Ken Marino: ‘Party Down’ Is Back!

The Last Laugh

The Daily Beast

Comedy Interviews, Comedy, Interviews, Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Tv, Movies, Film

4.6 • 661 Ratings

🗓️ 21 February 2023

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ken Marino knows that he’s often called upon to play one of two archetypes. From his earliest days as a member of his NYU sketch group The State to his roles in films like ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ and ‘Wanderlust’ and TV shows like ‘Eastbound and Down’ and ‘The Other Two,’ he mostly swings between insecure buffoon and “straight-up asshole.” But no character better captures his particular comedic gifts than Ron Donald of ‘Party Down,’ which returns this week for its long-awaited third season—13 years after it was canceled. In this episode, Marino talks about what it was like to reunite with Adam Scott, Jane Lynch and the rest of the ‘Party Down’ crew and what fans can expect from the new batch of episodes. He also reflects on the biggest moments of his career, including almost losing out on his roles in ‘Party Down’ and ‘Wet Hot’ to Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell, respectively, the decision to take things into his own hands as a screenwriter with movies like ‘Role Models’ and how he views his place in the comedy world after 30 years on screen.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You might know this week's guest from movies like Wet Hot American Summer and Wanderlust,
0:05.9	or from TV shows like Children's Hospital and the other two. But if there is one role that
0:11.8	rises above the rest, it's probably Ron Donald from Party Down. At Party Down, we have a simple
0:18.1	motto. It's your party. You deserve to enjoy it. But how are you going to enjoy the party if you're worried about whether the shrimp cocktail's
0:23.3	been sitting out too long, or is there enough ice?
0:25.6	Or do the guests think the party is lame?
0:27.6	Are they stealing stuff?
0:28.5	Or are they going through the medicine cabinet because they're nosy
0:30.8	or because they think they might find something that'll give them a rock and buzz?
0:33.7	I used to do that last thing. Not anymore.
0:56.7	This is the last laugh. I'm Matt Wilstein from The Daily Beast, and that was how the world met Ken Marino as Ron Donald on the very first episode of Party Down back in 2009. Party Down is kind of the quintessential cult hit.
1:02.6	Almost no one watched it when it was on stars for two seasons over a decade ago. But in the years since, it has become so beloved and obsessed over by a certain type of comedy fan that the third
1:08.1	season is finally making its long-awaited premiere this Friday, February 24th.
1:14.0	When we had Adam Scott on this podcast a year ago this week, he was just coming from his first
1:19.4	week of shooting on the new season and was practically vibrating with excitement about getting
1:24.4	the old gang back together. Adam's character, Henry, might be the main protagonist of the show, but in many ways, Ken's
1:31.3	character, Ron, is its comedic center. Few TV performances have made me laugh as hard as he has
1:37.6	on this show. I've seen most of the new season already, and I can tell you that he's just as funny
1:42.8	as ever. From his earliest days as a
1:45.7	member of the sketch comedy group, The State, Ken has excelled at playing a specific type of
1:50.8	insecure dufus, and in this conversation, we break down how he came to expertly embody that persona.
1:57.0	I think you are really going to enjoy this one, especially if you're as excited for the return of Party Down as I clearly am.
	...

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