledge that every person in America is looking at a screen a large chunk of their day. And that's how we consume media and art now.
Eric Petersen (24:10):
And so, if you try to keep this old model of like, "We only will charge $140 [crosstalk 00:24:17]." You still should do that. I'm not saying we should end Broadway. I'm just saying that film this stuff, especially in this pandemic. So film it or at least film parts of it and click, and put digital content into the world, because that is where people are consuming things. And you have to lead them with your content to the actual ticket buying. And you're not going to get every single one, but I promise you, you'll get more than if you don't do anything.
Eric Petersen (24:42):
So, that's kind of my feeling. I think it's a great thing. I think that in regards to stuff being on film, I think it's great. I think that as a whole, the industry, especially Broadway is having a bit of a reckoning about practices and inclusivity and making sure that we are actually telling everybody stories, and that everybody has a voice in the room. And I think that is spectacular. And I think it's long overdue. And I think it will lead to better art and better productions and happier actors and happier creatives.
Eric Petersen (25:11):
So, I think it is a very exciting time for Broadway. I also think anytime you can have just like a, back to more life advice from [inaudible 00:25:24]. Anytime you can have a-
BJ (25:25):
I'm ready.
Eric Petersen (25:25):
... or a chapter turn in your life, I think it's good. For instance, my kids are starting school. Tomorrow is the first day of the school year here in LA, and I'm really trying to clean the house and have everything back to zero, everybody's rooms be as clean as they can, everybody like have all your stuff, because I just think that there's something mentally about chapter turns in our lives.
Eric Petersen (25:48):
And when we start to have just long chapters that go, go, go, go, go, we kind of just lose our focus and we need a reset every once in a while. Just kind of be like, "All right. Starting fresh." And so, hopefully with the theater community this sort of pandemic, while it was tragic and terrible and loss of life and jobs and there's also a lot of actors my age who were really hit hard by it in regards to just their life plans, because if you're 24, 25 years old, you've moved to New York City, you're trying to be on Broadway, this pandemic happens, everything shuts down for two years.
Eric Petersen (26:26):
At that point in your life you probably can move back home with your family maybe or you can get a job doing something and you can kind of just pause your career, right? Because you're not that deep in it yet that you can't just hit pause. If you're an older actor, maybe you're saying either you've made enough money to be like, "All right. Maybe I have a little early retirement whatever." But if you're like… I'm 40 years old, if you're in that late 30s, early 40s, maybe you've got a family and you're a working Broadway actor, and then it just all goes away. Those people were really, they were… You can't move back home with your kids and you can't or you're going to start a new career.
Eric Petersen (27:05):
So, I have a lot of friends who really were put in a hard spot from this pandemic, but all that to say, I think it's an exciting time for theater and that good things are coming.
BJ (27:16):
So, speaking of this these exciting changes and good things that are coming, do you hope to be a part of that by returning to the stage one day?
Eric Petersen (27:25):
Totally. I would absolutely love to be back on Broadway doing something. I don't have any plans as of right now. I wish I did. It's actually funny. This is the first time in my life over the last maybe a year or two that I haven't been, even when I was living in LA, I was usually going back to New York at least maybe once or twice a year to do a reading of some production or a workshop of something, but because of the pandemic, I got nothing in the pipeline in regards to theater stuff.
Eric Petersen (27:53):
So, I'm sure that will come and my feeling, I've thought about like, "Should I ask my people to start putting feelers out in New York?" I'm like, "I don't think so." Let's let Broadway get back up and running, settle in for a second, and then I can start being like, "Hey, you need this guy for anything?"
Mitu (28:09):
Switching gears back to Kevin Can F**k Himself, for anyone tuning in who hasn't watched the finale, please skip ahead, we're going to start talking some light spoilers or maybe heavy ones. We ended on a wild note with the season finale. I feel like there were many times I had to pause and yell and just like, because it was just wild.
