WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.960 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We've gathered quite 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:05.219 a bit of material today. We're going deep on 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:07.900 the career, the education, and maybe the most 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:10.640 surprising part, the origins of Jason Manzoukas. 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:13.560 Yeah, American actor, comedian, podcaster, writer. 00:00:14.349 --> 00:00:16.289 You probably know him. Oh, absolutely. If you 00:00:16.289 --> 00:00:18.350 know his work, you know that energy, that look. 00:00:18.469 --> 00:00:21.030 But what we've found, well, it really paints 00:00:21.030 --> 00:00:23.949 a picture of this fascinating paradox behind 00:00:23.949 --> 00:00:26.070 his success. And that's really our mission today, 00:00:26.149 --> 00:00:28.010 isn't it? We're looking beyond just, you know, 00:00:28.010 --> 00:00:30.570 the iconic roles, Ruffy from The League or Adrian 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:33.329 Pimento, Jay in Big Mouth. Those characters who 00:00:33.329 --> 00:00:36.109 are just pure chaos, basically. Yeah. Human grenades. 00:00:36.649 --> 00:00:39.350 Exactly. And we want to synthesize all this data 00:00:39.350 --> 00:00:42.210 we have to figure out how that persona, this 00:00:42.210 --> 00:00:45.350 really recognizable explosion. style is actually 00:00:45.350 --> 00:00:48.869 built on something incredibly rigorous, disciplined, 00:00:49.250 --> 00:00:52.170 even academic and globally informed. It really 00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:54.909 is like the ultimate good boy gone wild story, 00:00:55.049 --> 00:00:57.869 except maybe more like the good boy got a serious 00:00:57.869 --> 00:01:00.329 education, traveled the world, then decided to 00:01:00.329 --> 00:01:03.130 become this icon of comedic chaos. Right. Just 00:01:03.130 --> 00:01:06.310 the basics first. Born December 18th, 1972. So 00:01:06.310 --> 00:01:09.049 he's 52 now. Grew up in Massachusetts. And he 00:01:09.049 --> 00:01:11.069 identifies strongly as Greek -American, right? 00:01:11.109 --> 00:01:13.629 Like 100 % Greek, he said. You sometimes see 00:01:13.629 --> 00:01:15.829 little hints of that in his work. Yeah, definitely. 00:01:15.930 --> 00:01:19.189 And the sheer scope of his career. It's pretty 00:01:19.189 --> 00:01:20.969 staggering when you lay it all out. It's not 00:01:20.969 --> 00:01:23.129 just those main roles people know. No, not at 00:01:23.129 --> 00:01:26.129 all. He jumps from like... big comedy movies 00:01:26.129 --> 00:01:29.469 to recurring roles on serious TV dramas. And 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:32.310 then, boom, he shows up in John Wick 3, an action 00:01:32.310 --> 00:01:34.629 movie. Totally unexpected. Plus, you've got three 00:01:34.629 --> 00:01:37.430 completely different, memorable, recurring characters 00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:40.230 just in the Michael Schur universe alone. And 00:01:40.230 --> 00:01:42.010 we haven't even touched much on his writing career, 00:01:42.109 --> 00:01:44.790 which is significant, or co -hosting How Did 00:01:44.790 --> 00:01:47.400 This Get Made? which is, you know, huge in the 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:49.680 podcast world. So the big question we're wrestling 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:52.900 with is, how does this guy, whose entire professional 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:55.739 brand seems to be about embracing artistic chaos, 00:01:56.099 --> 00:02:01.000 structure his actual life with such, well, meticulousness? 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:02.980 Let's start at the beginning then. The foundation. 00:02:03.379 --> 00:02:06.000 Agreed. Section one, the unexpected educational 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.419 foundation. Because when you look at the sources 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:11.180 about his early life, the discipline needed to 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:14.060 fuel that later energy. It's right there from 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:16.699 the start. It really is a complete contrast to 00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:20.580 the maniac characters he plays. He grew up in 00:02:20.580 --> 00:02:22.520 Nahant, Massachusetts, went to Swamp Scott High, 00:02:22.740 --> 00:02:25.479 graduated in 91. And the sources are clear. He 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.120 wasn't just like the class clown or drama kid. 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:30.919 He was captain of the boys' soccer team. And 00:02:30.919 --> 00:02:33.780 the track team. Both. And on top of that, maybe 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:36.259 the most telling detail for his later work structure, 00:02:36.500 --> 00:02:39.500 president of the marching band. Think about that 00:02:39.500 --> 00:02:42.379 combo for a second. Sports captain means leadership, 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:45.900 physical discipline. teamwork, marching band. 00:02:46.139 --> 00:02:49.199 That's precision, timing, complex structure, 00:02:49.460 --> 00:02:51.520 everyone working together perfectly. Yeah, these 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:53.259 aren't the hobbies of someone just winging it. 