Milling About with Kevin Pollak

Kevin Pollak joins host Robin Milling at the Tribeca Film Festival, now in it's 14th year to discuss his film Misery Loves Comedy. Kevin wrote and directed this insightful documentary about what goes on behind the laughter and what drives today's hottest comedians to get up in front of a roomful of strangers to be the center of attention and tell jokes. Kevin was ultimately curious about the type of person who suffers from 'hey look at me syndrome devoted to acceptance and appreciation.'

He tells Robin he began with a very strict shooting schedule which allowed for a commitment from comedians; most of them his friends such as Jimmy Fallon, Amy Schumer, Christopher Guest, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Saget, Lisa Kudrow, Tom Hanks, Kevin Nealon, and Larry David; to name a few. By the end he had over 60 but one that was sorely missed is the late Robin Williams, a mentor and close friend to Kevin, who unfortunately was not available during the locked-in time. Kevin says they had hour-long conversations which made up for his absence, and when he passed while he was editing the film it was a 'no brainer' to dedicate the film to him in his memory. “It was frustrating for both of us. He wanted me to know how much he wanted to be in the film, how much it meant to him that I was doing this and spoke a great deal about his own journey and misery and happiness and life. All of those things that long-time friends talk about.”

Kevin keeps very busy with his own podcast, Kevin Pollak Chat Show, and has no immediate plans to join his friend Larry David on the Broadway stage in A Fish In the Dark. He tells Robin, “I'm happy for Larry's now historical Broadway success but that is the last thing I want to do!”