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If you needed proof that fantasy and sci-fi are still alive and thriving (I mean, aside from the success of Dune, The Witcher, and countless others), there might not be any better testament to the genres’ staying power than Amazon’s plan to go all-in on them over the course of the next few years. The first step on the road to being the “go-to” streaming service for mythical adventures and entertaining impossibilities? The studio’s recent adaptation of Robert Jordan’s best-selling novels, The Wheel Of Time series, which, as it turns out, was quite the success.

In an interview with Deadline, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told the outlet that since its premiere on November 19, the first episode of The Wheel Of Time had become one of the company’s top five series launches of all time. Beyond that, Sulke said, it also quickly nabbed the record for most-watched series premiere of the year.

“We can firmly say that Wheel of Time was the most-watched series premiere of the year and one of the Top 5 series launches of all time for Prime Video,” Jennifer Salke said.

Much like competitors Netflix and Disney+, Amazon is still figuring out exactly how much information it wants to divulge regarding who watches its Prime-exclusive content and to what capacity. However, Salke did share that “there were tens and tens of millions of streams” for The Wheel Of Time in the first three days of its release, with the US, India, Brazil, Canada, France, and Germany being the countries with the biggest turnout for the fantasy series. Salke also said the series’ first three episodes logged some of the “highest completion rates on the service ever,” with The Wheel of Time being number one on social across all releases last weekend.

Following The Wheel of Time’s resounding success, we’re guessing Amazon is a lot more confident in two more of it’s big, upcoming series: a Lord of the Rings adaptation and the recently announced Mass Effect series. While we’re sure Lord of the Rings needs no introduction (though it’s worth noting the upcoming series will not follow the story you know from the 2000s trilogy), for those unfamiliar with Mass Effect it is a critically-acclaimed science fiction video game series known for its immersive world, beloved characters, and gripping narrative.

“You will see us continuing to invest in fantasy genre of all kinds, we have a genre-focused team on the ground in Studios who work tirelessly with our creative partners on those slates, and you can look forward to more,” Salke said.

It’s coming up on one year since rioters stormed the US Capitol building on January 6 and people are still being charged for their crimes. Recently, the rioter sporting a “Chewbacca bikini” outfit and viking helmet, who called himself The QAnon Shaman, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his involvement. Now, the Department Of Justice have set their sights on another person involved in the insurrection last January: a Michael Jackson impersonator — and he was apparently wearing one of Jackson’s jackets.

Prosecutors alleged on Tuesday that Broadway actor James Delisco Beeks, who is a known Michael Jackson impersonator, breached the Capitol alongside members of the militia group the Oath Keepers, according to a report from Rolling Stone. Per a statement of facts from the FBI, Beeks joined a group of the Oath Keepers after taking part in the “Stop The Steal” rally where Trump spoke earlier that day. While Beeks did not arrive to the rally with the Oath Keepers, the FBI uncovered the fact he did pay dues to the organization in December 2020.

The FBI have obtained video and photo evidence of Beeks sporting a black helmet and a black jacket from Jackson’s 1987 Bad world tour. He was also carrying a homemade shield, which he had told members of the Oath Keepers was bulletproof.

Apparently, Beeks does more than impersonate Jackson for his job. Beeks is also a touring actor who has landed roles in traveling performances of Jesus Christ Superstar. He also lists his past roles in the plays Kinky Boots, Aida, and Ragtime.

I’ll admit to never having seen The Jim Bakker Show, a “daily broadcast featuring prophetic and Biblical revelations brought to light in today’s world,” but based on the clip going around Twitter this week, I’m guessing Sharon Gilbert is to Jim Bakker as Paul Rudd is to Conan O’Brien. You know something good is going to happen when they guest on the show — except instead of Mac and Me clips, you can expect stories about an alien swapping places with a husband to have “sexual relations.” Mac would never.

On Tuesday, author and Jeopardy! champ Hemant Mehta tweeted, “End Times preacher Sharon Gilbert says that an alien imitated her husband, and then it tried to have sex with her, and then it claimed to be Xerxes, and then Jesus got involved, and then the alien turned out to be a reptile with a posse of gargoyles,” along with a clip from the episode.