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:56.479 It points to a serious level of focus. And that 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:58.419 focus really comes through in his musical background. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:01.419 This wasn't just a phase. No way. Drum lessons 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:04.000 starting at age 10. Studied seriously with a 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.139 teacher, Steve Barrett, for over eight years. 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:09.159 That's real dedication. You can almost hear that 00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:11.500 mastery of rhythm in his comedic timing later. 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:13.879 That long -term commitment to the drums, that's 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:16.199 like a secret key here. And look at his influences, 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:19.000 Stuart Coakland from The Police. Known for that 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:22.500 complex sort of reggae -infused drumming. Right. 00:03:22.659 --> 00:03:25.860 Stephen Perkins from Jane's Addiction, very tribal, 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:29.000 intricate stuff. And Jimmy Chamberlain from Smashing 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.319 Pumpkins, who's basically a jazz powerhouse on 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:35.150 the drums. These are complex, dynamic players. 00:03:35.389 --> 00:03:37.430 And he put it into practice. Played in a high 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:40.810 school cover band, Sligo, sure. But then in college, 00:03:40.849 --> 00:03:44.229 he played in a bebop group. Now, for listeners 00:03:44.229 --> 00:03:47.550 maybe not deep into jazz, why is playing bebop 00:03:47.550 --> 00:03:50.360 specifically so significant here? What skills 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.400 do that build? Oh, bebop is crucial. It's jazz 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:55.979 defined by speed, really complex chord changes, 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.379 and incredibly fast improvisation. For a drummer, 00:03:59.479 --> 00:04:01.960 you need razor sharp listening skills, instant 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:03.860 dynamic response. You have to keep that intricate 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:05.819 rhythm going while everyone else is flying off 00:04:05.819 --> 00:04:07.900 on solos? Exactly. It's high stakes collaboration 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.219 in real time. You couldn't ask for better training 00:04:10.219 --> 00:04:12.699 for long form improv comedy, actually. That discipline 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:14.939 of the beat absolutely informs the rhythm of 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:17.100 the jikes, the scenes. Okay, so college. He goes 00:04:17.100 --> 00:04:20.189 to Middlebury College in Vermont. But he doesn't 00:04:20.189 --> 00:04:23.670 major in music or theater. He majors in religion. 00:04:23.990 --> 00:04:26.889 Yeah, another fascinating turn, right? This shows 00:04:26.889 --> 00:04:30.550 that deep intellectual curiosity. Studying religion 00:04:30.550 --> 00:04:33.649 means studying belief systems, how societies 00:04:33.649 --> 00:04:36.209 structure themselves, how people commit to an 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:38.589 internal logic. Which sounds incredibly useful 00:04:38.589 --> 00:04:41.670 for building believable, even absurd characters. 00:04:42.269 --> 00:04:44.470 You have to commit totally to their world's rules, 00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:47.089 no matter how weird they seem. Absolutely. But 00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:50.110 we also get that great early story, that perfect 00:04:50.110 --> 00:04:53.589 blend of Manzuka's ambition and chaos. He tried 00:04:53.589 --> 00:04:56.689 to defend an honors thesis. On religious iconography, 00:04:56.829 --> 00:04:59.649 no less. Serious stuff. Right, but the punchline 00:04:59.649 --> 00:05:01.509 is... He admitted he basically started writing 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:03.850 it like a week before the defense? Predictably. 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:05.949 Didn't get the honors credit. But it's that early 00:05:05.949 --> 00:05:08.569 glimpse. Brilliant idea, intense effort, maybe 00:05:08.569 --> 00:05:11.800 slightly disastrous execution. but still managing 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:14.000 to pull it off with charm. And that near miss 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:16.160 didn't slow him down. It actually led to something 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:18.899 pretty incredible post -graduation. He graduated 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:22.600 in 95 and landed a Watson Fellowship. Now, some 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:24.600 folks might hear fellowship and think scholarship, 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:27.899 but the Watson is. Well, it's a big deal, right? 