There’s No Place Like Home
Q&A with actor Jeff Hiller of HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere”
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
In the last year or so, HBO
has served up a tantalizing
smorgasbord of LGBTQ-fl avored
fare with shows like
“It’s a Sin,” “Veneno,” “The Other
Two,” and “We’re Here.” And now
there’s “Somebody Somewhere,”
starring and executive produced by
Bridget Everett, the sharp-witted,
fearless performer. Perhaps you’ve
seen her comedic sketch skills
on Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy
Schumer.” Or shaking her ample
booty while belting out a naughty
ditty at Joe’s Pub in NYC.
The original dramedy series,
created by “High Maintenance”
writers Hannah Bos and Paul
Thureen, and directed by Jay Duplass
and Robert Cohen, delivers a
fresh dose of queer representation.
It debuts January 16 on HBO and
HBO Max.
The “alt-cabaret provocateur”
plays Sam, loosely based on her
real-life upbringing in Manhattan
(the one in Kansas, not New York
City). After more than a decade
away, Sam returned home to care
for her ailing lesbian sister Holly,
who subsequently died, and she’s
now coping with supreme loss
while trying to fi nd acceptance
where none previously existed.
Her sister Tricia is a homophobic
shrew, her mom is a sloppy drunk,
and her dad is in deep denial.
Enter Joel, a chipper gay man
comfortable in his own skin living
in “the eighth biggest town in Kansas.”
He instantly befriends Sam,
whom he idolized in show choir
back in high school. She barely remembers
him.
Joel is played with preternatural
charm by Jeff Hiller, who started
his career doing improv at the
Upright Citizens Brigade and appeared
in a raft of TV shows such
as “30 Rock” and “Broad City.”
Hiller also starred on Broadway in
“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”
and took over the solo show “Bright
Colors and Bold Patterns” from creator
Drew Droege. The highly appealing,
clever actor is married to
artist Neil Goldberg and currently
Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller in “Somebody Somewhere” on HBO.
lives on the Lower East Side.
Gay City News caught up with
Hiller to chat about working with
Bridget, the joys of connecting with
a tribe, and why the underlying
message of this quirky, heartfelt,
Kansas-set series is, oddly enough,
“There’s no place like home.”
David Kennerley: What
drew you to “Somebody Somewhere”?
Jeff Hiller:I’m an actor, so a
paying job draws me laughs. But
I was super excited about this one
because I’ve done a lot of television
where I play a waiter, a fl ight attendant,
or a bitchy customer service
representative. To actually have a
character with a name and an arc
and a wonderful personality was
so gratifying.
It almost seems that the role
was written with you in mind.
Did you fi nd getting cast was diffi
cult or a breeze?
It was not a breeze, but I did kind
of know Bridget and I think that’s
what got me the audition. I’ve since
found out that every gay actor on
the wrong side of 40 auditioned for
this role, so I’m very grateful. It does
feel right because I’m also from a
small town — in Texas, not Kansas
— and I grew up in the church and
I was gay. Plus, I’m someone who legitimately
worships Bridget Everett,
so the prospect of playing a character
who worshiped Bridget was like,
“Awesome, I can do that!”
COURTESY OF HBO
The show is loosely based on
Bridget’s own upbringing. Do
you know how much is fact and
how much is fi ction?
It’s more based on themes rather
than specifi cs. I know she did lose
her sister. And I know that she is
from Manhattan, Kansas and that
she really does love to sing. And
I’m pretty sure she likes to drink
wine in her underwear.
Is it true you were in the middle
of a Joe’s Pub residency when
COVID fi rst hit?
My residency was just one show
a quarter, but I was writing a new
show every single time. I got two
of them in, and then the other two
were taken away. I was like, “Lockdown?
But I have plans!” It was actually
much harder with “Somebody
Somewhere” because we had to wait
a full year and a half before we shot
episode two. And I had to work hard
to get down to my pre-COVID weight!
For continuity reasons laughs.
The show is heartbreaking,
yet there’s an element of hope.
And Joel offers a ray of sunshine
in a bleak landscape. Would you
agree?
I would, and I think Sam offers
that for Joel too. The show is
about friendship and community
and that nice ray of sunshine is
fi nding others that share the same
passions and values. Those Choir
Practice parties provide that for
folks wondering, “Where are the
TELEVISION
other weirdos like me?”
Historically the “gay best
friend” is often two dimensional,
but you bring a rich texture
to the role. Did you set out to redefi
ne the gay best friend?
Not really. First of all, the show’s
creators, Hannah and Paul, took
their time to make these characters
three dimensional with lots
of nuance. I set out to make Joel
more human. Yes, he is the gay
best friend when you really reduce
it, but he’s complicated. He has his
own thoughts and dreams and he’s
not just there to serve Sam.
Unlike most gay people in
small towns, Joel is not bent on
escaping to the big city. He likes
his hometown, even if it’s in the
red state of Kansas.
I love that he’s staying. He’s not
saying that he feels rejected by this
place he calls home, he’s owning it.
He’s saying, “This is my space too,
and I’m going to claim my part.”
When you look at Kansas, it’s
beautiful and you can fi nd wonderful
folks there. I love that this
show doesn’t paint people from the
red states one way and gay people
another way. It portrays everybody
with different layers.
The show is about fi nding your
tribe and your voice. Can you relate
to that?
Yes. When I came out as gay, I assumed
all the gay people would be
my friends. Wrong. It was hard to
fi nd others who shared my interests
and who wanted to kiki and giggle
with me. And it took a lot of effort.
Murray Hill has been performing
in New York forever. Have
you crossed paths before?
Sure, we were both on the docket
on certain shows, so I knew him a
bit. He is New York royalty, a legend.
But it wasn’t until this where I really
got to know Murray behind the
mask. He’d probably hate me telling
you this, but he’s a Teddy bear, a
mensch. And he pretends that he’s
all showbiz and Don Rickles, but
he’s got a heart under there.
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE|
Available on HBO and HBO Max |
Season 1 premieres January 16 at
10:30 p.m. ET.
GayCityNews.com | JANUARY 13 - January 26, 2022 21
/GayCityNews.com