Gilbert claimed that one night, after she and her husband Derek got married, “this other Derek appears in our bed. The real Derek is lying down next to me, other Derek sits right up out of him. It startled me.” Gilbert knew “that was not Derek,” so she asked “this critter” what its deal was “because he clearly wanted to have sexual relations.” You’ll have to watch the clip to find out how the critter replied, but don’t worry, the rest of the story involves Jesus, aliens, and “little halfling creatures” that look like gargoyles.

Since officially breaking free from her 13-year-long conservatorship, Britney Spears has been living her best life. The singer has gone out on public dates with her fiancé, drank her “first glass of champagne,” and celebrated her new independence. Now that she can make her own business moves, Spears is also getting involved in several new projects, one of which is titled The Idol, and she’s really excited about it.

Spears shared the update to her followers on Instagram. Alongside a photo of a cat chilling next to a glass of wine, Spears revealed she’s just filmed the new project, and it’s “guaranteed to have hits.” She also mentioned that it’ll have a lot of “bright pics” to put in her “family’s faces,” but it’s unclear if that’s a dig at the tensions with her parents following her conservatorship or a genuine sentiment.

“I just shot a movie titled “THE IDOL,” she wrote in Instagram. “it’s guaranteed to have hits and a lot bright pics to put in my beautiful family’s faces !!!!! I hope you guys are having a merry ole jolly time cause I sure am !!!! If I go quiet from time to time, you can catch me with this cat somewhere”

The Idol is also the title of The Weeknd’s upcoming HBO Max series, which was co-created by Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson. Spears didn’t confirm if her film is in fact the same project, but the new HBO series is described as being “set against the backdrop of the music industry, centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol.”

The Phoenix Suns were one of the feel-good stories of the 2020-21 NBA season. While Phoenix’s playoff run concluded with a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 NBA Finals, the campaign was an unmitigated success, beginning with a 51-21 regular season record and continuing with a notably impressive run in the postseason. From there, the offseason was relatively quiet in Phoenix, with the exception of former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton not reaching an extension with the team.

Despite that, the Suns brought back the core of a proven winner and expectations were adjusted accordingly. While they began the 2021-22 campaign with three losses in the first four games including a pair of double-digit defeats, Phoenix may have thrown NBA observers off the scent of what remains a very, very good basketball team. Since then, the Suns have won a whopping 13 consecutive games, which is easily the longest streak in the NBA. Phoenix now trails only the Golden State Warriors for the best record in the NBA at 14-3.

For a team that is operating at this high of a level, Phoenix is attracting remarkably little attention. Admittedly, the Suns have not played the most robust schedule in the early going, with opponents posting a combined winning percentage well under the .500 mark. Still, Phoenix has simply taken care of business by beating teams like Atlanta, Portland, Denver, Memphis, and Dallas (twice).

The Suns currently rank in the top eight of the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency, posting a top-three defense in the league in allowing only 103.3 points per 100 possessions. During the 13-game winning streak, Phoenix is out-scoring opponents by 11.5 points per 100 possessions, in part because they’re holding the opposition to only 100.1 points per 100 possessions. The Suns are also doing this without any unsustainable individual efforts.

Chris Paul leads the league in assists through 17 games, but the future Hall of Fame guard has seen his scoring and shooting efficiency drop from last season. Devin Booker leads the way as the team’s top scorer while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range, but his two-point shooting and scoring average are down from last season. Ayton’s numbers are better this season, averaging a double-double, but he has appeared in only 11 of 17 games. Phoenix is certainly receiving solid contributions from the backup center duo of JaVale McGee and the now-injured Frank Kaminsky, but other than that, the bones of this production do not look like a fluke.

Perhaps the underrated linchpin of Phoenix’s success is Mikal Bridges, who won’t blow anyone away with a scoring average of 13.2 points per game. Bridges inked a lucrative extension in the offseason, and he has followed that up with stellar two-way play, carrying over the impact he made a year ago. In 569 minutes with Bridges on the floor, the Suns are bludgeoning opponents to the tune of a +11.3 net rating. When Bridges sits, the Suns have actually been out-scored by 3.1 points per 100 possessions, and he is the only player with that level of on-off split in the early going. On some level, that makes sense in that Phoenix doesn’t have another player that can replicate his on-court offerings, but Bridges unlocks so much for the Suns, and he is incredibly valuable.