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:30.860 Oh, it's huge. It's incredibly competitive, very 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:33.160 prestigious. It gives you a year of independent 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:35.939 study outside the U .S., focusing on personal 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:39.180 growth, free from university rules. Getting one 00:05:39.180 --> 00:05:41.000 tells you the selection committee saw something 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:43.720 really special, maybe even that chaotic potential 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:46.480 in him. And his topic wasn't just travel the 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:50.019 world. It was super specific anthropological 00:05:50.019 --> 00:05:53.319 research. Right. Religious and transcendental 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:56.300 music. He used that grant to travel all over 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:58.360 North Africa and the Middle East for nearly two 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:01.879 years. He was doing serious, on -the -ground, 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:05.620 ethnographic study of music. He wasn't just backpacking. 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:08.000 He was a researcher. And he apparently said his 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:10.600 grant proposal itself was horrible. Yeah, but 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:12.459 then immediately said he was charming in the 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:14.779 room. That's it. That's the man sick as hustle 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:16.899 right there. Yeah. Pure personality and commitment, 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:19.810 convincing people to back his, well... intellectual 00:06:19.810 --> 00:06:21.810 adventures. And those adventures were intense. 00:06:22.069 --> 00:06:24.269 Lived in Morocco for about seven and a half months. 00:06:24.410 --> 00:06:26.589 Doing what specifically? Studying and recording 00:06:26.589 --> 00:06:28.970 Nawa music. Okay, let's pause there. Nawa music. 00:06:29.310 --> 00:06:32.629 That's pretty niche. What is it and how could 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:35.089 studying that possibly connect to his later comedy? 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:38.279 Well, Nala music has roots in West African slave 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:41.879 communities, and it's central to spiritual, often 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:45.160 healing ceremonies in Morocco. It's intensely 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:48.319 rhythmic, cyclical, very communal, designed to 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.660 induce a trance -like state. Wow. So studying 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:54.319 it means studying deep commitment, shared experience, 00:06:54.779 --> 00:06:57.079 and the pursuit of this intense emotional state 00:06:57.079 --> 00:06:59.439 through rhythm and sound. Okay, so let's connect 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.360 the dots. The guy who later plays Rafi, pure 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.579 chaotic self -interest, spent his... Early 20s, 00:07:05.579 --> 00:07:08.379 documenting music meant to create spiritual trance 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:10.399 states. It's all about total commitment to the 00:07:10.399 --> 00:07:12.540 moment, isn't it? Whether the goal is transcendence 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:15.220 or just hilarious absurdity. And the travel wasn't 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:19.120 just Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Jordan, 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:21.920 Syria. He was really out there pursuing this 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:23.699 knowledge in some pretty volatile places, and 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:25.800 that's where things got real. He actually got 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:28.019 arrested twice while he was abroad. Okay, the 00:07:28.019 --> 00:07:31.389 first time, Morocco expired visa. Sounds like 00:07:31.389 --> 00:07:33.149 annoying bureaucracy. Right. Could happen to 00:07:33.149 --> 00:07:35.310 anyone. But the second time in Turkey, that was 00:07:35.310 --> 00:07:37.209 different. What happened? He was arrested by 00:07:37.209 --> 00:07:39.170 the authorities specifically to stop him from 00:07:39.170 --> 00:07:41.790 traveling into an active war zone. Whoa. Yeah. 00:07:42.089 --> 00:07:45.050 So the academic quest bumped right up against 00:07:45.050 --> 00:07:47.930 serious real world danger. The guy who channels 00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:51.750 panic on stage for laughs, he faced actual high 00:07:51.750 --> 00:07:53.949 stakes situations because his research took him 00:07:53.949 --> 00:07:56.439 right to the edge. That is just an incredible 00:07:56.439 --> 00:07:59.360 amount of discipline, experience, and frankly, 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:02.819 