As the SAG Awards demonstrated on Sunday, in-person awards telecasts are “really” back. For anyone looking for a distraction from real-world horrors, award season is in full swing. There are a number of ceremonies this upcoming weekend, but the highlight will be the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards hosted by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman.
READ MORE: “Zola” rules the 2022 Independent Spirit Awards nominations
Speaking to The Playlist last week, Offerman, who has been married to Mullally since 2003, seemed genuinely excited about the gig noting, “The thing I love is overall, it’s just occurring to me that our two [hosted] shows so far are the Sundance Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, because in the film world, [I associate] those with the cool kids that sit in the back of the bus. They may be truant or they’re on their way to vocational school, smoking some jazz cigarettes and playing Miranda July videos for each other on their phones. And that’s our gang. That’s who we want to be associated with the most.”
Offerman also reflected on how anyone gets to host the Spirits, whether they have watched all the nominated films (previous hosts have insisted they had), reflects on barely meeting his co-stars in the Hulu mini-series “Pam & Tommy,” and much more.
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The Playlist: This may be a stupid question, but how do you even get this sort of gig? Do they go to the agencies and say, “Hey, we’re looking for people who are into it.”? Do you tell Film Independent president John Welsh at a party, “Hey, if you ever need a host, I might be interested someday.”? How does this even happen?
Nick Offerman: That is a great question. And frankly, it was a wonderful surprise to be notified that they wanted us to do this because Megan and I, we’ve done a lot of stuff together, theater, TV, film. We have toured as a comedy couple. So we do have comedy chops, but it’s not our thing. We’re not comedian first. We’re, I guess, actors first. And she’s a fabulous Broadway singer. So, some years ago, we hosted the awards at the Sundance Film Festival.
That’s right. Can’t believe I forgot about that.
That’s one tiny sliver of possibly how we got on some list. We have healthy opinions of ourselves, and we think we’re cute as hell. But at the same time, we’re honest and realistic about our place in the pantheon of living Hollywood performers. And so when this comes in…sometimes you get offered a movie job, and you can tell like, “Oh, I’m perfect for this.” I may well have been the first choice. Sometimes, you’re like, “How many people said no before you got to good old Megan and Nick?” And the nice thing is we don’t have big egos about it. Either way, we’re glad to be at the party, and we’ll have a blast doing it.
But correct me if I’m wrong outside of the Sundance festival awards gig, you haven’t hosted often.
Not a lot. I mean, Megan, just a few years ago, I believe hosted the SAG Awards. And maybe I could be forgetting, we’ve been around a while, but not more than one or two other things. I co-hosted something like a Television Critics Association Awards or something like that many years ago. I wouldn’t have thought we’d be on the list of amazing pro comedians. People who are trained in the art of sketch I feel like are the best hosts. We do sketches. Our toolbox holds I think all acting tricks, except full-on real sex. We don’t do that on camera yet.
O.K. [Laughs.] But I will say this, you guys are both incredibly smart and witty. And that’s what hosts need to be, especially for this room. Over the past decade or so, the show has definitely had a format. There is a filmed intro, then some audience banter, and then you come in and out as the show progresses. Is there anything that you’ve said to the producers that you both specifically want to do that maybe they haven’t done in the past?
Not in a big way. I mean, thank you for accusing us of being intelligent and witty, which means I can now tell you exactly the 30% of my work that you’ve seen. It’s funny, we did a little bit of homework and watched other hosts across past years. And the one thing I noticed is that when you get big movie stars in the audience because they slummed in an independent film that year. And there’s the tradition where sometimes the opening monologue really feels like a roast, where they’re giving people a hard time. And so, there are moments of like Willem Dafoe with a look on his face of like, “Who is this person and why are they insulting me at this award show? Do I have the wrong vibe here?”
That was the only pitfall I saw, where I was like, “I don’t think Willem Dafoe will be there. But if he is, I will do my best to make him smile.” Other than that, anything goes. I mean, we have some great producers and writers that were working with. And frankly, one of the great things about working as a partner to Megan is…and think about this. I mean, it’s so lucky. Anytime somebody takes our picture, if it’s me by myself, I have to really think about how you stand, how your clothes are hanging, specifically with me, how many of my chins are visible or not. But if it’s me and Megan, I’m so laissez-faire. Because if there’s a photo of the two of us, historically, no one has ever looked at me in the photo. They simply don’t. I mean, it’s mother nature. And so, I’m being on stage with her, same thing. I will hopefully successfully recite my half of the jokes. But everybody’s going to be like, “Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Who’s this guy? Let’s get back to Megan Mullally.”
I do have some slightly bad news for you. The eye moves. So the eye might go to her first, but then it will move over and look at you as well. So I don’t want to affect your mental state about all this, but…
Don’t get in my head. I mean, I’ll just stand still and try to stay on my feet.