It makes sense on every level that the red-hot Warriors would attract attention at the top of the West, while other contenders like Utah are still very much in the mix. However, the Suns simply picked up where they left off from a tremendous 2020-21 season and, while they will likely cool off from this 68-win pace, Phoenix is a team that has earned the benefit of the doubt.

Where do the Suns rank this week in our DIME power rankings? Let’s move through the list.

1. Golden State Warriors (15-2, Last week — 1st)

As noted above, the Suns have been awesome this season and, in a different landscape, Phoenix would have a No. 1 profile. This week, it still isn’t close between Golden State and everyone else. Not only do the Warriors have the best record in the league and an active four-game winning streak, but their net rating (+12.9) is more than three points clear of everyone else. At some point, the Warriors will also get Klay Thompson back but, even without him, they’ve been unbelievable.

2. Phoenix Suns (14-3, Last week — 2nd)

The Suns and Warriors will play three times in the next five weeks, capped by a Christmas Day battle. In the meantime, Phoenix has an interesting road back-to-back against the Knicks and Nets later this week that should pose a nice test.

3. Brooklyn Nets (13-5, Last week — 5th)

One could argue that Brooklyn’s offense has drastically underperformed when accounting for preseason expectations. That may still be true even when factoring in the absence of Kyrie Irving. At the same time, the Nets are overperforming on defense. Only the Suns (13-0) and Warriors (11-2) have comparable marks to Brooklyn’s 11-2 record in the last 13 contests.

4. Milwaukee Bucks (10-8, Last week — 12th)

Milwaukee is on a four-game winning streak, raising the team’s record to a more normal baseline. That run came against less than impressive competition at home but, in the grand scheme, no one should be worried about the Bucks. For one thing, Milwaukee has a +11.6 net rating with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the floor this season.

5. Utah Jazz (11-6, Last week — 7th)

Utah lost its last game by one point. The team’s win-loss record took a ding as a result, but the Jazz are No. 2 in the league in net rating behind the Warriors. Utah’s offense has been flying high, scoring 114.5 points per 100 possessions to lead the league, and the cohesion helps to believe in the Jazz as a regular season entity.

6. Miami Heat (12-6, Last week — 6th)

The Heat are 5-1 in the last six games. Over that span, Miami has elite marks on both offense and defense and are simply holding serve. There’s nothing wrong with that.

7. Chicago Bulls (12-6, Last week — 4th)

Chicago gets dinged for a blowout home loss to Indiana on Monday. That was a very strange result, but we can almost throw it out on the second night of a back-to-back. Now, the Bulls hit the road, but they face Houston and Orlando.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (10-8, Last week — 19th)

All four wins came at home, but the Blazers just ran through a mini-gauntlet of Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Denver unscathed. This is probably higher than Portland should be, but the Blazers boast a top-four offense and that may not drop with a tilt against Sacramento on Wednesday.

9. Atlanta Hawks (9-9, Last week — 18th)

Nate McMillan’s team flopped out of the gate, getting blasted on a West Coast trip to fall to 4-9. Since then, they swept a homestand with five consecutive double-digit wins, with the caveat that Atlanta was favored in every game. The Hawks hit the road again on Wednesday, and perhaps this mini-trip will provide additional clarity.

10. Philadelphia 76ers (10-8, Last week — 14th)

No team has been hit harder by COVID-19 this season than the 76ers. They’ve still managed to be 10-8, with Tyrese Maxey taking a step forward and a lot of positive signs. Did I mention that Philadelphia is doing this without Ben Simmons?

11. Dallas Mavericks (10-7, Last week — 9th)

Dallas narrowly saved a winless week with an overtime win over the Clippers on Tuesday. To be fair, the first two losses of the week came in Phoenix and, well, there is no real shame in that. There is concern about the Mavericks’ peripherals, but having Luka Doncic masks a lot of ills.

12. L.A. Clippers (10-8, Last week — 10th)

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster for the Clippers, with a hot start to November before losing three of the last four. Overall, they are staying afloat without Kawhi Leonard, and it is a top-five defense that is carrying the torch.

13. Boston Celtics (10-8, Last week — 17th)

Jayson Tatum has scored 30-plus points in four straight games, and Boston just won three in a row. They do get credit for that uptick, even if the Celtics beat OKC, Houston, and the LeBron-less Lakers.

