-Our next guest is a very funny comedian you can see
in her off-Broadway hit one-woman show, "Kate,"
which is playing through October 8th
at the Connelly Theater here in New York.
Her FX comedy special
"Kate Berlant: Cinnamon in the Wind"
premieres today on Hulu.
Let's take a look.
-I do comedy primarily to process
the overwhelming privilege of my
childhood, adolescence, and now adulthood, right?
If you can imagine growing up
almost collapsing under the weight of resources, right?
Almost so many -- right? --
that your gait is affected, right?
If you can imagine my parents, you know, so loving,
"You're so special, we love you," right?
They're actually not divorced, right?
All of that.
And somehow, with all of that weighing you down,
just finding the strength to get to Zara,
just somehow -- Whoa!
-Please welcome back to the show Kate Berlant, everybody.
[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪
What a joy to have you here in person.
-Finally. I'm so relieved to be back.
-Yes. -It's been hell being gone.
-Yeah, the time away.
-The time away. But I learned a lot.
-Oh, good. I can tell you're different.
-I'm different. I've changed.
-And I liked you the first time, so this is a big --
-It's better now. -It's better now.
-Trust me, it's better now. -So, this is very exciting.
This is a stand-up special that is coming out
tomorrow -- or today.
Is it today?
-I think last night at midnight, technically, so it's out.
It's out.
-It's out. -Yeah.
-And how did you come up with the title
"Cinnamon in the Wind?"
-I don't know. -Okay.
-Well, you know, "Cinnamon in the Wind" --
The special is largely improvised.
It's really just captured one night.
Bo Burnham directed it, the brilliant Bo Burnham.
-Yes. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Yes, absolutely.
Back to me, though. Back to me.
And, so, "Cinnamon in the Wind" is sort of ephemeral, right?
it sort of harkens to that which is the nature of life
and perhaps the show, you know?
-That's really -- That's really --
Now it makes a lot of sense.
-Yeah, yeah. That reads, yeah?
-So, I have this question, because now you're doing
this one-woman show, also directed by Bo Burnham,
and it does seem as though it's a departure from stand-up,
and I'm assuming it must be a bit of a leap.
It must be nice to have somebody like Bo,
who's done the other with you, as well.
How did you come to the -- I don't know --
the conclusion to do something that was similar to stand-up
and that it's just you onstage but very different?
-Yes, well, the special -- Here's a little peek
behind the curtain.
The special was shot for FX three years ago.
-Okay.
You are aging so well. -Yeah, yeah.
I was watching and I was like, "Okay, yeah."
It's terrifying.
But we -- Well, I don't know what happened.
I think the suits were a little scared about the material.
They thought if people saw it --
They wanted to keep the public from my comedy.
-Yeah.
-But I told them, "No, people have to see it."
They were afraid there'd be an uprising if people saw it.
-Wow. So this is sort of a three-year conversation
that you finally won.
-Yeah. And, luckily -- You know, typically, comedians,
you do a special, it's put out immediately
because comedians are responding to the times, right?
But my act was mostly me crossing my eyes,
so I think we're okay that the three years have passed.
-Because that has not gone out of style.
-No, no. I still -- I can't knock that.
But the new show really is a -- It's theatrical.
It's a play, I guess you could say.
-It's a really -- This is a very theatrical photo.
I'm very impressed with that.
-That's me, drama. -Yeah.
-It is, like all art,
just a vain attempt to be taken seriously.
And so this is really --
I'm trying to be like, "I'm an actress."
You know, so that's --
I'm really white-knuckle gripping that.
But it's a proper theater show -- lights and excitement,
and there's a little dancing in there, yeah.
-Your longtime friend and collaborator, John Early,
who we're big fans of on the show, as well --
You and John obviously communicate all the time.
Has he been supportive of your new off-Broadway show?
-It's been hard for John.
-Yeah, because you're off on your own.
-Seeing me shine. -Yeah. Thrive even.
-You really find out who your friends are
when you put on an off-Broadway show
after your special's been shelved for three years.
-Yeah. -You really find out.
And he's been threatened.
No, it's been great.
He's my best friend. He comes a lot.
He is, though -- We'll, very funnily, send texts.
Like, the day the show opened, he sent texts --
a text to Bo and I that just said, "Do not Google the show."
And, so, he'll call me, and I'll get a voicemail.
He's like, "Woke up with a bad feeling.
Tonight's not going to work. I can feel it.
Don't go out there."
So, that's very fun and...
-You grew up in L.A.
Did you always know that you wanted to be an actor?
-How do I put this? Yeah.
-Okay. -Yeah.
-Did everyone around you also know?
-Everyone was like, "You have it."
No, I just loved attention very young,
striving for it at all times, still you might say.
Can't get enough of it.
And, so, yeah, I mean, I wanted to be an actress,
but then comedy -- You know, when you look like this,
you know, when you make faces like that constantly,
you will be pushed into comedy.
So -- But, again, the play is sort of me, again,
trying to demand an acting career.
-Well, there you go. -Yeah.
-I mean, you do have an acting career that started
when you were very young on a little show called
"Lizzie McGuire."
-Oh, yes.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-And do you remember getting the part?
-How could I forget? -Yeah.
-It's the only part I've ever booked from an audition,
essentially, truly.
Yeah, I auditioned.
I believe the audition, I was supposed to have two lines,
and then it became one.
-So you got a one-line part in "Lizzie McGuire."
Can we -- We have the clip. Do you mind if we show it?
-I demand that you show it now. -Okay.
Let's take a look at Kate in "Lizzie McGuire."
-Hey, Lizzie, very cool pants.
-Her.
-Okay, so... [ Cheers and applause ]
Now, just -- We do want to make sure,
because I think the eye might be drawn to the sort of
principal performers, who are walking towards us.
-I think the eye is just uncannily drawn to me.
You can't even see the whole --
-Just in case anybody missed it,
we do want to spotlight you a little bit more.
Let's watch it one more time.
-Hey, Lizzie, very cool pants.
-Her. -Wow. Really nicely done.
-There I am. Yeah.
[ Applause ]
-You are also in the new series " A League of Their Own,"
which is fantastic.
-Thank you.
-And you look a very believable athlete in the show.
Were you a baseball player in your youth?
-No. -Okay.
But, I mean, you obviously -- I mean, somebody --
There had to be some sort of coaching involved.
-Thank you. There was coaching involved.
-Okay. -And that's all I'll say.
No, I learned -- I knew nothing, but now I think I sort of can --
I kind of like my swing, actually.
I think I have -- You know, I was told --
People wonder -- they said, "You've played before,"
and I said "no," and they fell to their knees.
They were shocked. Yeah.
-That must be a nice thing to get,
especially from people, you know, who are obviously --
their profession is coaching.
-Yes, yes. -Yeah.
And they just looked at you -- -I coach the coaches now, Seth.
It's crazy.
-That's your new job is to coach the coaches?
-Yeah.
-This is a very exciting time to have you --
stand-up special, "League of Their Own,"
and your off-Broadway show.
I'm so grateful that you made time for us
tonight and joined us.
-I don't want to leave. Are we done?
I mean, this is -- Please, no.
-Our time is up, but you could stay if you want.
-I'm going to stay. They want me to stay.
[ Cheers and applause ] They want me to stay.
-Kate Berlant, everybody.
"Kate Berlant: Cinnamon in the Wind"
is now streaming on Hulu, and her show "Kate"
runs through October 8th at the Connelly Theater.
We'll be right back with more "Late Night."