Mitu (28:31):
We see Kevin, he has recovered from the fear of having an intruder in his home. The emotions that come with shooting someone and I believe we ended on the note where he thinks he has killed the intruder and later failing up kind of to potentially reach elected office. And so, there is still that lightness, but a lot of depth and layers to Kevin that are being uncovered as he's experiencing these very emotional things. So, how did you feel when you received that script? How did it feel to read all of those twists and turns?
Eric Petersen (29:13):
Yeah. The finale was so good. I think that they did such a great job of sort of planting all of those seeds throughout the season. And then, this sort of big crescendo to this moment. Yeah. For Kevin, the first half of the last episode, it was such an odd thing to play to really be like he's just sad. He's not laughing at anything. He's not giving any jokes and it felt so truly against the grain in a multi-cam, because multi-cam is all about energy and largeness and going for the laugh.
Eric Petersen (29:48):
And so, the first half of that episode was really… I had to play it, in my mind, sort of as a very special episode. And so, I had to play it that way, even though everything around me was still playing this sort of normal buoyant energy. And I loved the scene in the bar where he sort of is like, "My life sucks and the world sucks and everybody sucks around me." And then, these local dudes are like, "Yeah. You tell it like this."
Eric Petersen (30:15):
And I sort of love how quickly with just two or three people saying, "You're smart. I like you." But he's like, "Yeah. I'm better. Everything's great now." He's back to 100% Kevin. There's no slowly working back into his true self. He's like, "Boom." Once he has it, he's back to 100%.
Eric Petersen (30:33):
And then, going back a little bit, the scene and the end of episode seven with Annie when we hear that somebody's in the house, the intruder, that was kind of fun to play. That was actually a cool honest moment of life. It only lasts like two lines. I realized that I got to protect my family. This is important to me
Eric Petersen (30:52):
And it's so brief, because then he goes right to like, "All three of us." He goes into a joke right after that, but there was a brief moment of getting to show I think his… I don’t want to say his true character, because I think that he's been showing his true character throughout, but I mean I'm more a tender moment. And then, in regards to the political stuff, I think it's really fun. I think it provides a great jumping off point for a hopeful season two. That there's a lot of stuff that they can do if he gets elected to city council or if he doesn't, but there's, regardless, he's got more exposure in the community now which probably for everyone's sake is going to not be great.
Eric Petersen (31:29):
So, yeah. I was really excited. I think it was a great script. I think even all the stuff that they were obviously doing in the single camera stuff was also amazing with what Annie and Mary Hollis their characters are sort of having this huge emotional reckoning and connection. And then, the stuff with Neil at the end with the battle of choking Allison, it was so intense.
Eric Petersen (31:50):
I remember when I read, I loved how the way it was described in stage directions for when that fight happens between the two of them is that because it's shot in multi-cam there's that uncomfortable laughter from the audience that they're always like, "Oh, they're doing like a, they're wrestling now." And then, it's like, "Is he choking her? Oh my god." And it is that like, "Huh. What? What are we laughing at? What is happening?" And then, it smashes. It just was brilliant. I thought it was great.
Mitu (32:21):
I fully agree. And I am saying that not just because you're here, it felt so wild each outcome, but then as you're watching it, you're like, "This makes sense." And one thing I was telling BJ after we watched the first episode was, "I can't wait for a scene of Neil and Allison in the single cam versus the multi-cam because they are like Kevin's other halves and seeing them go at it."
Mitu (32:50):
And so, getting to have that last scene of Allison and Patty holding hands and Neil finally looking at them through the single cam. I thought was just a 10 out of 10.
Eric Petersen (33:01):
Yeah. Super powerful.
Mitu (33:02):
You mentioned a season two, do you have any hints or guesses as to what could be next for any of the characters? I feel like there are so many directions we could go based on how it ended.
Eric Petersen (33:16):
Yeah. Well, first of all I wish I could drop a breaking news on you right now that we're back. I don't know anything yet. We're all very hopeful. We all… Everybody in the cast and crew and creators and everybody, everybody feels really positive about it. We feel like people that watched it have loved it and it has sparked conversation and there's been lots of cool fuzzy articles written about it and what it's saying about not only male and female dynamics, but the history of television and where we are as a country right now. There's so many things that it's tackling.