14. Charlotte Hornets (11-8, Last week — 15th)

Charlotte slots in behind Atlanta after a head-to-head loss this week, but that was the only blemish for the Hornets. They’ve won six of the last seven games, and Miles Bridges continues to be one of the best stories of the season in averaging 20.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest.

15. Washington Wizards (11-6, Last week — 3rd)

We celebrated the Wizards last week and rightly so. On cue, Washington went 1-3 this week, but the victory did come against a very good Miami team. Not too much has changed, even if the win-loss record isn’t as pretty.

16. New York Knicks (10-8, Last week — 11th)

The Knicks nearly blew a 25-point lead against the LeBron-less Lakers on Tuesday, but New York held on. It’s going to be difficult for the Knicks to make a run if they remain No. 17 in the NBA in defense, though, and that is at least mildly concerning.

17. Denver Nuggets (9-9, Last week — 8th)

Can Nikola Jokic singlehandedly make Denver respectable amid injuries? Probably. He’s that good. The problem is that when Jokic is also out of action, Denver has no hope, and the Nuggets have lost five in a row.

18. Memphis Grizzlies (9-8, Last week — 20th)

Memphis is above .500 with a -5.1 net rating. That is pretty tough to accomplish, but the Grizzlies have won three of the last four. That includes an impressive road win in Salt Lake City that outlines the small gains in this space this week.

19. Indiana Pacers (8-11, Last week — 22nd)

It is difficult to parse what the Pacers are right now, but they did just wallop the Bulls by 30+ points. That is helpful to the overall profile, and Indiana has a chance for another solid win when the Lakers visit on Wednesday.

20. Los Angeles Lakers (9-10, Last week — 16th)

The Lakers aren’t the 20th-best team in the NBA. We all know this. But Los Angeles has dropped four of five and the only victory came against Detroit in a game that took on a different meaning by the end. LeBron James being on the floor on a regular basis should ensure the Lakers don’t stay down here, but it hasn’t been what anyone wanted in Los Angeles so far.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-9, Last week — 26th)

It’s been a tale of three mini-seasons for Minnesota. They opened 3-1, then gave it all back and more with eight losses in nine games. Now, the Wolves have won four in a row, balancing the scales and providing optimism in an overall sense.

22. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-9, Last week — 13th)

Cleveland’s drop is probably unfair this week. The Cavs have lost four in a row, but injuries to Collin Sexton and Evan Mobley are highly unfortunate and Cleveland has still narrowly outscored opponents for the season. I do think this is closer to what the Cavs will be moving forward for a while, which partly accounts for the move.

23. Toronto Raptors (8-10, Last week — 21st)

Following a strong start, the Raptors are just 2-7 in their last nine games. It’s been the defense letting Toronto down, which is a little bit baffling given the team’s roster, but it’s the reality right now.

24. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-11, Last week — 25th)

Since last week, OKC beat Houston and kept it single-digits in losses to Milwaukee and Boston on the road. They were mostly blown out in Atlanta without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but the Thunder continue to modestly outpace expectations.

25. Detroit Pistons (4-13, Last week — 27th)

Detroit has been more competitive lately. Full stop. The Pistons are on a three-game losing streak, but all three losses were by single digits, and that is the kind of thing we have to parse at No. 25 on the list.

26. Sacramento Kings (6-12, Last week — 23rd)

The Kings are paying the “fired coach tax” in the rankings this week. Luke Walton didn’t do much to save his job, though the Kings are pretty good on offense and the roster isn’t exactly title-caliber. This is still a bottom-five defensive team that has lost eight of nine. That doesn’t feel out of place at No. 26 overall.

27. San Antonio Spurs (4-12, Last week — 24th)

In evaluating the roster, the coaching and the metrics, it is probably safe to assume San Antonio is better than this. The Spurs have still lost five in a row, however, and the offense is not terribly impressive.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (3-16, Last week — 29th)

At least the Pelicans have an excuse with Zion Williamson out of the lineup, and New Orleans did pick up a nice win over the Clippers this week. That is as positive as I can be right now.

29. Orlando Magic (4-14, Last week — 28th)

Orlando trailed by 41 points at halftime on Monday, marking the franchise’s largest halftime deficit ever and Milwaukee’s largest halftime lead ever at the same time. The Magic trailed by as many as 51 points and, while you could argue they have been better than New Orleans on the whole, we’ll flip the two this week.

