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| Harland Williams is all about having fun | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Kelly Wilson, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| November 1, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
And who can blame him for being so hyped-up? The charismatic actor and comedian, who will headline the Tempe Improv this weekend, has a lot of things on his plate. Williams, perhaps best known as the hitchhiker in “There’s Something About Mary,” has two movies due out next year. He was recently in Europe for two months shooting “My Life in Ruins,” which is about a bunch of nutty tourists on a tour bus in Greece. Naturally, he plays the “quintessential loud American,” the husband to former “Saturday Night Live” star (and “30 Rock” actress) Rachel Dratch. He’ll also be featured in a loose remake of “Bachelor Party,” which is slated to hit theaters in March. “Ninety years later they decided it was time to redo the classic,” he says of the 1984 comedy, which starred Tom Hanks. And on top of his film roles, Williams voiced a feline on ABC Family’s animated “Slacker Cats,” which ended its brief season in September. “It’s really cool when you get to see it when it’s done,” he says. “It’s like, 'Wait a minute, I’m a cat? What the hell? And I’m talking!’ ” Williams, who hits the road to perform stand-up between film projects, says that people are often surprised by “how damn funny” his act is. “I keep it really fun and silly and I talk to the crowd a lot and I interact and I improvise,” he says. “I take a lot of chances. It’s not your typical rehearsed routine. A lot of fun stuff just kind of pops out of nowhere. It’s all about having fun.” When he has downtime in the East Valley, Williams says he likes to check out the art galleries in downtown Scottsdale. “It’s so incredible,” he says. “Every gallery has its own different vibe going on. I paint, too, so I love to go in and spend hours looking at all the stuff. It’s really inspirational. Every time I go home I want to start painting.” Harland Williams will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 4, with 10 p.m. shows Friday, Nov. 2, and Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Tempe Improv, 930 E. University Drive. $17-$20. (480) 921-9877 or harlandwilliams.com. Contact Kelly Wilson by email, or phone (480) 898-5691 |
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