An Irish charmer who has been winning hearts in the U.K. since The IT Crowd hit in 2006, Chris O’Dowd started to find his footing on American shores with as Annie (Kristen Wiig)’s love interest in 2011’s Bridesmaids. Since then, he’s bounced back and forth across the pond building up a diverse list of credits including a recurring role on Girls, supporting spots on Mascots and St. Vincent, and a gig starring alongside Ray Romano in Epix’s Get Shorty series. His latest role finds him teamed up once again with Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy for the drama The Starling, now available on Netflix.
Chris O’Dowd: I remember as a kid we went to Donegal every summer. I’m the youngest of five, and my dad was a sign writer, so we had a little van. Essentially he would just put sofas in the back of his little windowless van and we would all drive up the west coast [of Ireland] because we had an uncle who had a friend who had a swimming pool. We would go and stay by the beach, and then going somewhere that had an indoor swimming pool just felt like the height of luxury. I remember that being a really fun excursion.
AVC: Your parents were probably happy also, because you could spend hours in the pool and they didn’t have to worry about you that much.
CO: That’s it! It’s like bringing the kids to the beach. They just love it. They always love it. They always have hours where they just don’t need you. It’s glorious! Rock pools and shit, I get it.
CO: Interviews.
AVC: What about them? Doing a bunch of them at a time, like you’re doing today?
CO: Not being incredibly revealing, like you’re talking to somebody in a bar. I feel like when I started off, I would just be behaving as if this is just between us. I was somehow completely missing the point.
CO: I think we did the stereotypical things. I definitely got into gardening a lot more. We did that thing where you get really excited about a project taking up some time, but then after two months you’re like, “I’m done.” So we planted loads of shit when we were still in California in April. And then when it started to die out because it got so hot in July, I was like, “Oh, it’s done now, and we’re moving on to whatever is coming next.” A lot of painting.
AVC: Were you doing vegetable gardening or were you planting flowers?
CO: We were doing flowers mostly, but also some tomatoes and the start of some root vegetables until you realize how long they take.
CO: When I’m in L.A., I always try and get In-And-Out, which I know is probably a clichéd answer, but it’s true. It’s on the way from the airport and you know what you’re getting. It’s a delicious burger.
AVC: What’s your order?
CO: I’m going double double animal style and the fries. The fries are pretty great.
Let me think of one that doesn’t feel so common. I like Burger & Lobster in London as well.
AVC: What do you get there?
CO: I’d probably go to with a burger again.
AVC: You’re a simple guy.
CO: Very simple, very simple.
CO: God, I feel like they’ve already done everything…
AVC: It does kind of seem like that. I personally would go with teleportation, because while I do enjoy my time on an airplane, I like the idea of just being able to be anywhere with the snap of my fingers.
CO: Teleportation would be great, if we can make it CarbonNeutral. I could get home to Ireland without it being a day’s journey.
Honestly, the trickiest thing about the whole of lockdown for us was just feeling very far away from everybody. Being able to click my fingers and be at home, that sounds delightful.
I’ve noticed that I’ve started missing commuting, or the idea of the 10 minutes that you kind of don’t have anything to do. I went on the tube yesterday for the first time in ages and the Wi-Fi doesn’t really work, so you don’t even look at your phone. You actually do nothing for a minute, which is quite nice.
CO: I always enjoy spending time with Christopher Guest. I find that he is somebody who really makes me laugh without even trying that hard. He’s one of those people who, the more you get to know them, they become very warm over time. It takes him a second, and then he is just a big bear.
AVC: Were you nervous to meet him the first time? He is a bit of a legend.
CO: I was definitely intimidated by his quality, I think, and all that, but it didn’t take too long. He lets you know where you stand. He opens up his house and brings you in to meet his family and it all ends up being a lovely experience.
CO: I’ve done a couple of tricky ones. Kitchen porter is never that fun. It’s just relentless.
I worked in construction. It was a hod carrier when I was in college. A hod is a rectangular open box that you stack bricks on and then you climb up and down a ladder with the bricks on your back to get them up to the next level. And that one in January in London is literally backbreaking. It’s tough. It’s physical. But in a way, it was kind of fun, some of it.
I did some call center work. That’s tricky. That can feel a bit soul-destroying because you know that you’re calling people who have no fucking interest in talking to you.
AVC: At least with the bricks it feels like you’re doing something. You can see the fruits of your labor.
CO: It does. That’s right. It feels like it’s a creative experience. The other one [call center] is just… I don’t know, it feels like you’re getting in people’s way.
CO: I’d like to find out what’s really going on with the Kardashians, just to see what’s what. I like the idea that behind the scenes they’re actually just really down to earth. I like the idea that as soon as the cameras go off, they just get their joggers on and put on sports.
AVC: It seems like everyone forgets that famous people to have to do at least some regular stuff, like they still brush their teeth. They still do laundry. Well, actually, they probably have someone do their laundry.