30. Houston Rockets (1-16, Last week — 30th)

The Rockets haven’t won a basketball game in more than a month. Houston is actually a top-20 team in defense but, with the worst offensive metrics in the league by a sizable margin and a preposterous 18.2 percent turnover rate, this is an easy decision.

Less than a year ago, Ted Cruz decided to leave his (literally) freezing constituents behind and flee to sunny Mexico during a deadly Texas ice storm. This made him the subject of derision and, eventually, “Cancun” comebacks when he started tweeting up a storm about how “America doesn’t heave Americans behind” during the inarguably botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Even when Ted had a slightly valid point, though, he still doesn’t get what he did wrong, which is why people so enjoyed this Halloween costume that immortalized the plight of Snowflake.

Ted missed the point on that joke, and he might be missing the point on his own joke. Following news that California Governor Newsom would vacation in Mexico for the Thanksgiving holiday, Ted pounced with glee. Pointing toward the extension of California’s COVID-related “State of Emergency,” Ted couldn’t resist tweeting, “Cancun is much nicer than Cabo.”

Naturally, people had plenty to say to Ted after his “joke.” Firstly, they don’t think it’s very funny that Ted appears to be making light of his whirlwind Cancun jaunt. Secondly, he’s doing the old apples-to-oranges thing, and Newsom’s taking a preannounced vacation and not sneaking around. And finally, Ted might wanna stay in his lane.

Does Cruz even realize why people were so mad over the Cancun trip? That’s debatable, and if there’s a truth, it’s still out there.

Tony Bennett made history yesterday when he became the oldest artist (at 95 years old and change) to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Album Of The Year (or for any general field Grammy). That’s thanks to his and Lady Gaga’s latest collaborative album, Love For Sale, and last night, Gaga spoke about the album and her relationship with Bennett on The Late Show.

Gaga and Stephen Colbert wrapped up their lengthy chat by talking about Bennett, and while the tone of their conversation had been lighthearted and airy throughout, Gaga spoke with more emotion while discussing Bennett. Colbert asked what it’s like to be friends with Bennett and Gaga started by speaking about their relationship and Bennett’s character, saying, “I love Tony so much. He is my musical companion. I’m so close with his family, which of course includes his amazing wife Susan Benedetto. He is a remarkable human being. He served our country. He also marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He used to sneak Duke Ellington in the back of hotels to play jazz music all night long. His commitment to civil rights and to humanity is something that he has taught me from a young age, to take with me in all that I do.”

She then spoke about Bennett’s Alzheimer’s disease, how they came to record their new album, and the impact that music has on Bennett today:

“I love him very deeply, and watching him begin his journey with Alzheimer’s years ago, I remember I wanted to make good on a promise I made to him. Because our album Cheek To Cheek went No. 1 and I called him and I said, ‘Hey Ton’! We’re No. 1 all over the world with a jazz record!’ And he goes, ‘Hey Lady!’ That’s what he calls me, he calls me ‘Lady.’ ‘Hey Lady, we need to make a Cole Porter record, all Cole Porter songs, all love songs.’ I said, ‘OK Tony, but you understand that we’re No. 1 all over the world?’ ‘Yeah yeah, we got to make a Cole Porter record.’ So I said yes. I always keep my word to Tony.

Then a couple years later, his Alzheimer’s just started to set on and I said, ‘Let’s go into the studio now,’ and we did. And when I tell you that when jazz begins, this man lights up in a way that is such magic. It just reminded me that anybody that has a family member or somebody that they love that’s suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, music is… music is magic. Music is a miracle.”

The Late Show also premiered Gaga and Bennett’s performance of “Anything Goes” from One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga, the duo’s upcoming concert special that airs on November 28 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. So, find that below and watch Gaga’s interview above and below.

Will Smith‘s book tour continues to roll on, and with it, more personal details about the rapper’s meteoric rise from sitcom star to Hollywood’s A-list. This time around, Smith sat down with Idris Elba in London for “WILL: An Evening of Stories with Friend” where The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star opened up about having money troubles at the start of his career that he could only solve by borrowing money from a drug dealer.

