\n<\/p>\n
\n\tI\u2019m in San Francisco,\u201d Ike Barinholtz says via Zoom from his hotel room, then spins his laptop around to prove it. \u201cSee? There\u2019s Alcatraz.\u201d It\u2019s now official, though paparazzi photos have all but confirmed it: Barinholtz is in town filming Artificial<\/em>, Luca Guadagnino\u2019s fact-based account of the behind-the-scenes turmoil that saw OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fired and quickly rehired in 2023. Andrew Garfield plays Altman in the film. And Barinholtz? He\u2019s Elon Musk. No big deal \u2014 just the richest, most recognizable, most controversial dude on the planet.<\/p>\n \n\tThat casting coup caps a watershed year for the 48-year-old Chicago native, still buzzing from having pulled off one of the funniest and most talked about roles of his career: Sal Saperstein on Apple TV+\u2019s uproarious Hollywood send-up The Studio<\/em>. The foulmouthed movie exec earned Barinholtz his first Emmy nomination, one of 23 for the hit series. Off camera, Barinholtz finds time to be an actual studio exec (hopefully less foulmouthed) on Running Point<\/em>, the Netflix pro basketball comedy he co-created with Mindy Kaling, in production on its second season. Says Kaling: \u201cIke is so funny and has so much training. He can do accents, physical comedy, total commitment always. He\u2019ll throw vanity out the window if it makes the scene funnier. Sometimes we have to beg him to give a character more dignity, and he\u2019ll just squint and go, \u2018Should they?\u2019 That\u2019s his whole ethos: Whatever\u2019s funniest wins.\u201d After two decades of scene-stealing and dues-paying, 2025 already feels like it belongs to Barinholtz, THR<\/em>\u2018s Comedy Player of the Year.<\/p>\n \n\tSo you\u2019re in San Francisco. Can I pry and ask what the work is? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tPry! Pry! I am indeed going to play Elon Musk. I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve heard of him. He\u2019s been in the news as of late.<\/p>\n \n\tYou\u2019re great at accents. I\u2019ve known that since <\/strong>Eastbound & Down<\/em><\/strong>. How did you master Elon? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI definitely have been watching him over the years. It\u2019s your standard Pretoria\/Canada\/Valley girl situation, but with stuttering. It\u2019s a trip to play someone who is alive and very powerful, and I hope I don\u2019t get put into some kind of mecha gulag or something.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tBarinholtz, Kathryn Hahn and Chase Sui Wonders create comedic chaos as desperate execs on Apple TV+\u2019s The Studio,<\/em> which has garnered 23 Emmy noms. <\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy Apple TV+<\/p>\n \n\tIt has to be concerning considering how passionate his fan base is. What are you doing to gird your loins for what may come? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tMy loins remain ungirded. What happens will happen. When you get an opportunity to work with someone like Luca and tell a story like this, you just do it and deal with things as they come.<\/p>\n \n\tIs it going to be a comedy? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt\u2019s not as openly comedic as, say, Blockers<\/em>, but it\u2019s definitely funny and disturbing. Luca is someone tapped into finding humor and irony even in the darkest subject.<\/p>\n \n\tL.A. has gone crazy for the Tesla Diner. There are three-hour lines.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019ll pass on that one. I\u2019m more excited for Phil Rosenthal\u2019s diner, put it that way.<\/p>\n \n\tIt has been an amazing year for you. Does Sal connect with audiences in a new way? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tHe definitely feels like he lives in the same universe as a lot of the other characters I play, in that he\u2019s got a lot of id and says some bad things. But the show as a whole really connected with people. Obviously, people in our business connect with it. When you\u2019re on any set now, it doesn\u2019t matter who is in the crew, they\u2019ll say, \u201cI love The Studio<\/em>.\u201d People in the food world have The Bear<\/em>, and we have The Studio<\/em>. It\u2019s one for us.<\/p>\n \n\tIs Sal someone that you specifically have dealt with?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tHe\u2019s an amalgam of execs I\u2019ve worked with. I\u2019ve had the pleasure of knowing a lot of great execs. I\u2019ve had the displeasure of knowing a couple of shitty ones. The one thing that exists in all of them is this vibe of, \u201cHey, you want to grab a little food, little drink?\u201d That kind of cutting loose a little bit, talking some shit after work. That is the essence of Sal Saperstein.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tBarinholtz with Mindy Kaling in season two of The Mindy Project <\/em>in 2013<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tordin Althaus\/\u00a9Fox\/courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \n\tDo you like being asked out for drinks after work?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI do! It\u2019s funny, in L.A., you don\u2019t do that. You go home and you see the family [Barinholtz has three daughters, ages 5 to 10], and you get up. But for the last two episodes of The Studio<\/em>, we shot on location in Vegas for two weeks. It\u2019s crazy because you wrap and it\u2019s 9:30 p.m., and you\u2019re literally in a casino and everyone\u2019s just looking at each other, and Catherine O\u2019Hara is like, \u201cDoes \u2026 anyone want to get a martini?