risk packed into someone's life before they even 00:08:02.819 --> 00:08:05.139 hit a professional comedy stage. Exactly. So 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:07.660 we see the discipline, the focus, but how did 00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:09.680 all that, the rhythm, the cultural immersion, 00:08:09.860 --> 00:08:12.959 the structure actually translate into, you know, 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.100 being funny? Which brings us neatly to section 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:20.120 two, the improv path. and the ucb years and the 00:08:20.120 --> 00:08:22.000 transition makes sense because like we touched 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:24.759 on the skill sets overlap so much even while 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:26.939 he was focused on drumming and academics those 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:29.360 comedy seeds were there writing sketches for 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:31.800 high school variety shows but college seems to 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:34.190 be where it really clicked The otter nonsense 00:08:34.190 --> 00:08:36.309 players at Middlebury. That's where he really 00:08:36.309 --> 00:08:38.230 dove in. And he made that connection explicit 00:08:38.230 --> 00:08:40.610 himself. He said he got obsessed with short form 00:08:40.610 --> 00:08:43.169 improv because it used the exact same skills 00:08:43.169 --> 00:08:45.889 as playing jazz. Active listening, finding the 00:08:45.889 --> 00:08:48.750 rhythm, building on what your partners do. Instantaneously. 00:08:48.750 --> 00:08:51.529 It's pure bebop training applied to comedy. And 00:08:51.529 --> 00:08:53.610 his college improv group wasn't just practice. 00:08:53.909 --> 00:08:56.950 It was where he met key people. Future collaborators 00:08:56.950 --> 00:08:59.490 like Jessica St. Clair, Dan O 'Brien, Rodney 00:08:59.490 --> 00:09:02.820 Rothman. Big names in comedy later on. Yeah, 00:09:02.899 --> 00:09:05.220 those early connections are vital in that alt 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:07.940 -comedy world. So after his two years traveling, 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:11.460 he lands in New York City in 1998 and jumps right 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:14.360 into the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, UCB. 00:09:14.580 --> 00:09:17.500 Taught by Amy Poehler, no less. That's some serious 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:19.580 improv pedigree right there. And he became part 00:09:19.580 --> 00:09:22.759 of Mother. Now, for listeners who maybe weren't 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:25.639 following the NYC improv scene in the late 90s, 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.340 why is the Mother team such a big deal? Mother 00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:30.960 was foundational. It was one of UCB's very first 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.759 house teams focused purely on long form improv, 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:36.059 The Herald. They weren't just doing quick games. 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:38.259 They were basically writing the playbook for 00:09:38.259 --> 00:09:41.179 the narrative long form style UCB became famous 00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:43.169 for. So being on Mother meant you were right 00:09:43.169 --> 00:09:45.470 there, shaping modern improv alongside people 00:09:45.470 --> 00:09:47.990 like Poehler and others, who really defined that 00:09:47.990 --> 00:09:50.169 next wave of comedy. It was like a high -level 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:52.389 apprenticeship. But even with that kind of training 00:09:52.389 --> 00:09:55.110 and connection, making it as a comedian in New 00:09:55.110 --> 00:09:57.870 York is tough. There's that detail in the sources 00:09:57.870 --> 00:10:01.690 about his day job. Ah, yes. The survival job. 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:05.129 speaks volumes about his discipline again. For 00:10:05.129 --> 00:10:07.210 over three years, he worked in the computer graphics 00:10:07.210 --> 00:10:09.889 department at J .P. Morgan. Not waiting tables. 00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:13.049 Highly technical corporate work. Right. Just 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:15.610 to make ends meet while doing comedy shows at 00:10:15.610 --> 00:10:17.889 night. It just shatters that image of the flaky 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:20.429 artist, doesn't it? Running that dual life, serious 00:10:20.429 --> 00:10:24.289 finance, graphics, guy by day, wild improviser 00:10:24.289 --> 00:10:27.090 by night that takes immense focus, compartmentalization. 