Heeb

On June 30, the first season of Eastbound and Down (a.k.a. the best fucking comedy on television) comes out on DVD. If you haven’t seen it yet, then watch the opening intro here before you continue reading. If you have, then behold this Q&A with Steve Little, who plays Stevie Janowski, the closeted homo sidekick to Eastbound’s steroidal burnout pitcher Kenny Powers (Danny McBride).

Raised a nebbish goy in Palo Alto, California, Little never thought he’d be on HBO’s most talked-about raunch comedy of the year. Nor did he ever suspect that he’d take time out to talk to Heeb.

Where and how did you get your start in television?

Basically my career trajectory looks like this: I went to college and got a useless degree (economics). Then I sat around my hometown for a couple years. Then I moved to L.A. to work in the entertainment industry, but, after moving here, I realized that I had no idea how to go about it. I ended up just working awful office temp jobs for a long time. An old roommate of mine recommended that I take classes at The Groundlings.

After a few years, I became a member of the main performing troupe. Once I started performing improv and sketch comedy on a regular basis, that led to people coming to shows and seeing me, and that, in turn, led to auditions and gigs and things like that.

You must get recognized on the street all the time now. How are you handling it?

How did you land the role of Stevie? Did you already know some of the people in McBride’s/Ferrell’s camp?

At just a quick IMDB glance, it looks like voiceover work has been a solid form of income for you.

The Cartoon Network stuff is something I have been doing for the last six years and actually helped on the Eastbound set because I am terrified of children. I have nothing to say to them, and sometimes the kids who were the extras would put you on the spot by asking, ‘So what else you been in?’ It was cool when I could say I was the voice on a show they had watched.

Did you do impressions as a kid, or did a relative ever tap your shoulder and say, ‘You should audition at the so-and-so?‘ 

No relative that ever tapped me on the shoulder to suggest I audition for something. It’s funny: You hear stories about some performers, like that Billy Crystal was pulled up in front of his family to do impressions after dinner or that Eddie Murphy was given the last 10 minutes of class time to entertain. I have never been that type of person. I am more the type where when I tell people I just met that I do comedy, they’ll say, ‘You do?’

In ‘The Cookout’ episode, when you give arguably the best line of the series (‘posers, hos, and shitheads,’ at the 1:45 mark below), you release a little grin, as if Stevie waits for Kenny’s approval for using shmecky-mecky language. Was this subtle gesture discussed before the shoot?

It wasn’t discussed, and that line wasn’t in the script. I think it just happened. [Director] David Gordon Green came up with that line, so I got to give him his props. As a matter of fact, the script had Stevie showing up to the barbeque dressed as Kenny Powers, and for the entire episode he was supposed to remain fully clothed. While shooting, it was added that Stevie should take his shirt off. So some of that stuff, like Kenny saying, ‘Change yourself for me,’ was improvised.

Also in that scene, is Stevie sporting a Star of David with his all-black wear to ‘express [his] rage?’

It may look it, but that’s actually not a Star of David. It’s a little silver and torqoise frog. When Kenny wears his all black outfit, if you look in the first episode, he’s got a necklace with a bad-ass wolf on it. So Stevie’s outfit mimics Kenny’s, but maybe Stevie couldn’t find another animal necklace? Maybe he thought poisonous frogs were super bad-ass or something.

Was that your necklace or the wardrobe department’s?

Wardrobe did a great job. In almost every scene Stevie wears a buttoned-down short sleeve shirt and slacks. I was joking with the wardrobe lady one day, saying it’s as if Stevie got one compliment, one time in his entire life, and now he wears that all the time. I imagine the chances of him getting another compliment on his appearance anytime soon are slim.

When not acting, what do you do on the reg?

I do yachts on the reg. I do titty bars on the reg. I read Heeb on the reg.

What sort of input did you give the writers to further develop this lovable, confused character? Did you get to throw in your two cents?

I am not sure how the character developed, exactly. I know that very early on, when we were shooting the pilot, that the creators (McBride, Jody Hill, Ben Best) had a vision of what was going to happen. I remember during the pilot Danny said something like, ‘Oh man, we got some crazy things in store for Stevie,’ and I know they always wanted Stevie to ultimately become Kenny’s assistant.

I heard Tampa has some of the best titty bars in the nation.

Yes, I heard that, too. That little piece of info wasn’t in the script either. It came from [director] Adam McKay. I guess he knew that all those sports stars go to Tampa and hit up the titty bars there. I guess Mons Venus is the best, Stevie mentions it in episode six.

After that episode aired, I went to check out that Facebook fan page where people post their favorite quotes from the show. There was one fake tanned platinum blonde girl from Tampa who posted, ‘Mons LOL.’ It seemed obvious to me that she was a stripper who worked there. Something about that amused me. Like, you are a stripper watching Kenny Powers, and then all of a sudden Stevie Janowski is talking about your place of business. Hopefully it blew her mind.

What’s your fave moment from season one?

I like some of the sadder moments, like, the end of episode three: No one will buys Kenny’s stuff, and he says, ‘Fuck time.’ Or maybe in episode four where Kenny listens to his tape, and it says something like, ‘Kenny has a sneaking suspicion things will always be great’—and his entire life is a disaster. As far as those involving my character, maybe the scene in the car at the end of episode two and, of course, the ‘Sky Pilot’ scene.

What’s the word on season two?

It hasn’t even been written yet. So we will see.

What can we expect from you in the future?

Hopefully you’ll see me in more Eastbound. If not, then hopefully in other projects. And, if there are no other projects, you’ll find me at Mons Venus.