\u201d And you\u2019re like, \u201cYes!<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n \n\tYou could have made Sal a demon, but for all his foibles, he\u2019s pretty likable. He\u2019s generous with his pharmaceutical-grade cocaine, for example.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt wouldn\u2019t have been as fun if he were over-the-top vulgar and irredeemable. It would have been a little boring. That stems from [creators] Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. They want even the craziest characters to have something human and relatable and, at the end of the day, nice. I do maintain that we\u2019re not without our assholes, but the vast majority of people in our business are nice and got into this business because they want to entertain people. That\u2019s the fun energy in The Studio<\/em>. It\u2019s not just focusing on the ugly, cutthroat version of Hollywood.<\/p>\n \n\tYou have a unique perch as a busy actor, writer and producer and have been in Hollywood for a while. What is your diagnosis of the industry right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI want to believe that AI will give us the things it\u2019s promised. It will cure cancer and create drought-resistant crops, you know what I mean? But right now, I see it primarily encroaching on the arts, which I find very troubling.<\/p>\n \n\tOne thing Seth always says is that there have been so many downturns historically in Hollywood. But it just takes one thing to turn it around \u2014 like Barbenheimer. There is an appetite for going to the movies more than a couple years ago, especially coming out of COVID. I\u2019m going to see The Naked Gun<\/em> today at a theater and have not been this excited in a long time.<\/p>\n \n\tBut you weigh that against the rise of AI and the collapse of global capital, and the outlook is not great. Not just for our industry but most industries. I do think no matter what, people will still want to hear stories.<\/p>\n \n\tYou came out of improv, and your first break was on the one sketch comedy show that posed a challenge to <\/strong>SNL<\/em><\/strong>, <\/strong>MADtv<\/em><\/strong>. Did you ever audition for <\/strong>SNL<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI desperately wanted to. I was in Chicago for a few years and then went up to Amsterdam for a couple of years at this theater called Boom Chicago with a bunch of future stars \u2014 Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Jason Sudeikis. Then I moved to L.A., and I wanted to audition for SNL<\/em> but didn\u2019t have an agent. About a year and a half after busing tables, I got MADtv<\/em>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tOn the sketch comedy series Mad TV<\/em> in 2004<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t20th Century Fox\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \n\tWas it your decision to leave <\/strong>MADtv<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI had your standard kind of late night five-year contract, and I was getting a little restless toward the end. I was like, \u201cI\u2019ll come back, but I want more money.\u201d And I remember my manager called me and goes, \u201cSo the offer is currently nothing.\u201d I entered a three-year period where I barely worked at all. I had already asked my now-wife [Erica Hanson, an accountant] to move to L.A. Six months later, I\u2019m at home all day making sandwiches.<\/p>\n \n\tSwitching gears, your dad became famous for playing the judge on <\/strong>Jury Duty<\/em><\/strong>. He\u2019s a lawyer. How did he get that audition? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt was such a fluke. He wanted to be a comedy guy in the \u201970s and used to hang out at Second City and watch John Belushi. He did a little stand-up and was a theater major. At a certain point, he was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to be a lawyer. I want to have a family and be able to buy them food.\u201d And so he kind of let his dream go but was very supportive of me.<\/p>\n \n\tHe was starting to think about retiring. Randomly, a friend of a friend was like, \u201cHey, we\u2019re casting a show, and it\u2019s like a fake jury thing and I want to put your dad on tape.\u201d I remember thinking, like, \u201cMan, the old man\u2019s kind of good.\u201d We sent it in thinking nothing would happen. A day later, Dave Bernad, who\u2019s the producer of Jury Duty<\/em> and The White Lotus<\/em>, texted me \u2014 he is a friend \u2014 and was like, \u201cI\u2019m going to cast your dad on this show.\u201d Then it comes out, it becomes a big hit. He started getting recognized so much, and it was just crazy. He couldn\u2019t be happier. Getting a taste of nepotism is kind of sweet.<\/p>\n \n\tHe\u2019s a nepo \u2026 papi. Is he getting any other work?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThat sounds like a Netflix special from a bad comedian: Nepo Papi<\/em>. Well, you can see him on such shows as The Studio<\/em> and Running Point<\/em>. He was also in The Accountant 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tDid your parents \u2014 your mom is a costume designer \u2014 move to L.A.? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThey did. They live in Van Nuys, and it is the best thing to happen to our family. We will come over for dinner, and my dad will be like, \u201cWhen you have a few minutes, if you could put me on tape for Mike Schur\u2019s new show, I\u2019d be really grateful.\u201d We\u2019re a showbiz family now.