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:30.059 It's the marching band president discipline showing 00:10:30.059 --> 00:10:32.240 up again. He funded his art through corporate 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:35.059 efficiency. Patience. And even while doing that, 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:38.200 he was finding success on stage. Formed the Manzoukas 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:40.960 Brothers duo with Ed Herbsman. Time Out New York 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:44.379 called them the best improv duo in 2006. And 00:10:44.379 --> 00:10:46.240 that collaboration with Jessica St. Clair kept 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.460 growing, too. They did sketch shows like we used 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:51.460 to go out, improv like First Date. Their chemistry 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.100 was obvious. Yeah. Pitched a pilot to HBO, didn't 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:57.730 go, but still. HBO then got a deal with Comedy 00:10:57.730 --> 00:11:01.289 Central and the reviews compare them to Nichols 00:11:01.289 --> 00:11:03.789 and May, which is, you know, legendary status. 00:11:03.850 --> 00:11:05.450 That comparison isn't thrown around lightly. 00:11:05.570 --> 00:11:08.980 It means smart. witty, perfectly timed duo comedy. 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:11.240 And that partnership endures. They still work 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:13.620 together on the podcast, Womp It Up. So this 00:11:13.620 --> 00:11:16.360 slow, disciplined build finally leads him to 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:18.279 break through as a character actor. Which takes 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:20.980 us to section three, the trajectory of a character 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:23.179 actor. Right. And that intense commitment to 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:25.820 absurdity he perfected in improv. It found its 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:28.419 perfect outlet in live action. Rafi in the League, 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:32.039 30 episodes. That role just is the Manzuka's 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:35.000 persona for so many people. Absolutely. Explosive, 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:38.269 unpredictable. loud boundary pushing, often just 00:11:38.269 --> 00:11:40.450 gross. Yeah, Rafi's something else. And then 00:11:40.450 --> 00:11:42.309 playing the doll and the dictator with Sacha 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:44.830 Baron Cohen kind of cemented that maximum chaos, 00:11:44.889 --> 00:11:47.169 maximum commitment brand. And nobody seemed to 00:11:47.169 --> 00:11:49.350 understand how to use that specific energy better 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:51.549 than Michael Schur. We really have to look at 00:11:51.549 --> 00:11:53.889 his roles across those three big Schur shows. 00:11:54.230 --> 00:11:57.190 It shows a pattern, a trust in what Manzoukas 00:11:57.190 --> 00:11:59.870 brings. Okay, let's break it down. First up, 00:11:59.990 --> 00:12:03.159 Dennis Feinstein in Parks and Recreation. Only 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:06.600 five episodes, but unforgettable. The ridiculously 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:09.679 over -the -top cologne guy. Feinstein is all 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.120 about that high -status, aggressive, wealthy 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:15.200 obliviousness. Manzoukas plays him with zero 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:18.360 apologies, total conviction in his own awfulness. 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:20.820 Then maybe the role closest to that high -stakes 00:12:20.820 --> 00:12:23.299 reality we talked about from his travels. Adrian 00:12:23.299 --> 00:12:27.919 Pimento in Brooklyn, 9 -9. 11 episodes. You're 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:30.539 right. Pimento is this detective, back from years 00:12:30.539 --> 00:12:33.100 undercover, completely unhinged by it. He's volatile, 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:35.519 shouting, physically unpredictable, always on 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:37.659 edge. It takes incredible control to play someone 00:12:37.659 --> 00:12:39.899 that out of control convincingly and still make 00:12:39.899 --> 00:12:42.539 it funny. Totally. And then the most abstract 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:44.799 use of his energy, Derek Hostetler in The Good 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:47.179 Place. Nine episodes. Derek isn't even really 00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:50.000 a person. He's like a sentient rebound boyfriend 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.100 created by Janet. Pure chaos. Wind chimes for 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:55.659 genitals. Right. He's a glitch made flesh, basically. 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:58.200 His whole existence is random, summed up by yelling, 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:02.120 Mindy St. Clair! And weird high fives. And the 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:05.259 genius is, Manzoukas makes this conceptual joke, 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:08.440 this glitch, feel like a real, persistent, incredibly 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:11.909 annoying character. He embodies abstract chaos 00:13:11.909 --> 00:13:14.830 across three different shows for sure. And we 00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:16.649 should note, it wasn't just comedy intensity. 