Funnyman Clark Duke got his big break shooting a pilot for his film production thesis at Loyola Marymount University. He chats with Backstage about his influences and the roundabout way his favorite comedians ended up as his colleagues. Duke will be reprising his role alongside Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, and Chevy Chase in “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” on Feb. 20.
How did you originally get involved with “Hot Tub Time Machine”?
“Sean Anders and John Morris, who wrote and directed ‘Sex Drive,’ did a rewrite of the first ‘Hot Tub.’ They brought me in because they liked ‘Clark and Michael,’ a show I made that was actually my thesis film in college, a pilot with me and Michael Cera. I got an A! I’m looking to get into more of that going forward, the writing and directing.”
How did that thesis pilot come about?
“My biggest inspiration was specifically the British ‘[The] Office,’ which blew my mind when I saw it. It struck me as what I’d been looking for tonally in comedy. I saw it and was like, I can do that. I then ended up on the American ‘[The] Office,’ which felt very strange and full circle for me.”
Who are your comedic influences in film?
“My favorite guy to watch growing up was Chevy Chase. I loved how Chevy was the funniest guy and the coolest guy. It’s pretty amazing to get to do the ‘Hot Tub’ movies with him, because he’s such a big icon for me. Also, Steve Martin in ‘The Jerk,’ Bill Murray in pretty much anything—the usual gang of guys.”
How do you feel about auditions?
“I’ve been kind of lucky to not have to audition for much, which is great because auditioning is horrible—it’s a complete nightmare. It’s such a weird environment, too, because it’s not really like acting. When you’re acting in a scene with somebody you’re usually reacting to the other actor and the environment, and in an audition room you don’t have any of that. It’s such a weird phenomenon.”
What advice do you have about making your own work?
“We live in a time when it’s never been easier to do that. Now even more than when I started. We were fighting an uphill battle trying to have a Web show back then. My younger brother just graduated from college, and he’s an actor. Watching him and his friends try to get started, it seems really different from a few years ago. The Internet has kind of blown everything up and there’s not as much of an excuse to not make stuff. It seems everyone is expected by default to make their own content. That’s the sense I get. It’s almost impossible to give any kind of useful advice because everybody’s path is so different. It’s not like most lines of work where you do something for a while and you get a promotion. It’s a lot of lightning strikes.”
Like this story? Read more of our Spotlight On interviews!