CO: Yeah, they have to brush their teeth. I’m trying to imagine them doing laundry. Maybe they do. Cigarette coming out of the side of their mouths, beer in the hand, trying to clean the towels from the baby.
CO: I remember the first time I was ever on stage was for a high school musical, and it was Grease. I played one of the smaller roles in it. I had never really been in front of people in that capacity before. I was a sporty kind of person and suddenly finding yourself in front of an audience of a few hundred or whatever it was, that adrenaline I found very exhilarating. At that time I was still young, and I had no idea what I was going to do, but the feeling, just that momentary feeling just before you go on stage really stuck with me as something that I wanted to replicate in some capacity.
In terms of a piece of art, I remember when I was in college, I got really into like Cassavettes films and Paul Thomas Anderson films. Before that, it was hard to know where somebody like me would work, and then you see these portrayals of life as slightly messy, and they’re aiming for comedy and tragedy at the same time. It felt like, “that seems to be a thing that people are doing. Perhaps there’s a chance.”
CO: My wife [Dawn O’Porter] probably makes me laugh more than anybody else. We laugh a lot.
In terms of people from work, Richard Ayoade always made me laugh so much, who I worked with on The I.T. Crowd. Nick Frost always really made me laugh out loud too without even seemingly trying to.
CO: Oh my god, now you’re talking my game. I feel like I would go for some bastardization of my favorite sandwich, which is a muffuletta sandwich from New Orleans. So, it’s lots of different kinds of meat and olives. I think I would also have a little onion on there and I would take away one of the cheeses and put maybe more of a blue cheese instead. I would call it the “Well En-Dowd” and I think that would be my signature.
AVC: Would you keep the same muffuletta style bread?
CO: Maybe I should mix it up slightly just because, so maybe to make it more personalized, I go with an Irish soda bread.
AVC: I feel like you’re going to end up at the store after this with a cart full of ingredients.
CO: [Laughs.] Oh, it’s all I’m going to be able to think of for the rest of the day. My personalized muffuletta sandwich.
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I’M DISABLED
– How did it happen, if that’s not a rude question?- … … … ACID?
“What kind of disabled?”“Leg… disabled?”
– What are the odds of that happening?- A hundred… to one.
It’s a very weird place to go on fire.
… I’m masturbating!
The absolute best episode of the IT crowd, bar none.
The look on O’Dowd’s face as the lift for his wheelchair slooooowly rises is priceless.
With all due respect, that would be no, it’s this one.
I won’t lie: that is a pretty great episode as well.
My friend and I often quote the “Did you see that ridiculous display last night?” line. My favorite bit is in the closing credits when they show what is clearly O’Dowd fucking around after he drives the car into the trailer when they were escaping the cops. “Who closed the doors?” And then you hear laughter from the other guys in the car.
It’s such a fantastic runner on an already top-tier episode.DID YOU SEE THAT LUDICROUS DISPLAY LAST NIGHT?Moss’ entire rundown when they’re at the football game is sooooo good. “Oh, look, he’s kicked the ball again.”
Chris O’Dowd=best MCU Chris …yeah you heard me.Also I’ve seen him around Dublin once or twice with his wife Dawn , and he seems really nice and is actually very very tall. (I didnt say hi or anything as he was deep in conversation)
He narrates the Irish cartoon “Puffin Rock,” which played on a loop in my house for roughly 6 months when my son was 4. He played Jessica Williams’ love interest in a Netflix movie, and hearing that familiar, warm brogue say, “I’m very good at cunnilingus,” made me laugh much harder than it otherwise might have.
Puffin Rock is just such a nice, calming show. When he starts an episode with “It’s a beautiful day here at Puffin Rock”, you just want to snuggle under a blanket and enjoy whatever low stakes adventure they’re going to get up to while listening to O’Dowd’s narration.
I like how his tone varies from “good natured amusement” to “good natured concern.”
It’s a wonderful show. My kids have mostly moved past it, now, but it is such a lovely show. It’s low-stakes and calm, but it’s not… dull and maddenly plodding or slow-paced. It’s not hyperactive. A lot of kids shows veer sharply one of those directions. Either seizure-inducing or maddeningly dull and slow, as if young kids are apparently all halfwits. Puffin Rock threads the needle, beautiful animation and sound design, calming but interesting. Lots of accents. And that O’Dowd narration. <3
You speak the truth. O’Dowd >>> other Chrises.
The Muffaletta is far and away the best sandwich ever invented. His modifications suck. Blue cheese in place of swiss or provolone is ridiculous.
Lol at Americans that think they know about cheese.
Lol at non-Americans who think they know anything about American food.
Food fight!!!
I know plenty about American food. You have some original cuisine in Cajun cooking and soul food. The rest of American “cuisine” is just European cuisine redesigned by a 7 year old.