00:13:16.870 --> 00:13:19.409 He had serious recurring roles, too, like in 00:13:19.409 --> 00:13:21.549 Enlightened for eight episodes, Transparent for 00:13:21.549 --> 00:13:24.970 five, plus a main role in No Activity on Paramount 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:28.750 Plus for 18 episodes. He can anchor things, too. 00:13:28.950 --> 00:13:30.730 OK, but let's circle back to that action movie 00:13:30.730 --> 00:13:33.789 thing. John Wick 3. It feels so different from 00:13:33.789 --> 00:13:36.330 his comedy base. Playing the TikTok man. He's 00:13:36.330 --> 00:13:38.769 suddenly in this super stylized world of intense 00:13:38.769 --> 00:13:41.750 choreographed violence, an underworld operative. 00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:44.070 And the same commitment he brings to yelling 00:13:44.070 --> 00:13:46.129 about, I don't know, anything Rafi yells about, 00:13:46.250 --> 00:13:48.769 he brings to these deadly serious action beats. 00:13:48.889 --> 00:13:50.970 It shows that Hollywood sees that intensity as 00:13:50.970 --> 00:13:53.309 versatile. It's not just comedic intensity. It's 00:13:53.309 --> 00:13:55.769 just intensity, full stop. He can deliver it 00:13:55.769 --> 00:13:58.129 in any genre. Now, even with all this performance 00:13:58.129 --> 00:14:00.149 success, we have to talk about that other path, 00:14:00.330 --> 00:14:02.649 his writing career, because it confirms that 00:14:02.649 --> 00:14:04.649 discipline underneath everything. Absolutely. 00:14:04.669 --> 00:14:07.710 Back in 2008, NBC actually ordered a pilot, he 00:14:07.710 --> 00:14:11.490 wrote, off -duty. Starred Bradley Whitford, Romany 00:14:11.490 --> 00:14:15.110 Malco, big names. Getting a network pilot made, 00:14:15.250 --> 00:14:17.629 even if it doesn't get picked up, is a huge deal. 00:14:17.789 --> 00:14:20.330 It requires serious structure, narrative chops, 00:14:20.590 --> 00:14:23.149 understanding the commercial side, totally different 00:14:23.149 --> 00:14:25.990 skill set from improv. But the really wild detail 00:14:25.990 --> 00:14:28.350 is about the movie Ride Along, the buddy cop 00:14:28.350 --> 00:14:30.700 hit with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. What's the 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:32.799 connection? Our sources show he got a writing 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:34.639 credit on a draft of that script. There's Susan. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:37.360 Yeah. Apparently he was first brought on to write 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:39.220 it with a different vibe in mind, maybe for Andy 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:41.500 Samberg in the Kevin Hart role. Then Universal 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:45.320 took over, cast Hart, shifted the tone. But Manzoukas' 00:14:45.480 --> 00:14:47.120 structural work was still part of the foundation 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:50.340 for that huge hit movie. So the master of onstage 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:53.519 chaos is also crafting blockbuster movie structures 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.700 behind the scenes. Wild. And he did consulting 00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:58.899 writer -producer work on really respected shows 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:01.539 like... Children's Hospital and Portlandia, too. 00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:03.879 He's often building the playground he then plays 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:07.019 in. Given that voice gravelly, loud, instantly 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:10.399 recognizable, it makes perfect sense that voice 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:12.080 acting is such a huge part of his career now. 00:15:12.350 --> 00:15:14.730 Which brings us to section four, voice acting 00:15:14.730 --> 00:15:17.570 and modern media mastery. Yeah, his voice just 00:15:17.570 --> 00:15:20.450 cuts through. It immediately signals intense 00:15:20.450 --> 00:15:23.289 commitment, whether it's for like an animated 00:15:23.289 --> 00:15:26.049 kid or a comic book character. And he's all over 00:15:26.049 --> 00:15:29.309 animation. Jay Bilzerian in Big Mouth on Netflix, 00:15:29.529 --> 00:15:31.789 81 episodes. That's a main character. Totally 00:15:31.789 --> 00:15:35.529 defined by Manzoukas' energy. Unhinged teen angst 00:15:35.529 --> 00:15:38.929 and hormones. And Alex Dorpenberger in... Closing 00:15:38.929 --> 00:15:41.750 up on HBO Max, 24 episodes. And he anchors major 00:15:41.750 --> 00:15:45.409 genre shows, too. Rexplode and Invincible on 00:15:45.409 --> 00:15:48.389 Prime Video. Great character. Jankum Pog in Star 00:15:48.389 --> 00:15:51.110 Trek. Prodigy on Paramount, plus the gray one 00:15:51.110 --> 00:15:52.830 in Housebroken. The common thread. These characters 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:55.490 usually operate at 11. All the time. Plus movie 00:15:55.490 --> 00:15:58.230 roles. Scarecrow in the Lego Batman movie. James 00:15:58.230 --> 00:16:00.750 the Dragonfly in Doolittle. Samuel Adams in America. 