Eric Petersen (33:51):
And so, we all feel very hopeful, but until you hear anything, you never know. So, we're all still fingers crossed. In regards to where it will go, I think that obviously in regards to Kevin, the role of Kevin, I think him running for office is not going to be good for Allison, right? He already sort of thinks he's king of his own castle, and if that fiefdom expands into the actual community that he has, that he thinks he's the king of, that can't be good.
Eric Petersen (34:23):
So, I think that that's one place that the role of Kevin can go. I am so curious how they will deal with the character of Neil, because now that Neil knows that they talked about killing Kevin, his best friend, who's ride or die like 100%. I don't know how they're going to keep him from telling me. I don't know if they're going to blackmail him or if they're going to have, that they will threaten him with something. I don't know. I really don't know.
Eric Petersen (34:53):
I'm not trying to lead people through. I don't know, but I'm excited to see how they'll do that, because I don't know how… They're not going to be able to justify being like, "Don't tell Kevin."
BJ (35:04):
Let's play a game don't tell him.
Eric Petersen (35:06):
So, we'll see what happens there, but I do think… I've heard people talking, especially about the character of Neil that there was lots of hints throughout the season in the multi-cam that Neil's like a big tough kind of scary dude. I mean that's how he's had a public defender. He talks about his love of fire and burning things. He's kind of a couple screws loose, big scary dude, and you don't see it in the multi-cam because it's all, "Wow, look at ole Neil." But the truth of it now that we're seeing the single cam side of him is that he's kind of a scary guy.
Eric Petersen (35:40):
So, we'll see what they do with that. Obviously, everything that's happening between Ray, who plays Sam, his character with Allison, they sort of came to a head and had a big fight. So, I don't know what's going to happen with them. Obviously with Mary Hollis and Tammy, their characters are sort of on the same level, but I think missing each other a little bit and what each of their own intentions are and who's truly in love with who, and what kind of love are you in love with this person. I think that that's really interesting that they'll explore a lot of.
Eric Petersen (36:11):
So, yeah. I think that there's, it seems like Nick, the character of Nick is still alive. So, is he going to be still a factor? I don't know. As you said, there's so many loose ends to tie up and interesting story lines to follow. So, I'm excited. I would encourage anybody listening, I don't know if there's an official hashtag yet, but just start tweeting, Kevin can F himself season two, things like that.
Mitu (36:37):
We'll get that started. And this isn't quite a heavy question about your character, but one thing that just delighted me every time I saw you on screen was, one, your voice. This very sitcom husband northeast voice that you slipped into. And then, two, your hair, because it is gorgeous. And it just cracks me up the idea of Kevin doing any sort of maintenance. The idea that he would have this very lovely coiffe hair, were those intentional choices or how did that come about?
Eric Petersen (37:17):
That's so funny. So, in regards to the voice, I will say I love doing the voice of Kevin. I love doing accents in general. They've always sort of come pretty naturally to me. I got to do a Scottish accent for Shrek, speak the whole thing with Shrek, which was super fun. And then, I've done Irish accents and British accents and Southern accents and stuff, but I never done a Boston accent.
Eric Petersen (37:41):
So, I was a little nervous as we started it that I wanted to do a good job. My main thing was like, "I don't want to end up on a super cut of bad Boston accents on YouTube." I saw plenty of those when I was doing research on Boston accents, there's lots of true Bostonites who were like, "Look, at all these fucking schmoes…" Sorry about that.
Mitu (38:01):
It's okay.
Eric Petersen (38:04):
"… who are doing terrible accents, right?" So, I was like, "Just don't end up on one of those." I think I did a good job. I felt comfortable with it. And then, the other part of the voice that was important to me, so not only getting the accent true, but obviously the character of Ralph Kramden played by Jackie Gleason in The Honeymooners was a huge influence on the character of Kevin, because he's the original archetype. I think I look a little bit like him.
