-Our next guest is a talented actor, writer, and director
you know from "Broad City" and the film "Rough Night."
He is the co-creator, co-showrunner,
and one of the stars of "Hacks," which is streaming on HBO Max.
Let's take a look.
-Hey, look, if you're just calling to shoot the [bleep]
love you, bless you, but I'll call you back?
-Alrighty. Ciao.
-Okay, ciao for now.
-Here you go, Prince.
-Thank you so much.
-Yum.
-Okay, not "yum."
Weird and bizarre. What is in this one?
-Honey. -This isn't --
-You said natural. It comes from bears.
-Ooh! Kayla...
-Please welcome to the show Paul W. Downs, everybody.
♪♪
-Oh.
I, um -- I'm so sorry. -Well, okay.
Yeah, um...
Oh. Okay.
-So...
-Yeah, I'm so sorry. -Okay.
-I thought this was a Zoom.
-Oh! -Yes.
I know they said "in studio," but I thought
the Wi-Fi was better.
I thought it was going to be all virtual, so...
-So you thought you would be staying
in the dressing room on a laptop.
-Well, yeah. Nicole and Jake are not here.
-Right. -Okay.
I thought they were also doing that.
I thought we were all here and we were just Zooming.
-Well, I mean, at least you wore very clean socks.
-Thank you, yes. No holes in the socks.
Yeah, oops. Well...
-Now, it is nice to have you here.
-Thank you. It's very nice to be here.
-You've been here before. You've been in this studio.
Well, not in this studio,
but you've been in 30 Rock before.
-I've been in 30 Rock before, yep.
It's a trigger, you know?
-It is triggering for you. -It can be.
-Okay.
-I screen-tested for "SNL" when I was like 23.
And it was a nerve-racking day. -It is very nerve-racking.
-First of all, I mean, the whole thing is wild.
But when I first got here, I used my card to pay for the cab.
Declined. I think I had negative dollars in my bank account.
Thank God my partner, Lucia Aniello,
was dropping me off, so she paid.
So I owe the screen test to her, as I owe many things to her.
And, yet, you know, I never like to use public restrooms.
You know, I like to, like, be in my place...
-I agree with you 100%. -...set the mood,
light a candle, you know, create a vibe.
But a producer came to me and knowingly said,
"If you need a bathroom, it is right down there."
And I had a nervous tummy, you know, as one does.
And so I used it. I used that bathroom.
And then I screen-tested.
And I think you may have been there.
-I think I probably was, based on that timeline, yeah.
-You probably remember. I mean, I killed it.
-Did great. -Incredibly well.
It went well. -So well.
-Laughter, applau-- I think you stood.
I think you stood, you clapped, you cheered.
-And I never stand. -That's the thing.
I was like, "This is in the bag."
And then, about a week later, I found out I did not get it.
And it occurred to me it was probably a janitor
who had Lorne's ear and said,
"The building can't handle it.
The pipes are old.
We cannot have him in the building, okay?
He will destroy it. 30 Rock will go."
-He marched in. -Yeah.
-We were about -- I mean, your name was about
to go, and then he marched in and said, "It's him or me."
-Hey, you know what? Better him.
Better him.
We'd be in New Jersey filming this.
This building would be totaled.
-I am so happy, in the end,
that it has worked out so well for you.
This is such a fantastic show. -Thank you. Thank you.
-And I want to first ask what it feels like
when you write a character this good
and then you get an actor as good as Jean Smart who says yes.
I mean, it just must be so rewarding as a writer
to have that come through.
-Yeah, it was a dream come true.
It was wild. We couldn't believe it.
You know, when we wrote the show, we made this character
an amalgamation of, like, Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller,
Joan Rivers, Debbie Reynolds,
a lot of, like, show-biz veterans.
And, so, we didn't have anyone in mind,
but because the show is really grounded
and has, you know, moments that are
more dramatic and emotional, we wanted someone that could
play the comedy and be a believable stand-up
but also do those sort of more heartfelt, dramatic moments,
as well, and, honestly, the list is not very long
of women who can do that in equal measure.
And, for us, Jean Smart was at the top of it.
So we were thrilled.
-This is an idea you've had for a very long time.
Explain where you came up with it
and what it feels like to see it to fruition
all these years later.
-Yeah, well, we were on a road trip to Monster Jam,
monster-truck rally, myself and Jen Statsky and Lucia Aniello,
my co-creators and co-conspirators.
And, as one does -- When we're together, we're always
pitching and we're always talking about bits and ideas.
-Do you go to --
Was this your first Monster Jam or have you been before?
