Welcome to the deep dive. This is where we sift
through all that information you send our way,
the articles, the data, you know, the noise and
really pull out what matters. We try to get straight
to the point so you can be, well, instantly informed.
And today, yeah, we're diving into someone whose
career is just fascinatingly contradictory. Right.
I mean, think about it. You've got the voice,
the screeching sort of chaotic voice of a hormone
monster from, you know. Big mouth. Which is huge
on Netflix, obviously. And then on the complete
other end of the spectrum, you have the intense,
serious face of an Israeli intelligence agent
in a historical drama, chasing Nazis, no less.
It's kind of wild. So who is this person who
can convincingly pull off both? Nicholas Kroll.
That's our guy today. And what we want to do
is really trace his path. We're going to unpack
his background, which is surprisingly affluent,
actually. It's surprising. Yeah. And look at
his early sketch work, how dedicated he was to
building characters and then how he made that
jump, you know, from performer to like co -creator
and the driving force behind this massive animated
franchise. And we've got a lot to work with.
We've pulled together sources covering his life,
his time at Georgetown, that really diverse filmography.
TV, movies, voice acting. All of it. Plus his
big creative partnerships, what critics think,
and how he manages to make these frankly ridiculous
characters feel kind of meaningful. Yeah, it's
quite a range. Okay, let's get into the basics
first. Just the foundational stuff. He was born
June 5, 1978 in Rye, New York. Right. And it's
key to remember, he's not just an actor. The
sources list him as actor, comedian, writer,
and producer. A quadruple threat, basically.
And he's been active since about 2004, really
shaping modern comedy both in front of and behind
the camera. Okay, so segment one, the foundation
and early life. Yeah, let's start there. Because
to really get Kroll, and especially the kind
of characters he creates, you almost have to
start with his family. Well, it's not the typical
story, is it? Not at all. It really stands out
in the source material. He's the youngest kid.
Born to Lynn and Jules Kroll. And Jules Kroll.
I mean, we need to pause on that name. We're
not talking about just like comfortable success
here. No, no. This is Major League. Jules Kroll
is a billionaire businessman. He founded Kroll
Inc. Which, for anyone unfamiliar, is basically
the gold standard, arguably the most famous firm
for corporate investigations and risk consulting.
Globally. Yeah. They handle incredibly complex
stuff. Financial fraud, high level security risks,
even international intelligence gathering. It's
serious business. And that's what's so interesting,
right? The contrast. You've got the father building
this empire based on discretion, finance, serious
investigation. Serious, high stakes. Exactly.
And then the son grows up and dedicates his life
to playing characters like Bobby Bottle Service.
Bobby Bottle Service. The Ed Hardy guy. Yeah.
Loud, chaotic. A total parody of that reality
TV vibe. It just makes you rethink things, doesn't
it? Like what drives him? He grew up in Rye,
New York, conservative Jewish family, siblings,
Jeremy, Vanessa, Dana. Seems pretty standard
upscale suburban life on the surface. Attended
Solomon Schechter School, Westchester, then Rye
Country Day School, all very much reflecting
that environment. But then there's this interesting
detour mentioned in the sources, something that
suggests he was already looking for a different
path. Right. He spent some time during high school
at the Mountain School. It's in Versure, Vermont.
And that's not just another prep school. It's
like this immersive semester program, environmental
science, working on a farm. A world away from
Westchester, basically. Totally. It sounds almost
like he was actively seeking something. Grittier,
more hands -on, developing a fondness for hiking
there. Leaving that world of... you know, high
finance and corporate intelligence to be on Vermont
trails, it definitely suggests an internal drive
beyond just inheriting status. Yeah, like he
was already searching for something else. And
that kind of curiosity seems to have carried
over into college. He went to Georgetown, graduated
in 2001, but his major. That tells a story, too.
This part I found really telling. He started
out or described himself initially as a history
major, which makes sense, right? Understanding
narrative context. Very analytical. Plus minors
in art and Spanish. Pretty standard liberal arts.
But then he specifically mentions, and this is
a quote, finding himself gravitating toward media
studies as time went on. And that gravitating
feels important. History gives you the background
for deep characters. Art gives the creative spark.
But media studies. That's. The practical side.
Right. Production, performance, how stuff gets
out there. The whole system he'd later use with
Funny or Die and eventually, obviously, Netflix.