Eric Petersen (38:29):
And so, there just was a sense of I wanted to really honor that. And one of the ways, his character was from Brooklyn, but he had a real musicality to everything he said. Everything sort of went up, and then it went down. And there was that sort of musicality to his voice, even though he was saying terrible things or being mean or angry, there always was this, and then it went down.
Eric Petersen (38:50):
And so, as I was creating the character and the voice, I really wanted to keep that and I think that we kept that pretty well. And so, I think that Kevin just started to talk like this. And then, he would get really excited, and then he'd be down again. So, it was following that kind of mindset. I mean if you look at the character of Fred Flintstone, he was based on Jackie Gleason in The Honeymooners. So, it's that same kind of vibe.
Eric Petersen (39:16):
And then, in regards to my hair. My hair journey is so funny. My hair's so long right now, that haircut is essentially what my hair normally looks like. It usually has a pretty big coiffe. It is something that I just have... I think looks right on my face. I don't know. It is big and it's...
Mitu (39:34):
It looks fab.
BJ (39:34):
It works. Yeah.
Eric Petersen (39:38):
Conan O'Brien, he's got his big coiffe and it looks silly, but it just works with his face. That's sort of how my hair is. As we would do stuff, it did seem to get a little bigger at times. It would get very floppy, but I do love what you said about the thought of Kevin who just is sort of slob, a slob all the time and how he dresses is very like a slob, but he probably spends a little time in his hair. He's very proud of them.
Mitu (40:01):
Yeah. He forms it.
Eric Petersen (40:07):
There's one line where I say, what was it? Something about Murder She Wrote and like, "I love when Kevin…" I think Neil says, "I love when Kevin goes full Murder She Wrote." And I say, "We do have similar hair."
Mitu (40:22):
I sincerely appreciated that as I recently, in the pandemic, watched Murder She Wrote all the way through for the first time since like this is-
BJ (40:28):
Literally every episode.
Eric Petersen (40:28):
I love it.
Mitu (40:33):
Everything coming together. Can we get you in the Shrek voice saying Tom Brady is the greatest of all time? Like is that something?
Eric Petersen (40:39):
Yeah. Right. We can say that. So, Shrek would say, "Hello, there, I was watching the football and was taking my time going through New England, and then I saw your, boy, Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback I've ever seen and I've seen only one."
Mitu (40:58):
That is perfect. Thank you for indulging me.
BJ (41:05):
So, continuing on with your fabulous voice work, you are also in Madagascar: A Little Wild on Netflix. Is it nice doing a more family-friendly project?
Eric Petersen (41:18):
Yeah. Just to correct you. No worries. But it's on Hulu and Peacock actually.
Mitu (41:20):
Oh, excuse us.
BJ (41:23):
Oh, my bad.
Eric Petersen (41:24):
No worries. No worries. But just in case people are dying to find it.
BJ (41:27):
We'll fix that in post.
Eric Petersen (41:30):
It's from DreamWorks TV. And the show is basically a prequel to all of the Madagascar movies that starred Chris Rock and David Schwimmer and others. And so, those were the characters when they were adults, and this is the show when those animals are in Central Park Zoo as kids.
Eric Petersen (41:49):
And so, the show basically follows those kids as they go through the city and explore New York and get up to all sorts of hiding. And I play Ant'ney, the pigeon, who is from Long Island. And basically, Ant'ney flies in each day to the kids, and he'll say something like, "Guys, there's a fire truck over on Fifth Avenue. You got to go check it out."
Eric Petersen (42:08):
And then, we'll check out the fire truck and fun will ensue. And then, usually by the end of each episode, one of the kids is feeling sad about himself for some reason. They didn't get picked or things didn't go the way they wanted to. And then, my character of Antney sort of is the adult in the relationship and will say something to the effect of like, "Listen, you can't change who you are. Maybe your friends love you for who you are. You got to just be yourself. And then, everything's going to be fine." And they'll say, "Oh yeah." And then, we'll go back and everybody's happy.
