If you ask Holmes, being funny is just about the only thing she/they are good at. The comedian, who stars in Fox’s “Welcome to Flatch,” has wanted to make people laugh since they first saw Jim Carrey star in “Liar, Liar” in the fifth grade.
“I feel like deep down I always knew that I wanted to be a performer, but it’s like a really embarrassing thing to say out loud because so a few people get to do it,” Holmes told TheWrap.
Of course, the path to here and now hasn’t been without its ups and downs. In fact, when Holmes first arrived at Florida State University ready to pursue art, Holmes quickly became convinced they weren’t actually very good at comedy at all.
“I actually auditioned for this sketch comedy troupe, and they like called me back and then they didn’t let me in,” Holmes told TheWrap. “It really freaked me out a little because I was like, ‘Oh, I really think that was the only thing I’m good at.’ Later I found out at the parties that these guys were definitely just like bringing on a couple women and was only people they wanted to sleep with.”
Holmes feels fine saying that out loud because it isn’t a secret that misogyny is an issue in the comedy world (and across the entertainment industry). And while Holmes let the opinions of some seemingly sexist men have an impact for a minute, Holmes eventually decided to give comedy one more try and attended the Chicago iO Improv Intensive, which was a confidence booster.
“Right after college, I moved to Chicago, and I just had no plan with how improv was gonna pay off for me. I just knew that it was my favorite thing ever,” Holmes said.
And soon enough, it did pay off. When Holmes wasn’t performing, they began sharing their work on social media, catching the eye of legendary comedy producer Paul Feig, who was looking to cast for his new show, based on the BBC mockumentary “This Country.”
“It was so funny, because I was working less hard than I’d been working when finally I get attention from huge people, which is really wild,” Holmes laughed. “It was my second audition. I had just done one more for this Billy Eichner thing, like really low key, and then this was it.”
And as it turns out, Holmes shares quite a bit in common with the character they play in “Welcome to Flatch,” Kelly, including resilience.
Kelly, along with her cousin Shrub, serves as a de facto tour guide for the documentary crew that stumbles upon the small Midwestern town. When she’s not busy ushering around the camera crew, one of Kelly’s hobbies is to start her own businesses, such as Kuber, a knock off rideshare company she launches using the town pastor’s car.
As one could imagine, the concept doesn’t quite take off, but that doesn’t stop Kelly from just moving on to the next project.
“I love Kelly so much. Being able to be Kelly for four months during the middle of peak winter pandemic was really really amazing, because she’s just so resilient,” Holmes said. “She really will fail all the time, and then she just has another idea and believes in herself.”
“Welcome to Flatch” is a half-hour comedy is written Jenny Bicks. Feig directs and executive produces. Holmes stars alongside Sean William Scott, Sam Straley, Aya Cash, Justin Linville, Taylor Ortega and Krystal Smith. The first seven episodes of the series are streaming now on Fox Now and Hulu.
“It’s the most exciting show to get a new script for,” Holmes said. “It’s so fun to have a character you love so much and then know that in like a couple days, someone’s going to send you a script of them doing another funny thing. It’s a really unique feeling to me and I’m so grateful.”
The first episode of “Welcome to Flatch” premieres March 17 at 9:30pm ET/PT on Fox, with the first seven episodes also available to stream on Hulu and the Fox Now app.