So thinking about this foundation, you, the listener,
need to grasp this. Kroll wasn't coming from
a place of needing to pay the rent with his next
joke. Not at all. And that financial security,
it means creative freedom. He could try the weirdest,
most specific stuff. He could afford to bomb,
basically. Right. Which, let's be honest, is
often how you get to the really great. Original
comedy. You need that room to fail spectacularly.
Okay, so that sets the stage. Let's move into
segment two, how he actually started building
those characters, the sketch and stand -up years.
Right, so with that unusual foundation, he enters
the professional world. And interestingly, he
didn't start on stage, really. He started writing.
Yeah, his early credits are in the writers' rooms
for some huge shows back then. Comedy Central's
Chattel Show, for one. And MTV's Human Giant.
Yeah. Which, I mean, talk about influential sketch
comedy at the time. Absolutely essential training
grounds, learning sketch structure, timing, how
to land a punchline. Gave him the bones, you
know. Definitely. But the place where he really
seemed to forge his performance style, his voice,
was live comedy. For sure. He toured with Aziz
Ansari. That was the Glow in the Dark tour back
in 2008, mixing stand -up with some of those
character bits he was developing. But the real
incubator, the place everyone points to, is the
upright Citizens Brigade Theater, UCB. You can't
talk about comedy in that era without talking
about UCB. It wasn't just a stage. It was like
a school, a specific method. He studied there,
performed constantly, both in New York and L
.A. He even co -hosted a stand -up show, Welcome
to Our Week, with Jesse Klein. And if you're
not familiar with UCB's whole thing, it's all
about finding the game of the scene, that central
funny idea or pattern, and then committing to
it completely. Which explains so much about his
characters, right? Right. They're incredibly
detailed because UCB teaches you to zero in on
some tiny human behavior or cultural quirk and
just blow it up. Yeah, amplify it until it's
almost universal in its specificity. And that
work led to his own stand -up special, thank
you very cool, on Comedy Central. in 2011. But
maybe even more impactful, certainly in terms
of viral reach back then, were the actual characters
he created during this time. The ones that blew
up online, especially on Funny or Die. Okay.
Yeah. This is where we get into the Persona Factory
idea. And the prime example has to be Bobby Bottle
Service. Oh, absolutely. Bobby Bottle Service.
That character was just perfectly of its moment.
This hyper specific parody of late 2000s reality
TV guys. The Ed Hardy Boys sketches with John
Daly. And that fake audition tape he made for
Jersey Shore, it was genius. What made it work
wasn't just the accent or the look, it was the
details. Kroll absolutely nailed that specific
blend of, like, club culture, entitlement, and
weird vulnerability. He captured the zeitgeist.
And he did it with other characters, too. Ref
Jeff, remember him? The totally biased referee.
And Fabrice Fabrice. Yeah. The craft services
coordinator turned celebrity publicist. So over
the top. Fabrice is a great example of his vocal
commitment, too. That's a really affected, specific
voice. You have to go all in. And again, think
about the guy doing this voice, the history major,
son of the corporate investigator, fully embodying
this flamboyant, judgmental character. The range
is just, it's something else. These characters
were so strong, so defined, they eventually needed
their own show. Which brings us to The Kroll
Show. Right. Ran 2013 to 2015 on Comedy Central.
This was the main stage for all those personas.
He created it, starred in it, let all those characters
like Liz G and Cesar and the publicity women
interact. 23 episodes. It really cemented his
style and earned him recognition like the breakout
star award at the Just for Laughs Festival in
2013. But maybe the ultimate expression of this
long form character work, the one that really
crossed over was, ooh. Hello? Ah, yes. Gil Faison
and George St. Geegland, his collaboration with
John Mulaney. Kroll is Gil, Mulaney is George.
These two grumpy, opinionated, tuna -obsessed
old guys from the Upper West Side. What's amazing
about Oh, Hello is how it proved that this really
niche, specific, UCB -style character comedy
could actually work for a huge audience. It started
small, just a sketch bit. But their commitment
to these characters' weird little world, the
tuna, the specific complaints, the prank show,
too much tuna, it just resonated. So much that
they toured it across the U .S. And then, the
unbelievable part, it landed on Broadway in 2016.
A Broadway run. For six months. For a comedy
show about two old guys giving terrible advice.