Eric Petersen (42:39):
So, it's a very family-friendly wonderful show. I love being a part of it. It's interesting. It's actually my very first voiceover job. Talking about, we were talking earlier about hard industries to crack into. I will tell you this. I auditioned… I had a very good voiceover agent for a long time and I'm a different one now, but I've been doing voiceover auditions since 2000 and, let's say 2011, right? So, almost 10 years. And I submit, this is just that… I'm not trying to like pooh-pooh myself. Just to give you some sense of what's happening.
Eric Petersen (43:17):
I submit probably between 5 and 10 voiceover auditions a week for different cartoons, animation shows, right? And I was doing that for about 10 years. And I had one line in one Dr. Pepper commercial where I said, "Is that the waiter? Because you just got served." That was it. That was it.
Eric Petersen (43:38):
And then, I still was sending in all these auditions, audition, audition, audition, audition. And I was like, "How is this not happening?" I was like, "I know I can do voices. I know I can sing. I know I can do characters. I know I can do… I get the sense of children's TV. I have two kids. I watch kids TV all the time with my kids." I was like, "How is this not happening?"
Eric Petersen (43:56):
It just is such a hard nut to crack, because the people that are working in voiceover know how sweet of a gig it is. So, they're very protective of those jobs and those relationships and casting directors and directors and stuff. So, it was a hard nut to crack, but once I finally did with this show, I was so excited. And then, I got nominated for an Emmy for it. It was nuts, but the first thing that I finally actually got a real job in voiceover went that way, but I'm super proud of the show.
Eric Petersen (44:22):
I love the character of Ant'ney. I've had the best time working with our creators and our voice directors. We've recorded a ton of episodes. So, there's still a lot more to be released. They're sort of releasing them in five to six episode little chunks every few months, and there's lots of great stuff coming up. So, I really enjoy that project.
BJ (44:43):
Awesome. And what our listener can't see is that right now Eric is in this really cool soundproof voice recording booth, so now that we know you've been dedicated, you have a passion for this for the last 10 years. Do you have future voice acting projects that are coming up?
Eric Petersen (45:00):
I don't yet, but the Madagascar stuff really keeps me busy, because I mean I record with them basically every week or every other week doing multiple... I have a big one tomorrow. So, yeah. I don't have anything yet, but hopefully soon.
BJ (45:15):
Awesome. And outside of voice acting, do you have any other projects you want to share with us and our listeners?
Eric Petersen (45:21):
Sure. You know what I'm going to promote is… Okay. So, my other thing that I love, besides acting and my family. I love fashion. I love clothes. I love buying clothes. I love buying clothes for other people. I love organizing my closet. I love clothes. I love fashion. It's just the thing that I do. I know it seems maybe not the first thing you would guess from the guy who plays Kevin McRoberts, but I do.
Eric Petersen (45:46):
So, I actually have a fashion Instagram if people want to follow. It's @theportlygentleman. All one word. The Portly Gentleman. And basically it is a fashion Instagram where I show outfits that I've worn to the theater or to openings or whatever and stuff like that. Eventually where I want to get with it, I have not gone there yet, but where I eventually want to get with that project is my big thing is I think that guys who are not model skinny, which is a lot of guys, myself included.
Eric Petersen (46:24):
Think that, "Oh, well, fashion or dressing cool, I can't do that because I'm a bigger guy or I'm a chunkier guy or whatever." They think, even if you're not, you might just be a regular guy who's fashions not for me. And my real feeling is like, "It is and it can be." And what we wear and how people view us, especially upon first meetings is so important, and people do, whether you like it or not, judge you on how you look and how you dress and how you're presenting yourself.
