Thank you, Sal Saperstein. Whether swimming in gratitude at the Golden Globes or engaging in workplace sabotage, Ike Barinholtz wheels and deals through Hollywood’s humiliations as a film exec on “The Studio,” the Apple TV comedy created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez.
The fifth episode sees Sal and junior exec Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders) escalate a feud to absurd lengths. What went into developing those scenes?
Some of those scenes were literally the first scenes we shot for the season. I think they wanted to shoot them first to test the style. They wanted to see, Hey, this crazy idea we have, is this gonna work with actual actors?
I had never met Chase Sui Wonders before. I remember coming into the hair and makeup room, and we started talking. I was like, Oh, this young lady’s so cool. Then 40 minutes later, I’m millimeters from her face, calling her a stupid loser who will never make it. It was definitely a little bit of a baptism by fire.
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I love that episode, because it really speaks to the generational differences between those two characters. Sal is a dyed-in-the-wool Gen Xer, has great disdain for Millennials—or [Zoomers], or whatever the [expletive] they’re called. Quinn looks at Sal as a dinosaur, and he cannot be extinct fast enough.
I also love Chase Sui Wonders. My god, what a great actor.
Sal and new studio head Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) are longtime friends. How did you and Seth nail down their comedic rhythm?
Years of working together. We do, I think, have a very funny kind of rhythm. [Episode 1 guest star] Marty Scorsese was like, “You guys are great. You’re like Abbott and Costello. It’s fantastic.”
The writers made a very smart choice. In the first eight minutes of the show, when you first meet Sal, he’s like, I’m gonna get this studio head job. Then minutes later, he doesn’t get it. Has a quick cry, a little bump. But from that moment on, in the whole first season, it’s not a power struggle. He’s not trying to undermine. He’s not angling for Matt’s job, which I think was very freeing for me as an actor, because it right away establishes our relationship.
What’s one of the best acting lessons you’ve ever learned?
I have to go all the way back to when I started doing improv in Chicago. The first dozen or so times I did it, you get a laugh here and there. But it just wasn’t connecting like I was seeing other people connecting. I took a class with this guy named Mick Napier, who runs, owns, and founded the Annoyance Theater. His big thing is, “Do not be afraid to fail.”
It really got me out of my head. That’s a big thing for actors. How do I look right now? Is this funny? I’m judging myself. By giving yourself permission to fail, you kind of get rid of that. It helped me be more present as an actor.
Who gave one of your favorite 2025 screen performances?
I’m a very big fan of Tim Robinson. I think he is one of the funniest people on the planet. My kids love “I Think You Should Leave.” I let them watch it, which is questionable, because they’re really young. But I love “The Chair Company.” I’m very hypnotized by it.
I was also pretty devastated by Stephen Graham in “Adolescence.” It was the fourth episode that completely pulled my heart out.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.