And the reviews were great. It really showed
the power of just committing fully to a character
no matter how absurd. And then, of course, Netflix
filmed the Broadway show, released it in 2017.
Which put Gil and George in front of millions.
Made them these unlikely cultural figures, all
built from that dedication to character. Okay,
let's pivot slightly. Segment three. Looking
at his more mainstream TV and film roles around
this time. Because it wasn't all sketch. Right.
And actually, one of his earliest big breaks
is a really interesting story, especially in
terms of learning resilience. You're talking
about Caveman. Exactly. His first significant
network role was on that ABC sitcom Caveman,
based on the Geico commercials. Oh, man, Caveman.
That show was... Not well received. Understatement.
It was pretty much universally panned, canceled
after only seven episodes actually aired. It's
like the definition of a TV flop. Yet, Kroll
himself has called that whole experience, quote,
the most important experience of my professional
career. Which sounds kind of crazy, right? It
does. And do you think about why? It wasn't about
the show being good. It was about learning how
the machine works. Yeah, like seeing how a big
network production operates or maybe malfunctions,
the bureaucracy, the pressure, having to show
up and deliver even when you know the ship is
sinking. Precisely. He learned discipline under
fire. For you listening, that's a key takeaway.
Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from
navigating a tough situation, a broken system.
It builds resilience. And he definitely applied
that professionalism. Because his next big TV
role was a huge success and provided real stability,
The League. Ah, Ruxin. Yes. He starred as Rodney
Ruxin on The League on FXX. That show had a great
run. October 2009 to December 2015. So it overlapped
perfectly with his Kroll show years and the stand
-up specials. It gave him a solid base. And Ruxin
was such a great character for him. This incredibly
intense, competitive, kind of awful lawyer, totally
obsessed with his fantasy football league. It
let him showcase this consistent, high -energy
performance over six seed wins. It definitely
broadened his appeal beyond the hardcore sketch
fans. That combination, the steady gig on a hit
ensemble show, plus the creative freedom he had
from his... background that seems like the engine
for his whole career at that point. He was also
popping up everywhere in guest roles on other
big comedies of that era. Parks and Recreation.
And The Douche. Yes. That obnoxious radio DJ.
Five episodes. He was also in Community as Juergen.
And Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Trista Faye.
Yeah. That ridiculously wealthy, clueless guy.
And New Girl 2 as Jamie. He was just part of
that whole comedy ecosystem. Yeah. Very connected.
And he also showed up on the Comedy Central roast
of James Franco, which is a different skill set,
right? Delivering sharp insult comedy live. True.
Shows versatility. Not just playing characters,
but being himself comedically. And alongside
the TV work, he was also consistently getting
supporting roles in big comedy movies during
that period. Right. That late 2000s, early 2010s
wave. He's Larry in I Love You, Man. Kevin McLean
in Get Him to the Greek. Josh in Dinner for Schmucks.
The maitre d's in Date Night. Adam Richman in
a good old -fashioned orgy. He wasn't always
the lead, but he'd come in, deliver this really
specific, committed comedic energy for a scene
or two, and be memorable. That's the mark of
a great character actor, isn't it? He even got
an ensemble award nomination for I Love You Man.
It showed his approach worked to be an essential
ingredient, even in a small dose. Okay, so all
this work... The deep character stuff from UCB,
the writing, the stand -up, learning from failure,
the mainstream TV and film roles, it all seems
to lead directly to segment four. The animation
empire, Big Mouth. This is where he really levels
up, moves from being primarily a performer and
writer to a major creator and executive producer.
And it feels like such a natural evolution because
Big Mouth itself feels built on those UCB principles,
doesn't it? Totally. Find a core human truth
in this case, the absolute nightmare fuel of
his purity, and then commit. to the game of it
which means yeah personifying hormones shame
anxiety as these literal often disgusting monsters
kroll co -created writes for and stars in big
mouth it hit netflix in 2017 still going strong
set to end in 2025 focuses on these seventh graders
navigating puberty And it tackled topics like
sex, identity, shame, with this incredible mix
of, like, brutal honesty and complete absurdity.
It felt pretty groundbreaking for animation.
A big part of why it works, I think, is the personal
connection mentioned in the sources. The main
characters, Nick Birch and Andrew Gloverman.