According to Smith, he owed a substantial amount to the IRS in the early ’90s before becoming a prime star on NBC. However, he was determined to move to Los Angeles even if it required using unconventional means to fix his financial issues. Via Yahoo!:

“So Uncle Sam wanted his money,” he continued, adding: “I didn’t forget — I just didn’t pay.”

“I had to sell everything, and I knew whatever my new life was going to be I could feel it was going to be in Los Angeles,” he said.

“So I borrowed $10,000 from a friend of mine who was a purveyor of neighborhood pharmaceuticals,” he continued as the audience laughed.

Not missing a beat, Elba asked, “Was his name Stringer Bell?” a reference to Elba’s drug kingpin on HBO’s The Wire. Considering Smith’s financial transaction occurred almost 30 years ago, he’s probably not looking at any trouble with the government for the unorthodox loan. More importantly, for once, he didn’t divulge way too much information about his sex life, which is nothing short of a miracle.

(Via Yahoo!)

Nearly every main cast member from the original Saved by the Bell returned for Peacock’s surprisingly good revival, minus two: Dennis Haskins, who played Principal Belding, and Dustin Diamond. Screech’s absence was explained away by him living on the International Space Station, which sounds ridiculous until you remember he once built a robot named Kevin. Sadly, Diamond died earlier this year, but he got a touching tribute in the season two premiere.

The episode begins with the students and teachers of Bayside High returning to school for the first time since the pandemic started. Slater (Mario Lopez) refuses to attend “the thing at The Max,” or even explain why, until he changes his mind and joins his friends, Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley), Zach (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), and Lisa (Lark Voorhies). They bond over the new addition to the restaurant’s menu, Screech’s Spaghetti Burger (it’s a fun throwback), and reminisce about their friend.

A transcript, provided by TV Line:

Zack: Do you guys remember the time that he got struck by lightning and was psychic for a week?
Jessie: And then you used his powers to cheat on a midterm?
Zack: Yeah! Why didn’t we go to, like, Vegas? Or… stop the Gulf War?
[Awkward silence]
Lisa: Hey, you know, I was still mad that that little dweeb beat me at becoming Miss Bayside.
Kelly: Yeah, me too!
Jessie: He was so funny.
Slater: Yeah…
Zack: To Screech!

Although it is never revealed how Screech died (or even if he did in the universe of the show; it’s only heavily implied), his pals remember the old days with a montage of some of his most memorable moments. Executive producer Tracey Wigfield explained that “it would have been wrong to not acknowledge [Diamond’s death] in a real way and to not have our OG characters mourning this character that we’ll never get to see again.”

Saved by the Bell season two is available on Peacock now.

(Via TV Line)

It’s been 30 years since big and small screen “that guy” character actor Chris Diamantopoulos got his start as a Canadian child actor in commercials. Before, as he says, puberty wreaked havoc on him.

Theater and the prospect of walking in the footsteps of his personal hero and old school song and dance man Danny Kaye (White Christmas) re-lit the lamp and Broadway opportunities soon popped up. Then came voicework (which also offered a chance to sing here and there, such as in his role as the voice of Mickey Mouse) and an on-screen career purposely focused on avoiding typecasting while playing Moe Howard, Robin Williams, everyone’s favorite fictional VC douchebag Russ Hanneman on Silicon Valley, and a would-be homewrecker on The Office.

Now Diamantopoulos is popping up as villains of decidedly different flavors in Red Notice and True Story (dropping November 24 on Netflix) while lending his voice talents to Inside Job and the upcoming Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. The man is busy, he might also be the most “happy to be here interview” I’ve ever had, talking with boundless exuberance and a genuine affection for his craft, the history that surrounds him, and the chance to play with the biggest stars on the planet. Between those moments and him falling into tremendous impressions of Kaye, Sean Connery, and Mickey Mouse where he delivered full sections of dialogue lifted from various projects, there’s plenty of conversation about those two distinct projects (specifically the tonal changeup with his brooding True Story character), the pressure of playing Robin Williams, and that time everyone blamed him for almost wrecking The Office.

With Red Notice and True Story, obviously, these are both villainous characters where you’re trying to find shades and flavors within that same kind of role, so that you don’t get bored and so that you feel like you’re contributing something unique each time and don’t get pigeonholed. Can you talk a little about that?