-It was not. -Okay.
-Yes.
I was filming my Netflix special
and I was doing a character named Jasper Cooch.
You may famously know Jasper Cooch.
He's famously, "Big Trucks!" That's pretty much it.
-Gotcha. -That's the character.
And, so, yeah, we were going to Monster Jam to film this.
And we started talking about a lot of female comedians
who we didn't feel like got the same
acclaim and, you know, credit
that a lot of their male counterparts had.
And, so, yeah, this sort of fabulous
female comedian character was
born of a Monster Jam truck rally.
-That's really nice. -Yeah. Yeah.
-And here it is -- So, you -- From the clip,
you also get to play the agent in this show
that connects both Jean Smart with a younger writer,
someone to freshen up her act.
What did you want to bring to the role of agent?
Because, obviously, you know, this isn't --
You're not the first person to play an agent on television,
but it's sort of a unique bounce.
-Well, you know, I believe it's really important
for there to be representation for representation.
-Sure, sure. -You know?
I really think, if you can see it, you can be it.
And I think, you know, for young people,
to be in the industry is a dream,
and I want to show them it can happen.
But, yeah, I hope that this character is a little different
than ones you may have seen before,
because he honestly has good intentions.
He's not the slick, slimy agent or manager.
He's somebody who really has
the best of his client's needs at heart.
So, they really do need each other,
and so, in the end, I think he did a good job.
I think he's a good guy.
-While you have not been an agent or manager,
you have had some gigs over the years
where you gotten the numbers, the phone numbers,
of very famous people.
-Yes.
-Or I should say, maybe, they have gotten yours.
-Both. You know what? Both.
Excuse me. I just have to adjust.
[ Clears throat ]
It's cold in here.
Yeah, we -- I actually -- My first day job,
I worked for this entertainment, marketing, and PR company.
And there was an event, and Goldie Hawn
was coming in for it.
And they said, "You know, why don't you sort of
be her person.
If she needs anything, you're her person."
So I hung around with her that night.
And she actually was like, "You know what?
Can I take your phone number in case I need your help?"
So I gave her my phone number.
And that was that.
And then, about five years later,
I was with some friends
and I get a phone call from Goldie Hawn.
And I was like, "Guys, I'm sorry.
Goldie Hawn is calling me. I got to go take this."
So, I pick up.
And she says, "Paul, baby, it's Goldie."
And I was like, "Hi, Goldie." "How are you, baby?"
"I'm good. How are you?"
"Who are you?"
"Um...excuse me? You just called me.
It's Paul."
"Yeah, but Paul who?" "Paul Downs."
"Not ringing a bell, baby."
And I was like, "Okay, we met at this event like five years ago."
And she was like, "Oh! Okay, great.
Kurt and I were just going through our phone,
and we didn't know who you were, but thanks so much.
Bye."
Yeah. And I think it was "delete."
-Yeah.
-But I still have her number, so, you know, if I need it...
-In case of an emergency,
you could get ahold of her if need be.
-Yes.
-I'm going to make you say or tell us
one last thing before you go, 'cause it's --
It delights me to no end. -Oh, no.
-When you first saw the show "Seinfeld,"
it was framed differently for you.
-Yeah. Well -- Yeah.
I -- It was probably like seventh grade,
and this girl, Courtney -- I was very gullible.
And this girl, Courtney, told me that "Seinfeld" was a show about
a man living with AIDS, and I believed her.
And so I watched "Seinfeld" thinking Jerry had AIDS.
And I got to tell you, it's good, okay?
It's very profound. -Really? Okay.
It doesn't hurt it. -It's absolutely premium.
I was like, "They don't even mention it?
That's slick, okay? This is good writing.
It should be --" No offense to NBC,
but I'm like, "This is on HBO, this is wild."
It had a whole new meaning.
You know, Kramer busts in, eats his cereal,
you're like, "Come on.
This guy's got AIDS, you know?
Knock."
Jerry kind find a partner, you're like,
"Well...he's living with AIDS."
-Wow!
-Yeah, whole new perspective and context for the Soup Nazi.
I mean, that guy's a bigot. You know what I mean?
-Yeah. He was already a bad guy. -Try it.
Watch one episode, and it really does work.
-Well, that's -- I mean, I love the show as is,
but I could have a whole nother way to watch it.
-Well, if it's not about a man living with AIDS,
what is it about?
Nothing? You know? I mean...that's...
-"Hacks" is streaming on HBO Max.
Thank you so much for being here.
And I'm so sorry about the miscommunication on Zoom.
-I'm very sorry. It's my bad, so...
-We'll be right back.