By now, everyone knows The Hollywood Reporter roundtables. And yes, they didn’t invent the format, but thanks to the array of A-list talent they get—actors, directors, writers, producers, comedians, etc.—THR’s roundtable series has become quite popular and notable, especially in the last few years as the brand has risen and all the top tier talent flock to the series, especially during awards season.
Awards season might be over, but that didn’t stop comedy partners Rajat Suresh and Jeremy Levick—you might remember them from the “conservative lecturer DESTROYS SJW college student”/Mr. Mouse Goes On An Adventure” bit that went viral a few years ago (see below)—to roast THR, the Awards season circuit, and just how super seriously everyone takes it.
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Along with the help of Justin Theroux, plus Vince Edgehill (“Bull”), Stephen Cofield Jr. (“Harlem”), and Stu Li (“Marilyn Monroe’s Brother”), the trio join what is known as “The Hollywood Recorder” for a full Actors Roundtable about Suresh’s brief appearance on Ben Stiller’s “Severance.”
Amusingly enough, Stiller seems to be on the bit, as he commented on it on Twitter too. Further funny is the made-up credits for all the actors involved; Theroux is credited as appearing in the fictional film “Martin Luther King’s Dresser,” which he addresses in the clip. The “Tropic Thunder” co-writer spoke about the “responsibility” of his role in the white-savior movie.
“It’s historically inaccurate, and Martin Luther King did not have a dresser, but it’s really a fastidious middle-aged man who wanted him to look his best because he was the face of a movement,” Theroux said. “Imagine messing that up,” Suresh countered. All aspects of Hollywood are sent up, intimacy coordinators, the ever-evolving landscape of Hollywood, wokeness, and the sociopolitical consequences that sometimes come up in the work and how they speak about it publicly.
It’s a pretty fun skewering of these roundtable conversations and just how seriously some actors take their “process.” The group really commits to the bit, too; it’s 54 minutes long! Check out the clip below and strap in for some biting roasting about Hollywood, actors pontificating, overly-serious pretentious journalistic questions, and more.
And speaking of Suresh and Levick, given some of the contemporary Internet comedian pals who have taken off—SNL’s Please Don’t Destroy trio, who started out posting viral clips and have a new movie coming out produced by Judd Apatow, come to mind—and the co-signing of Theroux and Stiller, let’s hope someone is going to help take their comedy to greater heights as well.