So I mean, I’ve made a career of trying to avoid that as best I could. I did Silicon Valley, before that show I hadn’t really done a lot of comedy. I mean, I did Three Stooges, but I was on 24, I was more a dramatic actor. Silicon Valley hit and then all of a sudden everyone wants me to play a prototypical douchebag, which is fine, but you got to write it as well as it’s going to be written with Silicon Valley, and that was about as good of TV writing as you could get.

Now, that’s not to say that I don’t want to play a role that I’ve played before, but with Red Notice and True Story, I will say, yes, they are both villains, but that’s really where it ends because Red Notice is larger than life, it’s a fantasy, it’s a 90s action-comedy romp that requires a little bit of a tongue in cheek, nefarious sort of quality. A mustache twirl if you were. It was an opportunity to work with the three biggest movie stars in the world, a terrific filmmaker, and to try my hand at that sort of Bond-ian trope. True Story is very, very rooted, very grounded, very Scorsese-esque. The character says very little, and only engages physically and quite brutally.

Oh, he’s like a human bullet, it’s great.

I appreciate that, and that was really the intention. I wanted the character to be like a lion in the prairie where it’s like, “Oh, so placid and he’s not really doing anything. He’s just kind of chewing.” And then when the gazelle shows, it’s just fucking on and nothing is going to stop him. And I love that idea. I love that notion. And that’s what excited me about that role. For an actor that’s as facile with words as I am and as verbose as I can be, it was a great opportunity to just turn all that off and put it all just into physicality and into the face.

In terms of the physicality, it’s interesting because Wesley Snipes would appear to me to be larger than you. And obviously, comes with a reputation of just kicking ass in Passenger 57 and Blade and everything like that. In Red Notice, obviously, you’re going up against Dwayne Johnson, who is a human mountain. How do you take on that challenge with the physicality of going up against guys that are, no offense, but if I were to do a tale of the tape, I’m probably giving them the edge in a fight.

That’s a great question and no offense taken. I mean, look, one of the great things about what I do for a living is the level of fantasy that I can allow an audience into and I can also allow myself that freedom to have the fantasy that… so what would it be like if I could pose a threat to these people? Right? And so it really just begins with the backstory of the characters. In each instance, as funny as this may sound, it’s not the size, it’s the quality. And it really is. Because I may be physically slightly smaller than Wesley and I may be physically much smaller than DJ, but in the instances that I am posing a threat to each of them, there’s no chance that they’re going to get out of it. Both of them are at the risk of losing their lives because my character has been either more clever or more vicious than them. So actually, there was something quite freeing about it. I didn’t need to peacock to pretend to be bigger than either of them, I was just going to be scarier.

A thing that I loved about the character [in True Story], is that Wesley was a window for the audience. Wesley showed our level of disgust and fear, and my character would look at him like, “What the fuck? What? You’re disgusted by this?” The amount of torture that my character in True Story inflicts, it’s like he’s taking a fast-food order. There’s nothing to it. That’s the true sociopathic nature, which I think actually makes for a good villain. And in that sense, I would love Hollywood to come calling with more villainous roles because there are so many ways to be a villain.

You’ve been a villain in a few different places. People could say you were a villain in The Office.

Okay. And people do. Sometimes people will scream at me and say, “I can’t believe what you tried to do to Jim and Pam!”

Walking up to that situation, knowing how beloved those characters were and that you were going to present a blockade to the happy ending that I think everybody was envisioning — what’s it like to go into that situation?

I was petrified because I loved the show and I loved Jim and Pam and it was an ever-evolving storyline as it was pitched to me, and Greg [Daniels, show creator] and John [Krasinski] and Jenna [Fisher] were so deeply engaged, and at times not necessarily in agreement as to how it should wrap up. And so it made for some tenuous moments for me because typically, I want to collaborate on a set. You know what I mean? I want to be able to add my input, but in this instance I knew my place, right? I mean, these people spent a decade crafting these characters, and for me to just come in and throw a monkey wrench in, I didn’t really have the currency to say, “Oh well, what if Brian did this?” You know what I mean?

I knew better to sit back and let them figure it out. To their credit, I think they did a good job, but we ended up shooting a bunch of stuff that didn’t end up in the show. I know Jenna had some ideas that were different than John’s originally, and I know that Greg had some ideas that were different than both of theirs as well, but there was a real collaborative spirit. And you could tell that all of them wanted this to go the right way. I think that there was also just that notion of, “There might be a couple of right ways. Let’s see.”

