Owen Benjamin is a triple threat in the comedy world. As an actor, Benjamin has lit up the big screen in flicks like All's Faire in Love and The House Bunny and kills it on the TBS hit show Sullivan N Son. As a comic, his stand-up draws crowds at venues across the country and as a musician, well, Benjamin mastered the art of conveying the funny while tickling the ivories during his comedy gigs. This weekend you can see Owen when he headlines the Brea Improv but before it all goes down, we drilled him on his cast members, his upcoming schedule, and tried to squeeze out a Sullivan N Son exclusive…to no avail. Well played, Owen. Well played.
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OC Weekly (Ali Lerman): Can you give us any scoop on what the new season has in store for your character Owen on Sullivan N Son?
Owen Benjamin: They don't let me in on anything until I get the script. I can't wait to find out though!
Urghh. OK, we tried! So do you ever get sick of filming and then touring with the same guys? And I use the term “get sick of” loosely, I know you're all friends.
We have an opener named Gary Cannon who also does our crowd warm up on Sullivan N Son. Whenever we get stressed out, we just fight with Gary. Even if it has nothing to do with him, we take it out on Gary. And to get back at us, he openly mocks us to the crowd during tapings. It's a supportive yet dysfunctional cycle.
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Roy told me in an interview that you attract the most fun and weirdest people in the room and then after high-fives and chatting, you'll leave him talking to them. Give me something on Roy. You know, payback if you will.
I think Roy secretly enjoys talking to his black friends on the phone more than his white friends. Whenever a black friend calls, he gets excited because he can use terms that white people don't understand. And he's a closet nerd who loves Star Trek and had a hamster named Joel.
Ha!! That is awesome! OK back to you. You're so talented on the piano, did you always intend to incorporate it into your stand-up?
I started playing the piano when I was two and I was going to just be a piano player. But then all of the songs I wrote that I thought were serious, people laughed at. And a comedian was born.
Well mad props, you do it well. What else are you working on these days that we should be on the lookout for?
I'm in a movie coming out called Staten Island that is produced by Loren Michaels. Also, I'll be making an appearance on the new season of Inside Amy Schumer.
Nice! I love that show! OK so in one sentence, can you sum up how you think your shows will go this weekend in Brea?
It will bring pure joy and the sweet release of relateability.
Owen Benjamin performs at the Brea Improv December 12th through 15th, 120 South Brea Blvd. 92821, (714) 482-0700. For tickets go to www.Improv.com. For more info, check out his website www.OwenBenjamin.com, follow him on Twitter: @OwenBenjamin, and pick up his new special “High Five Til It Hurts” on Amazon.
See also:
Steve-O Found a Way to Work Manginas Into His Stand-Up Comedy
10 Douchiest Guitarists of All Time
10 Douchiest Drummers of All Time
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Ali Lerman knows much about comedy, basketball, and celebrating Wu-Tang Wednesday. She’s been writing for sixteen years and still calls her mom with grammatical questions.