Eric Petersen (46:49):
And so, I'm really passionate about it. I think that there is a way to teach people to dress. And it's not about getting expensive Armani stuff. I don't have any of that stuff. Most of my clothes are from Urban Outfitters, Target, and Old Navy. There are places that you can buy clothes that are very affordable, but also can look cool. And it's about teaching people how to use contrast when they dress and use silhouettes and how you can take retro vibes from the past and combine them with newer things.
Eric Petersen (47:19):
So, all that stuff is super interesting to me. So, eventually I want to get it to a place where I'm doing more instructional videos on how to dress. And I'm not there yet, but eventually will. So, if you follow me, you may get to join on that journey [inaudible 00:47:32].
Mitu (47:32):
I just followed the account from The Pilot Podcast and I typically don't scroll the internet while someone is speaking, especially in an interview, but these outfits are fabulous. I love red carpets. I am more interested in those than award shows. My award show routine is calling my mom and one of my close friends and we just talk about all the outfits. These are fab. This blue, is it like a velour crushed velvet situation suit that you wore?
Eric Petersen (48:02):
That was a good one. Yeah.
Mitu (48:05):
Gorgeous. I love this. Podcasts are an audio medium so I sincerely apologize to the very kind person listening to this, just go to @theportlygentleman, and you will love these fashions. I have been flirting with the idea of overalls. I love the way you did these with the jersey. This is fab.
BJ (48:25):
And we'll put the link in the description. Yes. We'll support your journey. I'm one of those guys who I don't think I really get fashion. I just kind of wear whatever I'm not very self-conscious about what I'm wearing.
Mitu (48:41):
I know, now we're both in t-shirts.
Eric Petersen (48:42):
I'm just going to give you your first tip. The most important tip. After you figure out all these life things about where you're going to move and what you want to do with your career, is contrast is key, contrast and simplicity is key. So, if you have… I think it's important to get a great pair of pants, a great pair of shoes. And then, you get some fun shirts and wearing like a really nice pant with a fun shirt, boom, done.
Eric Petersen (49:10):
If you have fun pants, simple shirt, right? We're always looking at contrast. If you have a light colored, shirt dark pants. If you have light colored pants, dark shirt. Always go for the contrast unless you're going all in one direction. Wear like all black or all green or all yellow, whatever. But usually looking for contrast in your, what you're wearing is huge. It just makes everything look sharper and bolder and sort of jump out.
Eric Petersen (49:34):
So, a clean white shirt with a cool jacket, awesome. A lot of people think, "Oh, I'm wearing a leather jacket. I should have a cool shirt." No. If you got a leather jacket, white t-shirt. That's it. It's the only thing you should ever wear with a leather jacket, ever. Yeah. We'll talk. You send me an email. We'll talk about it.
BJ (49:50):
Yeah. Okay. Contrast. I think I can do that. And I might just have to have you pick out my outfits or something. We'll work it out.
Mitu (49:58):
BJ, you would look so cute in this outfit that I found on this page. Honestly, Eric, you made a very big fan in me. There is a, it's a dark shirt with bright colored flowers on it, reds, and yellows, and greens, gorgeous bright tones. And then, these maybe slate gray, not quite that dark pants, beautiful. BJ, you would look really good in this.
BJ (50:26):
So, I'll just need to follow your Instagram for all my outfit information.
Eric Petersen (50:30):
I'll leave you lots of inspiration there.
BJ (50:31):
Perfect.
Mitu (50:34):
And we always ask this question of the Creatives who very kindly join us for interviews. What advice do you have for anyone tuning in who wants to make it in any creative industry you have found success across a variety of fields?
Eric Petersen (50:51):
I think the number one thing that I always tell people is say yes. Say yes as much as you can. Eventually, you do get to a place where you get to say no and it actually gives you power, but early in your career, say yes to everything, everything. Obviously, nothing that will put you in physical harm or make you uncomfortable with your body or things like that, we should preface that, but short of that, don't judge a project if somebody's like, you're just starting out somebody's like, "Hey, I wrote this play and we're going to read it in this church basement and I need somebody to play villager number four."