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tBarinholtz with his wife, Erica Hanson<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Buckner\/Variety via Getty Images<\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019m wondering what your thoughts are on the demise of <\/strong>The<\/em><\/strong> Late Show With Stephen Colbert<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI think it\u2019s horrible. It speaks to a much bigger problem. Late night comedy has always been a pressure valve for people at the end of the day. I remember very well watching Johnny Carson with my parents. I was obsessed with David Letterman, and I loved Conan. It\u2019s very important for people in comedy to watch guys like that. The fact that it\u2019s very possible that this is influenced by politics and Trump is no bueno<\/em>. It\u2019s like a real piece of Americana that is getting erased.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat are your impulses with politics and Trump when they surface, say, in the writers room?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019m sure there are writers rooms where they\u2019re like, \u201cDon\u2019t discuss politics.\u201d But it\u2019s unnatural to not discuss it. It is very fast moving in a very bad direction, and I\u2019m very worried for where we will be in a year. And God, this is not funny.<\/p>\n \n\tNo, but it\u2019s interesting. The question is, do you make something timeless that\u2019ll be funny in 20 years \u2014 or address what\u2019s going on in the world right now? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s South Park<\/em>, making shit about what is happening right now, and it is hilarious and very at the vanguard, which is crazy. Then there are shows that are completely untethered to what\u2019s happening. I respect that as well. There will come a day when the notion of trying to separate things will not work, but I don\u2019t think that day is yet.<\/p>\n \n\tHow do you divide all your time between so many projects?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWe start shooting Running Point <\/em>in a couple of weeks. If I\u2019m doing The Studio<\/em> four days a week, I\u2019ll go to Running Point<\/em> two days a week.<\/p>\n \n\tBoth of them shoot in Los Angeles? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI\u2019m adamant about shooting in Los Angeles. This needs to remain a showbiz town. Remove whatever we need to remove to make it easy for jobs to stay in L.A. I\u2019m Ike Barinholtz. I\u2019m running for governor.<\/p>\n \n\tYou won $1 million for charity on <\/strong>Celebrity Jeopardy!<\/em><\/strong> in February of 2023. What was your charity? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tHolly Grove, which is part of Pacific Clinics. Holly Grove was the first orphanage in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe stayed there for a minute when she first arrived and she was still Norma Jean. They work with low-income folks dealing with mental health issues and are very hands-on.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tBarinholtz won $1 million for charity on Celebrity Jeopardy!<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTyler Golden\/ABC via Getty Images<\/p>\n \n\tDo you remember what the Final Jeopardy question was? <\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThe category was Renaissance Painters: \u201cDespite his name, this painter was born in Delvecchio.\u201d I thought about \u201cdespite his name,\u201d and I know Leonardo DaVinci means \u201cLeonardo of Vinci.\u201d So I was like, \u201cI\u2019m just going to guess that.\u201d And it was right.<\/p>\n \n\tThen you became a semifinalist in real <\/strong>Jeopardy! \u2014 <\/em><\/strong>the<\/strong> Tournament of Champions<\/em><\/strong>, no less.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tIt was kind of a bucket-list thing. I went in, like, \u201cI\u2019m for sure going to get destroyed, and I\u2019m just going to have fun and be funny.\u201d I was geeking out. I went up against Melissa Klapper and Ray Lalonde and was holding my own most of the game. Then that Final Jeopardy came. I think I was in second place. The category was Roman Poetry. I was just like, \u201cI\u2019m going to say Ovid.\u201d And it was Ovid. So I went to the semifinals and went up against Ben Chan and [Jared Watson]. The Final Jeopardy was Ancient Literature: \u201cThis enemy of the Greeks said something or other \u2026\u201d I was like, \u201cIt\u2019s either the Spartans or the Persians.\u201d I guessed the Spartans. It was the Persians, goddamn it. I only think about that three to four times a day. That\u2019s down from 10. But I will be back. I shall return.<\/p>\n \n\tThis story appeared in the Aug. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.\u00a0Click here to subscribe<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m in San Francisco,\u201d Ike Barinholtz says via Zoom from his hotel room, then spins his laptop around to prove it. \u201cSee? There\u2019s Alcatraz.\u201d It\u2019s now official, though paparazzi photos have all but confirmed it: Barinholtz is in town filming Artificial, Luca Guadagnino\u2019s fact-based account of the behind-the-scenes turmoil that saw OpenAI CEO Sam Altman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[91,1371,6558,2443,4182,1456],"class_list":{"0":"post-15950","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-elon","9":"tag-musk","10":"tag-point","11":"tag-running","12":"tag-studio","13":"tag-talks"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}