I want to get back to something you were saying about working with the three biggest movie stars in the world. Despite your experience, there has to be a level of intimidation, right? Tell me a little bit about how that’s changed in your career and just how you still deal with it?

Of course. And I get goosebumps and I get butterflies on every sound stage set and stage that I step on, partially because, as corny as it sounds, I still fucking love it and it still feels like the first time I get to do it. I mean I drive by Paramount and I’m like, “There’s Paramount.” I mean, I still do that. I don’t know why.

Is there an Imposter Syndrome aspect to it? Do you feel like somebody’s going to tap you on the shoulder one day and tell you it’s over?

Yes, for sure. Every job I do I think is going to be the last job I’m going to do. Not because I think I’ve done something horrible, but because I just think, I can’t be this lucky. At a certain point, my luck’s going to run out. And I love what I do so much that I don’t want it to run out.

Does that help to push your interest in staving off complacency with the roles you choose?

If it’s going to be my last one, I might as well go for it. That’s part of it. The other part of it is that I got into this because I enjoyed playing as a kid, pretending as a kid. And so when I show up in the room and there’s DJ and Ryan and Gal, for me to not play even more would be a disservice to myself and to my 10-year-old self. It’s like, yes, I mean it was hugely challenging for me to be in the room with those three and not be intimidated, and then I took that intimidation and just put it into my exuberance for being there.

In terms of, still speaking to that intimidation factor and that factor of trying to pay service to your 10-year-old self, you were familiar with the Three Stooges growing up, but when you’re playing a character like Moe Howard, or Sinatra, or Robin Williams what’s the intimidation factor to get that right? Especially with Robin Williams where it’s someone who was alive at the time.

So in that project, the challenge was that I was such a fan of Robin Williams. He was such a hero of mine, but I was a young working actor that was hungry to work. And so when I auditioned for this and I got it, I wasn’t going to say, “Oh, I can’t do this because it’s material about…” I had to do it. The other challenge was when I got the script, I realized that all the impressions in the script, we weren’t allowed to do them because it wasn’t an authorized biography and he wasn’t going to allow us to do any. So I had to go through and find impressions of characters that he’d never done before and make it seem like he’d done them.

So there was that challenge, and then the last challenge was that whole thing, for me, was an homage to him. And I’m sure, I’m not sure if he saw it, he probably didn’t, and if he did, if I were to be in his shoes, he probably wouldn’t have seen it as an homage. You know what I mean? Because it was invasive by virtue of what it was, but it was an homage. It was a love letter. So the challenge for me was to allow myself to get over that and to really just try and tell an honest story. To be frank, I love when I’ve had the opportunity to play a character that comes from history that I might have heard or seen, because it gives me a really fully loaded arsenal as an actor. If I know the voice, if I know the physical stature, if I know the cadence, if I know the gait, that eliminates so many variables that I don’t have to create, I can use those. I can mold my body, my voice, my face, my being into that.

With Silicon Valley and Russ Hanneman, have you had any interactions with actual tech bros and gotten any feedback? I would imagine, just based on the lack of self-awareness, that they fucking love it.

Well, let me tell you, as I… Hang on. First let me fill my cup with… [raises a “This Guy Fucks” mug]

There it is. Wow.

The VC startup bro billionaire world seems to have adopted Russ as their unofficial Patron Saint.

That must feel great.

I mean, look, what’s great about it is talk about a liberty and a freedom as an actor. When you’re playing the most reviled douchebag of a human being, when you’re playing the worst man on earth, well what can you be afraid of? If you’re already universally loathed, well, then you’re kind of impervious, then it’s like you’re from Krypton.

History has proven that out over the last few years, I’ll say.

But really there was something so liberating about not needing to be… Look, every character I play, I want to make sure that people like this or that or that it… With Russ, it didn’t fucking matter. It really didn’t matter. I mean, add to that the fact that I was given such tremendous writing, but really I could just go for it. I think that the community really embraced Russ very, very well, and it’s been a hoot for me. People yell, “This guy fucks,” at me all the time when I walk down the street. It’s not great when I’m with my children, though.

Not the best timing.

No.

‘Red Notice’ and ‘Inside Job’ are streaming on Netflix. ‘True Story’ drops on Netflix November 24