When I’ve interviewed Spirit Award hosts in the past, they’ve always talked about how they have watched all the nominated films. And I’m sort of like, “Yeah. O.K., sure.” Do you feel a responsibility to have to watch all the nominated films?
I don’t. I don’t feel the responsibility to watch all the nominated films. Because if you actually made that list, it would be a full-time job. And we have a couple of other full-time jobs. We watch all the features and all the documentaries. But then when you get into other individual nominations…I don’t even know. I haven’t even made a count, but we watch all the big tickets. And I think we’ve seen a very admirable amount of the movies. And frankly, that’s one of the greatest treats. That we kind of have this homework assignment. In this day and age when there’s just such a preponderance of content, we have a gig. And the homework is we have to watch all of these kick-ass independent features and documentaries.
Looking at the nominated features, or just talking to people, are there any themes that you’re seeing that you might work into the telecast?
Well, I mean the thing I love is overall, it’s just occurring to me that our two [hosted] shows so far are the Sundance Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, because in the film world, [I associate] those with the cool kids that sit in the back of the bus. They may be truant or they’re on their way to vocational school, smoking some jazz cigarettes and playing Miranda July videos for each other on their phones. And that’s our gang. That’s who we want to be associated with the most. Of course, big-budget Hollywood movies are also wonderful in their way. But as the projects we want to be associated with, it’s those. And so with that in mind, it’s kind of a refreshing year, where for several years now, a lot of actually big-budget studio features have toggled their paperwork, so they qualify somehow as independent because they want that cred or something. And so this year, it truly feels like almost all films that people generally won’t be familiar with, or as familiar with as big studio features. And so, there is a darkness. There’s an overall bleakness to the slices of life that are being represented. Even the ones that are nominally funny are still just rough, rough circumstances and parts of the world that people live or the things that they go through. And so, that’s kind of what we’re leaning into. It’s like welcome to a night of celebration and bright lights and glitter and sexual assault.
Yeah. Fun times. [Laughs.]
And nudity, but not the good kind.
Unfortunately on a more serious topic, we’re in the middle of some crazy global things going on right now, with the situation in Ukraine. Have you talked about how you would approach that or do you want to sort of pay attention to what’s going on just inside the tent?
Well, I have just recently started doing a Substack subscription newsletter called Donkey Thoughts. My most recent one was yesterday. And I asked myself that question, “Should I publish this stupid comedy advice column on the day that this fucking humanitarian, horrible crime is being committed against Ukraine?” And I was like, “Well, sure.” And what I did was I opened it with a note that said, “Things are very bleak in the world today. So if you need a break from that, here’s some dumb stuff I wrote.” And so, I think that’s probably the line that we’ll tow. But as you said, it all depends. I mean, a lot is going to happen between now and Sunday. And so probably, Saturday, and then that actual morning, we’ll have contingency plans of from either practice full escapism, where it’s like, everything’s great. We make movies. Here’s some good art that we’re going to talk about. I think what’s more likely is [we’ll] probably make some jokes or statements that allude to it. But along those same lines, it’s not just Putin and his cronies, his fun gang of oligarchs enacting this fucked up war, it’s also the pandemic. It’s also the incredible state of people in our country discriminating against trans people and people of color. There are lots of bleak things. And so, we may acknowledge that and say, “And that’s exactly why we need great pieces of art like this and let us introduce you to some of them right now.” You know?
Absolutely. That totally makes sense. And my last question is regarding the fantastic “Pam and Tommy.” What was that experience making that like?
Well, thank you. First of all, I really appreciate it. I loved being part of it, everything about it. I first was told the cast and the writers and the directors, and I was like, “Great.” So that equals the most prestige of streamers or whatever. I was like, “O.K., I am so grateful. They want me to play this scumbag.” Then I read the scripts, and [it was] so edifying and gratifying to learn the actual details of the true story, that Pam and Tommy were indeed completely innocent victims of this crime of having their private tape stolen and disseminated to the world, distributed. And then the way it’s this sort of bait and switch, where it seems salacious at the get-go. And by the time you get to the second half and the end series, it turns into this really cleverly constructed feminist propaganda, where it’s all about how shitty our society is to women, especially women that are objectified. And so for all those reasons, I just was so gratified and proud to be part of it. It was so wonderful working with Seth Rogan, mainly, and Andrew Dice Clay was so great. Craig Gillespie and Lake Bell were my directors. And it’s funny. I only met Sebastian Stan and Lily James once each in the parking lot. And I had to try to hang out, because it was COVID.
Oh yeah, bubble shooting.
And they were in hair and makeup, doing so much transformation. That finally towards the end, I was like, “Well, I’m just going to wait till, there’s a moment where I can say hi, I’m number four on your call sheet. Great to meet you. You’re amazing.” I’m blown away, and I hope they get some [awards] attention, especially Lily. I think in a year of total bravura performances, I think she stands above the rest.
The 2022 Independent Spirit Awards will be held on Sunday, March 6 and will air live on IFC at 2 PM PT/5 PM ET.
