Brett Gelman has appeared in a number of films and television shows. More recently Brett has reprised his as role as Brett alongside co-stars Chris Elliot and Maria Thayer in the late night Adult Swim series “Eagleheart” Brett took time out of his busy schedule recently to talk with Media Mikes about season 2 of the show.
Adam Lawton: How is this season of “Eagleheart” going to top the craziness of season 1?
Brett Gelman: There are a lot more head explosions than last season. There is organ cutting going on and a lot more specific violence happening rather than just people exploding or getting shot. The writers picked certain body parts to explode this season. I don’t remember a lot of it because it was so traumatic for me as I am very method. I blocked a lot of it out. (Laughs)
AL: Can you tell us about some of this seasons guest starts?
BG: We have Ben Stiller and Conan O’ Brien doing an episode this season. We have Dean Norris from “Breaking Bad” and Bud Cort all coming on this season as well. I didn’t get a chance to work with Ben or Conan as their footage was shot separately. I have met those guys before and they are heroes of mine. Working with Dean was really great. He is a pro and comes right out of the gate. Bud Cort is a 70’s icon, so that was really great also.
AL: What can you tell us about Brett having a baby this season?
BG: There is two me’s in that episode. I got to act with myself which was really fun. I finally got to work with an actor that was up to my ability. (laughs) It was challenging to work with a stand in and then be the other character. The Bezoar character is the evil version of Brett and in a lot of ways he is way more of a guy than Brett will ever be. Maria and I have a lot more going on this season and it’s more of an ensemble driven show in a way. Chris is still the star but you get the sense that we are a comedy team. It was more fun to do it that way. I was excited when they gave me such a meaty episode.
AL: Do you get to see the scripts prior to shooting?
BG: We get them about a week before. Sometimes we will get major changes right before. For me it doesn’t really matter because my character is so dumb and doesn’t know what’s ever going on. It kind of works for me. (laughs) It’s kind of like a sparrow with no short term memory. He says something then another thing happens and he forgets it.
AL: Are you allowed to improv on the scripts at all?
BG: There is not a lot of improv as we just don’t have the time. There is so much stuff that needs to be dealt with on the shoots that we are constantly racing against the clock. You are also dealing with an 11 minute show so you can improvise but, really at that point you are just wasting time. The writing is very good and well orchestrated so all the pieces fit well into the puzzle. Everything is so good that often times you don’t need to improvise.
AL: What else can we expect from the Brett character this season?
BG: He will be constantly having hallucinations this season. Things are telling him that no one likes him and he is very insecure. Wanting to be liked by everyone especially Chris’s character really drives Brett this season. There will be a lot more of Brett and Maria which is really exciting.
AL: What other projects can we be looking for you to appear in?
BG: I will be guest staring on an MTV show called “The Inbetweeners” which will be coming out this summer. I will be playing the principle of a high school. The night that “Eagleheart” airs I will be on “The Office” as well. I will be continuing with my “Gel-Mania” Podcast’s and shooting things for Funnyordie.com. Tim Heidecker and I have some plans to do some videos together, so that should be a lot of fun. I am also scheduled to shoot an independent film this summer called “Lemons” as well. I am pretty excited for that.
