Zach Galifianakis‘ FX series “Baskets” is one of the weirdest, most uncomfortable new sitcoms on TV, the tale of a hapless wannabe clown at a rodeo in the rural town of Bakersfield, California.
Executive produced by Galifianakis, Louis C.K. and Jonathan Krisel (“Portlandia”), the show features a pair of ace supporting performances by Louie Anderson, who plays Galifiakanis’ mother in drag but without winking, and the deadpan standup comic Martha Kelly, who makes her acting debut as a Costco insurance adjuster who becomes the clown’s only friend.
“At first I thought, ‘There’s no way I can do this,’” Kelly told TheWrap. “But Zach said, ‘Just be yourself,’ and they created a character that isn’t really me, but has the same affect and demeanor that I have. So it’s not like I’m acting like someone totally different. And he kept saying, ‘It’s not a big deal, we’re just here to have fun.’”
Kelly said she still feels more comfortable doing stand-up comedy than acting. “With stand-up you can just be yourself on stage,” she said. “And ideally, you can’t see the crowd most of the time — it’s just lights in your face. But I still have had terrible stage fright. So when I started doing open-mic nights, I would get drunk every night before I went on. That helped — but now I’m sober and I’m acting, which I didn’t think would ever happen.”
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