Voiced by Kroll and Mulaney, his oh -hello partner.
Right. They're actually based on and named after
Kroll and his real -life childhood best friend,
Andrew Goldberg, who's also a co -creator on
the show. That autobiographical core gives it
an anchor, right? It grounds all the wild fantasy
stuff and lets them tackle really sensitive subjects
without it feeling totally out of left field.
And this is where Kroll's voice acting mastery
just explodes. He doesn't just voice Nick, the
main kid character who's kind of based on him.
No way. The sources list is staggering. He voices
a huge chunk of the show's entire soundscape.
Let's just list some. Maurice the Hormone Monster,
that loud, chaotic, eye -driven creature. Then
there's Coach Steve, the completely clueless,
sweet, but inappropriate gym teacher with that
high, cracking voice. The really aggressive,
insecure girl with that incredibly specific,
almost painful vocal fry and lisp. It's amazing,
and that's not even mentioning Rick the Hormone
Monster, who's older and worn out, the Jansen
twins, Lady Liberty. The fact that he creates
the sound for Nick's awkwardness, Maurice's chaos,
and Lola's very specific aggression, sometimes
all in the same episode, maybe even the same
scene. It's the ultimate payoff for all that
UCB character training. Total commitment to the
voice. And Big Mouth was so successful, it led
to the a spinoff human resources right ran 2022
to 2023 expanded on the world of the monsters
kind of like a workplace comedy kroll was co
-creator uh exec producer writer starred in that
too but beyond his own shows he started using
this voice talent in major animated movies and
often, interestingly, as the villain. Yeah, that
was a bit of a shift. His first big animated
villain role was in Sausage Party in 2016. Where
he voiced a douche. A literal douche, yes. And
there's a fun production note about that. Apparently,
he first recorded it with a British accent. Yeah,
but then the filmmakers decided they wanted less
of a Disney Renaissance vibe and more of a Pixar
structure feel, so they had him re -record it
with an American accent. Which just shows voice
acting isn't just doing a funny voice, it's serving
the overall tone the production needs. You gotta
be flexible. Then in 2017, another big villain
voice role. Professor Poofypants in Captain Underpants.
The first epic movie. Which is just a delightful
character name. isn't it and this role got some
really specific insightful praise from critics
matt zoller sites for example yeah he didn't
just say kroll was funny he really analyzed how
the voice worked called it irrepressibly silly
and described the sound as an orange juice spit
take voice which is Incredibly evocative. It
really is. Cites went on to say, Kroll transforms
the ridiculous into the sublime because of how
he savors every syllable, even in the most nonsensical
lines. Finding the character's peevishness, their
self -pity. That's high praise. Finding the humanity,
the emotional core, even in Professor Poopypants.
That's elevating comedic voice work to art. And
he just kept going with these voice roles. Gunter
in the Sing movies. Uncle Fester in the animated
Addams Family movies. Very specific, weird voice.
Happy Sir Guy in The Secret Life of Pets 2, the
scary carny in the Bob's Burgers movie. He's
basically become one of the go -to, most versatile
and recognizable voices working in animation
today. He built an empire there. Whoa, even as
that animation success was peaking, he wasn't
just resting on it. Which brings us to segment
five, expanding horizons and some personal details.
Yeah, the sources show this very deliberate move
in recent years into non -comedic roles. Serious
stuff. It feels like a conscious effort to challenge
that perception of him as just the funny voice
guy or the sketch guy. It really does. And maybe
it connects back to that history major background
or even the serious high stakes world his father
operated in. This desire for range. These weren't
just cameos either. These were significant roles
in serious traumas. Yeah. Like in 2016, he played
Bernie Cohen in Loving. Which is the true story
behind the Supreme Court case that struck down
bans on interracial marriage. Playing a civil
rights lawyer. That's a world away from Bobby
Bottle service. Absolutely. Then in 2018, he
played Rafi Aiton in Operation Finale. That's
about the Mossad agents hunting down Adolf Eichmann
in Argentina. Just think about that whiplash
for a second. You, the listener. One minute he's
Gilfiz on on Broadway complaining about tuna.
Literally complaining about too much tuna in
a sandwich. And the next, he's portraying this
committed Israeli intelligence operative tracking
a major Nazi war criminal. That willingness to
step into that kind of dramatic weight, it's
impressive. It shows the disciplined actor is
still there. And while doing this acting. He
was also boosting his behind -the -scenes credits.
