John Oliver Interview

By Brooke Tarnoff

We're big fans of The Daily Show, and John Oliver is our favorite of the next gen correspondents. We suspected his unctuous British delivery was an act, but we were surprised to find how humble and easygoing John Oliver really is. We got a chance to speak to John in advance of his new Comedy Central special Terrifying Times - read on to learn which FOX News presenter John Oliver would like to smack, and much, much more.

UGO: I was actually at the taping of Terrifying Timesin February - you were hilarious - but I'll tell you, it was a freaking long, cold wait to get into the theater. I imagine that stand up is a pretty stressful gig anyway - does it take it to a whole new level knowing your audience is walking in with frozen extremities?

JOHN OLIVER: Yes. I mean, to be honest, that's good for me. I prefer to know that people have been physically uncomfortable for several hours beforehand. There's nothing that gets people into a better frame of mind for absorbing comedy than being needlessly left outside due to technical problems. Also, I think the excuse "technical problems" really calms people down. "Oh, that's okay. As long as it was something important. Technical problems. I don't mind getting ill."

UGO: I got pneumonia, but it was all worth it.

JOHN: It just shows your commitment to comedy. How much do you want to laugh, to sacrifice your own health for it?

UGO: By the time I got into my seat, I hated you with every fiber of my being for luring me out of my home, and when it was over, I was telling everybody how great it was. So look at you!

JOHN: Right, there you go! It can be too easy, sometimes you have to set yourself a challenge.

UGO: How did you get to be a Daily Show correspondent?

JOHN: I'm still not entirely sure of the process. It's one of those situations where you don't want to ask too many questions, in case a mistake has been made. You always get like an imposter mentality whenever you get close to a dream job, so I haven't really asked too much. I was writing and doing stand up in Britain and then it all happened very fast. I was invited over to meet them and that was it.

UGO: Did they send a scout? Did anyone see you?

JOHN: I don't know. I don't think Jon saw me. I think - I've heard a rumor that Ricky Gervais said something to him when they were in town in London promoting America the book, but I'm not sure that's entirely true. I really don't know how they came across me.

UGO: I like how mysterious it is, like a Hogwarts acceptance letter in the fireplace.

JOHN: To be honest, it absolutely felt that way. It felt like there was something out of nowhere that fundamentally changed - obviously physically where I was about to live. Yeah, and I don't know what triggered it. I don't really want to know. I guess it was that, I guess it was a bird. Or something. From one of London's many chimneys.

UGO: Wikipedia claims that you are the new fan favorite and something of a new lead correspondent in the style of Stephen Colbert and Rob Corddry.

JOHN: Uh oh. Well, if it's on Wikipedia! That's democracy in action.

UGO: Stephen Colbert has a wildly popular show and Rob Corddry had a wildly... midseason replacement.

JOHN: Right, yeah.

UGO: What does being the next Big Thing mean for you?

JOHN: I really just want to stay here for the long-term future. I just want to not get fired. If I was doing anything else, I would only be trying to get onto this show, so... It's a strange question to answer, because I really do just want to stay here, and that answer is frustrating to my manager, but I don't want to go anywhere. So I did do a movie (The Love Guru, starring Mike Myers) for a bit of fun, and it was something I never thought I'd do and I managed to fit it in around work. Otherwise, I'm just happy to come back to work.

UGO: Can you tell us anything about The Love Guru? I saw the cast list and noticed Gandhi and Mini-Me.

JOHN: Gandhi, Mini-Me, and Colbert! Stephen Colbert's in it as well!

UGO: Strange cast.

JOHN: Yeah, it's a pretty disparate group of people. I mean, who knows - it's a classic Mike Myers film. It's very, very silly. There are a lot of jokes and it's very silly. My character's called Dick Pants. I was doing these things - I don't even know what you'd call them, that is my experience with film - they were doing these interviews or something for the DVD, I don't know what they were called.

UGO: Commentaries?

JOHN: Yeah, that's it! This woman asked, "How did you create the character of Dick Pants?" What do you mean? The character! I looked at his name. What do you think? I'm not Daniel Day Lewis! Yeah, I lived as Pants for months beforehand.

But yeah, it was fun. I have no point of reference with doing anything like that, but it was a real adventure. I don't know if I actually want to see my face that big on the screen. Our show is going HD in the fall and let me tell you - there's not many people here looking forward to that.

UGO: HD is going to be the end of many careers.

JOHN: Almost everyone in this building! We'll be at the front of that queue. We're all about to get exposed. It's almost fascist, HD, because it's going to weed out all of us who've managed to be hiding away. They're just going to put more beautiful people on TV.

UGO: John Hodgeman is a PC on the television. If you were going to personify a device yourself, which would you be?

JOHN: I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't be in a commercial on television.

UGO: Are you judging John Hodgeman?

JOHN: No, not at all! I do a different thing, I do very political stand up, and I think you get into a very difficult area if you do. Just because you're getting paid to say something. If you want to do a kind of socially critical stand up, you can't really have your cake and eat it. I know many people have in the past, but I wouldn't really feel comfortable. Also, John, you know, he's got a family. I don't have a family; I've only got me.

UGO: So no one's relying on you to sell out your soul.

JOHN: And also, I'd be very, very surprised if any company in this land saw me as a good face for their product. That surely is industry suicide.

UGO: I don't know, I'd buy it.

JOHN: Really?

UGO: If it were something very wholesome. It depends on the product. Bread, maybe.

JOHN: Now, that's what I'll do. I'll do something generic and not company-based. "Eat bread!"

UGO: Bread has no politics.

JOHN: That's right, it's the Switzerland of foodstuffs.

UGO: If you were forced to fight, let's say, FOX News - I mean, not the concept of FOX News, but actually a FOX News personality -

JOHN: That very nearly happened. We just did a piece about FOX News, we did last week, and I tried a couple times to enter the building and was forcibly removed both times. So, that was as close to being the truth, the premise of that question, as anyone is comfortable with.

UGO: So, a security guard is the answer.

JOHN: What FOX presenter? It would be very hard to turn down a cheap shot on Bill O'Reilly. It would be very hard, because he's so provocative. He talks some good trash. I think he could do with an open-handed slap.

UGO: I would pay a lot of money to see that. I'd donate to a really fantastic cause.

JOHN: A kind of old, 1920s slap, as well, maybe with the back of the hand. And then we'd just glare at each other. And probably kiss.

UGO: If you could possibly have a moustache at the time?

JOHN: Yes.

UGO: If you were forced to fight anyone on the Daily Show staff, who would it be?

JOHN: I'd go for Riggle. I think you want to take down the biggest person. I share an office with Riggle. I think Rob Riggle, US Marine. When he and I stand next to each other, we're truly the bookends of masculinity. And I think I'd like to see how long I could last in a cage with Riggle. I reckon between two and four seconds.

UGO: He's a wall of a man.

JOHN: He makes me feels safe when I'm around him. Sometimes I just want to curl up at his feet.

UGO: That's beautiful.

JOHN: Get him to tell me everything's alright.

UGO: What's the vibe on the set?

JOHN: It's a great, fun place to work. It's hard work, we work pretty constantly. It's great fun. It's really rewarding. It's the happiest job I've ever had.

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