In case you’re connecting the subject sandwich with Cajun food, the Muffaletta isn’t Cajun. And most of what people think of as Cajun isn’t Cajun; it’s Creole. And there’s a lot more to American food than European derived food. And using a primarily Eurocentric lens to analyze American culture of any kind doesn’t provide a complete picture. And, anyway, your statement “The rest of American “cuisine” is just European cuisine redesigned by a 7 year old” is an elitist statement. And also, I’m guessing from your comment history that you’re from the UK where the national dish is Chicken Tikka Masala. Kinda shaky ground you’re standing on…
And I’ll retort that, if that’s what you’re basing British cuisine on, you have even less an idea what you’re talking about. Tikka Masala is an Anglo-Indian dish, it does not exist in India, and it’s popular because we’ve had curry houses in the UK for over 100 years.I may have got Cajun and Creole confused, you may have me there. I mean the fusion of European and African cuisines that you find in and around New Orleans. And my comment was unrelated to the muffaletta sandwich.
Finally, I don’t give a shit if you find my description elitist. If you want to come back at me with a load of American culinary delights that aren’t just European or Mexican food with bigger portions and more sugar, I’m happy to read about them. I don’t actually have a major problem with American food – your BBQ is the best in the world, for example. But someone from a land of processed cheese and high fructose corn syrup wants to criticise British food, he better not miss.
You started this bake off, pal.
Umm … hello, we have a cheese named after us.
I’m assuming you’re joking and know full well that’s not really cheese. Regardless, it’s the laugh I needed today.
Ok, I’ll give you that one!
We have so much cheese that we need to keep it in strategically-placed cheese caves that will last us hundreds of years if every cow died tomorrow. We know cheese.
It’s actually not your fault about the cheese thing. Because of your laws, the best cheeses are actually illegal in the US. If you fix that, I’m sure you could make some good stuff.
Sorry, anyone who’s had a real NOLA muffalleta knows that it is sandwich perfection. Bleu cheese would fuck up the balance royally. I cringed when he said that.Oh, and calling out In N Out’s fries as anything other than crap?? Jesus. I’m not going to take culinary advice from an Irishman.
Ha. I agree. Really lost me at soda bread. And bleu cheese of course. Ugh.
It’s a good sandwich, but as a Philadelphian I gotta say, it’s not even remotely close to a great Italian hoagie.
I’m not sure what it’s availability is internationally, but I recommend folks watching Moone Boy.
It’s set in 80’s Ireland with Chris as an imaginary friend of a boy (loosely based on him) and it’s very funny.
I’ve watched the entirety of Moone Boy at least 8-10 times now and it still cracks me up every damn time.
“I have a spare apostrophe here I’m more than willing to bring down to you.”
It’s on Hulu in the US. They bill it as an “exclusive”, so I think they co-produced.
It’s also on Amazon Prime!
I saw a bunch of Moone Boy episodes on a plane, but now? I don’t have Hulu so… I better fly somewhere again. It’s very funny and sweet as hell. O’Dowd is so damn charming that I even bought him as an inexplicably Irish cop in the U.S. in Bridesmaids. (No offense to people who loved that movie, but he was the only part of it I liked.)
I just tried watching Bridesmaids for the first time. Couldn’t get through it after his early scene.
I get you. As someone with extensive dealings with the immigration process for my partner, it’s always super immersion breaking for me when you see stuff like that. Can you even get a visa to be a cop?
Moone Boy is fantastic .Martin: “ Mam do you know how to make explosives.? “.Mam “ ..not well….”….
Thank you for subsidizing our lobster with your £20 burger, Chris O’Dowd.
Wow, that fly clip – I’m done LOL!
obligatory
Oh man that’s a lot. That’s a whole lot.
Whatever issues he used to have with interviews, I’m glad he’s worked through them now
This Graham Norton episode was good too, especially this part with the fly (watch till the end for his cheeky comment). https://youtu.be/xWiDXuiQ_Pc
(The link didn’t embed the clip so here it is)
I love when asked about a “fictional family” he immediately went to the Kardashians.
I like his small role in This Is 40 more than the bigger one in Bridesmaids. Him watching in disbelief as Jason Segal seduces Megan Fox in the pool at the birthday party by telling her she’s really not that hot is top notch. “WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!”
His role in the Thor sequel is small, but really charming.“I was seeing a woman and she took a job in New York. Eventually the distance killed it. And the fact that she kept sleeping with other dudes.”
“No!”“Oh, so many.”
I so badly want him to get cast in a bigger MCU rule.And Richard Ayoade. And Matt Berry.
Berry should be in the new Blade as his character from What We Do in the Shadows
Why? He’d just a Regular Human Bartender after all, and definitely not a vampire.
Wow that IT Crowd show is so…brown. Was it filmed on the old Barney Miller set?
The best Chris O’Dowd interview is the one where he showed up to the Last Leg completely drunk.