He co -wrote the film Adult Beginners back in
2014. And then wrote and produced the film Olympic
Dreams in 2019. And more recently, he kind of
returned to his roots, but from the boss's chair
with that Hulu sketch series History of the World
Part 2. Right, Mel Brooks' sequel. Kroll was
heavily involved in that 2023 series, writer,
director, executive producer across the episodes.
So he's not abandoning comedy, he's just taking
more control, elevating the kind of sketch work
he loves by overseeing the whole process. We
should also mention his book writing, briefly.
Way back in 2005, he co -wrote a book called
Bar Mitzvah Disco. He wrote that with Jules Schell
and Roger Bennett. And Roger Bennett, the journalist
and broadcaster, brings us into some interesting
personal connections. Yeah, Bennett is actually
his brother -in -law. He's married to Kroll's
sister, Vanessa. Small world. Before his own
marriage, Kroll was famously in a relationship
with Amy Poehler. Right. The sources mention
that from about May 2013 to 2015. Then in November
2020, he married landscape artist Lily Kwong.
Seems like a very low -key wedding. Yeah, kept
it private. And they have two kids now, a son
born in January 2021 and a daughter born just
recently, November 2023. It paints a picture
of a life that's kind of separate from the Hollywood
frenzy. And interestingly, his wife's cousin
is the well -known fashion designer Joseph Altuzarra.
So his network spans comedy, journalism, art,
fashion. It's pretty diverse and grounded. And
one more note on his activities. He participated
in that voter writers hashtag ID check challenge
before the 2020 election. Raising awareness about
voter ID laws shows a level of civic engagement
that maybe contrasts with some of the more purely
absurd characters he plays. Okay, so let's wrap
up by looking at the accolades. Because the awards
and nominations really do reflect that incredible
range we've been talking about. They absolutely
do. It spans his whole career. You've got that
early ensemble nomination for I Love You Man.
A People's Choice nomination for The Kroll Show,
showing the sketch's success. Then on the animation
side, an Annie Award nomination for his voice
work in Captain Underpants. But the big ones
are for Big Mouth. a Gotham Award nomination
for Breakthrough Series early on. And then crucially,
three consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations
for Outstanding Animated Program 2019, 2020,
and 2021. That really solidifies his status,
not just as a performer, but as a major creative
force in TV production. Okay. So the outro, we've
gone through a lot of material here. What's the
main takeaway from this deep dive into Nick Kroll?
I think the core lesson, looking at all the sources,
is how his career is this kind of constant feedback
loop, right? He mastered this very specific long
form character work, honed it at UCB where the
stakes were low. Right, where he could experiment
freely. And those unique skills were exactly
what he needed to then create and executive produce
something as big and complex as Big Mouth. He
built the foundation first. Yeah. And we saw
how he took these almost weirdly niche skills
and somehow scaled them up for a huge audience,
but also importantly kept the perspective he
gained from those early failures. That caveman
experience really stands out. Seeing it not as
a setback, but as like a masterclass in just
getting the job done under pressure, turning
failure into fuel. And we definitely have to
emphasize how he's consciously pushed against
being pigeonholed. He's not just the hormone
monster voice. No. He's actively choosing these
serious historical roles. Yeah. Building a body
of work that proves he can handle dramatic weight
just as well as he handles comedic chaos. So
connecting it all back to where we started, that
surprising background, it leaves us with a final
thought, maybe a question for you, the listener,
to chew on. Kroll creates these dozens of incredibly
distinct, often manic, comedic voices. We hear
Maurice, we hear Lola, Professor Poopypants.
Yet his own foundation is in this world of serious
business, history, structure, coming from this
prominent, successful family. So what does that
tell us? What does that serious, maybe even high
-pressure background reveal about what actually
fuels some of the best, most out -there comedic
minds today? Is it possible that being free from
that typical starving artist pressure actually
gave him the space to be more experimental, more
willing to follow the truly ridiculous ideas?
It's a fascinating thought, isn't it, that the
stability and seriousness of, say, Crow Link
might have indirectly created the perfect conditions
for the creative chaos of Big Mouth, the freedom
to be truly weird. A paradox worth considering.
Thanks for joining us on The Deep Dive.