00:16:00.990 --> 00:16:03.649 Motion picture. But here's maybe the most perfectly 00:16:03.649 --> 00:16:06.509 ironic voice gift. In 2018, he took over from 00:16:06.509 --> 00:16:09.889 T .J. Miller as the voice of Mr. Mucus for Mucinex. 00:16:09.950 --> 00:16:12.950 Mr. Mucus. The voice of literal, annoying congestion. 00:16:13.389 --> 00:16:16.090 Think about it. Mucinex needs a voice that's 00:16:16.090 --> 00:16:18.490 persistent, irritating, impossible to ignore. 00:16:18.809 --> 00:16:21.330 It's a corporate job that perfectly fits the 00:16:21.330 --> 00:16:24.909 character type he mastered, the agent of unavoidable, 00:16:24.909 --> 00:16:27.450 grating chaos. That's actually brilliant casting 00:16:27.450 --> 00:16:29.549 when you put it that way. And looking forward, 00:16:29.750 --> 00:16:33.169 his reach keeps expanding, even into huge franchises. 00:16:33.429 --> 00:16:36.210 He played Dionysus, Mr. D, in the Percy Jackson 00:16:36.210 --> 00:16:38.750 series on Disney+. Right, just a few episodes 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:41.610 so far, but still a major property. But maybe 00:16:41.610 --> 00:16:44.429 the biggest sign of his truly global comedy reach 00:16:44.429 --> 00:16:47.409 is his appearance on Taskmaster, the British 00:16:47.409 --> 00:16:49.669 one. Oh yeah, that was huge news. He was a contestant 00:16:49.669 --> 00:16:52.620 on Series 19, came in third. 10 episodes. But 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:54.940 the key bit of trivia here. He's the first contestant 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:57.120 ever on the UK show who wasn't actually based 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:58.899 in the UK when they filmed it. That's massive 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:01.159 for Taskmaster. That show is usually such a showcase 00:17:01.159 --> 00:17:03.580 for British and Irish comedians. Exactly. For 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:06.019 them to bring in Manzoukas, this American guy 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:08.380 known for NYC improv and Hollywood roles, it 00:17:08.380 --> 00:17:10.839 shows his specific brand of committed absurdity 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:14.019 just travels. It's globally understood and appreciated. 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:16.579 That chaotic commitment is universal, apparently. 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.400 Okay, finally, let's get into section five. podcasts, 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:23.420 and personal insights. Because for a huge number 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:26.480 of people, Manzouk is primarily a voice in their 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.359 ears. He's practically podcast royalty. His presence 00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:32.640 in podcasting is, well, almost overwhelming. 00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:35.400 The anchor, of course, is How Did This Get Made? 00:17:35.460 --> 00:17:38.359 with Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael. The 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:40.920 gold standard for hilarious, structured analysis 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:44.519 of truly terrible movies. Again, bringing order 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:46.880 to chaos, basically. And then there's his status 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:49.319 as maybe the ultimate podcast guest. King of 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:51.839 the guests. Just look at the numbers for comedy. 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:55.119 Bang! Bang! Over 53 appearances. He's practically 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:57.160 part of the furniture there. He's a regular on 00:17:57.160 --> 00:17:59.839 Womp It Up. with Jessica St. Clair, obviously, 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:02.519 appeared multiple times on Reply All, which isn't 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:04.460 even strictly a comedy show, more tech and internet 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:06.680 culture. Four times on the food podcast, Doughboys 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:09.119 2. He just slots in anywhere and brings that 00:18:09.119 --> 00:18:11.740 immediate hit of energy and weird tangents. Plus 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:14.519 the big interview shows, WTF with Marc Maron, 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.940 armchair expert, and even the huge UK food comedy 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:20.420 hit off menu. He's just deeply woven into the 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:22.940 entire podcasting fabric. Okay, let's shift to 00:18:22.940 --> 00:18:25.019 those personal details now, because they offer 00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:27.480 a really profound potential insight into why... 00:18:27.470 --> 00:18:30.029 embodies these frantic chaotic types so well, 00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:34.109 he has a severe egg allergy. Since birth. Like 00:18:34.109 --> 00:18:36.650 potentially fatal anaphylaxis if he eats eggs. 00:18:36.809 --> 00:18:40.009 Yeah, a constant real -world danger. And he himself 00:18:40.009 --> 00:18:42.589 has linked this severe allergy directly to being 00:18:42.589 --> 00:18:44.650 a hypochondriac. Okay, that feels like a really 00:18:44.650 --> 00:18:46.750 important connection point. It could be, right? 