Eric Petersen (51:28):
Don't say, "I am not going to play villager number four in this stupid play in a church basement." If you don't have anything else going on and you're not already starring in a Broadway show, go do that, because you will meet people, you will get an experience of working on bad material and learning how to either just suck it up and deal with it or make it better. I just think that there is sometimes an attitude of people when they're starting out of life. They see their dream, and they're like, "I only want to do that." The thing that's the top of the dream, but they don't realize that paying your dues is part of it and it makes it so that when you achieve your dream, A, you appreciate it, B, you have the actual skills to do the job, and that only comes from doing the work throughout your younger years. So, my number one thing is always say yes to as many opportunities as you can.
Eric Petersen (52:20):
In regards to specifically being an actor, one of the things that I always recommend as just a little tip of something that you can do that I did that was so helpful. I got a job as a reader for auditions when I first moved to New York. And at first, it was just for a children's theater company that we were doing just little children's theater stuff. Eventually, I started working withTara Rubin's Casting Office. So, I was doing more Broadway shows, Jersey Boys, Guys and Dolls, and stuff like that.
Eric Petersen (52:48):
But the experience as an actor of being in the audition room and not having the pressure of trying to get the job of just being there and watching the process of hundreds of people walking into a room, doing their audition, and then getting to see behind the table and seeing how the director and the producers and choreographers all talk about that performance, and that audition is so informative.
Eric Petersen (53:10):
I learned more about how to audition and get a job doing that than I learned in four years at school. And that's not a shot at the school. It's just you can't do it without doing it. You get to really see how as an actor, I think, that within seven seconds of walking into a room for an audition, you've either lost the job or you've won the opportunity to be considered, because it's not saying that you got the job within seven seconds, but you can definitely lose the job in seven seconds.
Eric Petersen (53:42):
The second that you walk into the room, there's an energy that you bring, how you're dressed, how you're not dressed, how many things did you bring in the audition room? Did you bring a bag and a script and a ton of things and you're a mess? There's just an energy that is so clear to the people behind the table when they're seeing multiple people, people, people, people, people, people, that once they see somebody come in with just the quiet confidence, they're ready to go, they're professional, they have their stuff ready, they're memorized, they're polite without being like "Hey, how ya doing?" and too goofy.
Eric Petersen (54:15):
They're also not desperate and there's just a sense of people that walk in that you're like, "Yeah. That's who we should cast." And then, it might be between three or four people, and now who is the better actor or who fits the other person that's already cast? Then, those things happen. But just to get to that point, you got to sort of have just that quiet confidence, that being prepared, being put together. And you can't really know it until you see it, but when you get to be a reader, you really get to see it.
Eric Petersen (54:40):
So, that's one, a little tip that for actors if you're moving to any city, if you find as many casting offices and say, "Hey, can I work as a reader for you?" Even if it's for no pay. I mean you might get paid minimum wage, but it's not about the money, it's really about the experience of seeing auditions.
Mitu (54:58):
That's a really cool tidbit. Thank you.
Eric Petersen (55:00):
Awesome. It's always the process.
Mitu (55:04):
Where can anyone tuning in find and support you and your work?
Eric Petersen (55:09):
You can follow my Instagram after you've already followed The Portly Gentleman. Follow @EricPete, E-R-I-C-P-E-T-E, is my Instagram. And I post pretty much everything there. I have a Facebook fan page, you can find that. You can search Eric Petersen on Facebook and yeah. I've lots of stuff that I'm working on. I'm really excited for hopefully a season two of Kevin and more Madagascar, but yeah. If you follow those things, you'll see everything that I'm up to.
BJ (55:40):
Awesome. We'll put all of your links in our show notes so our listeners will easily be able to find you. And we wanted to thank you again for joining us today. This has been an awesome experience. I know I've learned a lot, our listeners have learned a lot. Mitu has found a new Instagram page to follow.
Eric Petersen (55:57):
I love it. I really appreciate you guys having me on. Your questions were great. And thank you for following the show and for having me out. I really appreciate it.