00:18:46.869 --> 00:18:49.630 That external persona, careless, boundaryless 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:52.349 chaos might actually be a way to process or release 00:18:52.349 --> 00:18:55.230 extreme internal anxiety. If your daily life 00:18:55.230 --> 00:18:57.529 requires constant vigilance, checking ingredients, 00:18:57.910 --> 00:19:00.890 always aware that one tiny mistake could be deadly. 00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:03.680 that creates a baseline level of high alert, 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.539 of anxiety that has to go somewhere. It's entirely 00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:08.799 possible that the characters let him act out 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:10.940 the very lack of control he absolutely cannot 00:19:10.940 --> 00:19:14.079 afford in his real life. They are unhinged, careless, 00:19:14.339 --> 00:19:17.359 violently free in ways he can't be. And the ability 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:19.900 to manage that real -life stress, that internal 00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:22.500 discipline honed through drumming, religion studies, 00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:25.400 the corporate job, is maybe what allows him to 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:28.819 perform chaos so convincingly so, controllably. 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:31.819 Paradoxically. It's a fascinating thought. We 00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:34.039 should also briefly mention, just for context, 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:37.579 his past relationship with actress Connie Britton. 00:19:37.859 --> 00:19:40.680 She called him a great man and a comedy writer 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:44.119 back in a 2009 interview, right as his career 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:46.039 was really taking off with those character roles. 00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:48.039 So stepping back, looking at the whole picture, 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:50.980 the synthesis is pretty clear. The guy known 00:19:50.980 --> 00:19:54.859 for pure anarchic screen energy. The human glitch. 00:19:55.549 --> 00:19:58.089 The screaming detective, Rafi, is fundamentally 00:19:58.089 --> 00:20:01.089 built on this bedrock of intense discipline and 00:20:01.089 --> 00:20:03.750 structure. Started as a sports captain, marching 00:20:03.750 --> 00:20:06.710 band president, then a religion major, a Watson 00:20:06.710 --> 00:20:09.650 fellow studying ethnographic music, getting arrested 00:20:09.650 --> 00:20:12.569 in the process. The technical precision of bebop 00:20:12.569 --> 00:20:14.769 drumming flowed right into the collaborative 00:20:14.769 --> 00:20:17.630 precision of long form improv. That academic 00:20:17.630 --> 00:20:20.529 hustle, charming his way into the Watson, grinding 00:20:20.529 --> 00:20:23.680 out three years at J .P. Morgan. It all fed into 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.440 creating this unique, high -energy stage presence. 00:20:26.700 --> 00:20:28.640 He learned how to commit totally to the internal 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:30.740 logic of a world, whether it was Nawa rituals 00:20:30.740 --> 00:20:33.660 in Morocco or, you know, the insane logic of 00:20:33.660 --> 00:20:35.839 Rafi's world in the League. And that ability 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:39.200 to pivot is key, too. From sacred music research 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:42.220 to writing a network TV pilot for major stars, 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:44.960 it suggests that specializing deeply in something 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:48.099 seemingly unrelated can actually forge a unique, 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:51.009 powerful voice in a creative field. Which brings 00:20:51.009 --> 00:20:53.109 us to our final thought for you, the listener. 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:56.109 Considering this whole journey, how Manzoukas' 00:20:56.210 --> 00:20:58.509 early career was about deep dives into things 00:20:58.509 --> 00:21:01.950 totally outside performance, like religious anthropology 00:21:01.950 --> 00:21:05.670 and complex jazz drumming, what does his success 00:21:05.670 --> 00:21:08.279 tell us? Yeah, what does it suggest about where 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.640 the most original, impactful voices in seemingly 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.099 chaotic fields like comedy might actually come 00:21:14.099 --> 00:21:16.160 from? Maybe it's not always traditional training. 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:18.380 Maybe sometimes it's forged through the rigorous 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:20.859 mastery of something completely unexpected, something 00:21:20.859 --> 00:21:22.960 totally outside the box. Something to think about 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:24.059 until our next deep dive.