Current:Home > NewsDaniel Levy on Netflix's 'Good Grief,' his bad habits and the 'Barbie' role that got away -NextFrontier Finance
Daniel Levy on Netflix's 'Good Grief,' his bad habits and the 'Barbie' role that got away
View
Date:2025-04-16 08:38:52
To navigate “Good Grief,” Daniel Levy had to work through his bad habits.
The Emmy-winning actor and filmmaker inhabited the eccentric David Rose to snarky, meme-able perfection over six seasons of “Schitt’s Creek,” but part of why he wrote, directed and stars in the Netflix dramedy “Good Grief” (streaming now) was to create a completely opposite persona.
“When you play a character for 80 episodes of TV, those gimmicks, the ways that you know how to squeeze a laugh out of a situation, it's very different,” Levy says.
The “stillness” he needed for his new film “required a very concerted effort to rein in my happy place, which is just to be very elastic. My eyebrows move independently, my face is very reactive. To play someone who is very introverted and avoidant, it was an amazing challenge.”
In “Good Grief,” artist Marc (Levy) has his content life in London rocked with the death of his successful author husband Oliver (Luke Evans). But it’s the aftershock that really upends Marc’s existence when he learns Oliver led a secret life in Paris: Marc ventures to France with his best friends (Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel) to unearth the hard truths and find closure.
“It is inherently a bit of a tragic story, but there's comfort at the end of it,” says Levy, who’s plotting a return to TV in the new year. He chats with USA TODAY about “Good Grief,” getting filmmaking advice from his father Eugene Levy and the “Barbie” role that got away.
Q: You directed some episodes of “Schitt's Creek.” Did that plant a seed for wanting to do your own feature film?
Daniel Levy: What it did was plant a feeling of capability in a way. But it was the screenplay more than anything else. Writing the movie, having such a clear aesthetic vision, that's what really made me think, well, I don't think anyone else could do this in the same way. Or if they could, I would be buzzing around them in an annoying way and I don't want to be that person.
Dan Levy:'Schitt's Creek' star calls out Comedy Central India for 'censorship of gay intimacy'
Your dad directed a few things back in the 1980s and ‘90s. Did he offer up any pro tips?
He didn't. It's a habit I've had since I was very young, I don't often ask my dad for help. I guess it's like cultural perspective (and) the conversation of opportunity, even though I believe I've rightfully earned my place to tell stories and to live kind of autonomously, despite what people might say. There's a pride in showing your family something and hoping that they like it (rather) than asking for help along the way.
I read that you were in the running for a role in “Barbie.” How close did that come to happening?
Well, it was going to happen, and we couldn't figure out the schedule. I'm so thrilled for everyone involved in that gorgeous, funny, brilliant billion-dollar film. It took me a minute to see it, I'm not going to lie. But apparently I'm in very good company when it comes to other people who almost were going be in the movie.
What Ken would you have played?
I was up for Allan. Love Michael Cera, so very happy for him. It was just also a wonderful audition process, too, because I didn't know anything about the movie and I got (a little bit of) the script and had to figure out what exactly was going on. You've seen the movie: Just getting two pages of that script, you look at it and think, “Yeah, I don't know how to play this, but I guess I'll make a choice and just go with that.”
In the past couple years, you’ve had small roles in “Haunted Mansion,” "The Idol" and “Sex Education.” Have you missed having your own TV show?
It's a blessing and a curse to be able to make something that people love so much. And for me, it's just about figuring out what the next step is. I'm in a place where I can be selective (and) take the time to think about, OK, what's the next story? I really value the audience and the fact that the "Schitt's Creek" fans are just like hungry for more. I just want to make sure that what I bring them next is going to be exciting and not something rushed. So taking the time to really figure it out is crucial but I'm excited to get back to it.
veryGood! (39139)
Related
- 3 years after the NFL added a 17th game, the push for an 18th gets stronger
- Jingle All the Way to Madewell’s Holiday Gift Sale with Deals Starting at Only $20
- Gun factory in upstate New York with roots in 19th century set to close
- Russia brings new charges against jailed Kremlin foe Navalny
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Joe Flacco will start for Browns vs. Rams. Here's why Cleveland is turning to veteran QB
- Shannen Doherty says cancer has spread to her bones: I don't want to die
- Why Kirby Smart thinks Georgia should still be selected for College Football Playoff
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- Thousands of climate change activists hold boisterous protest march in Brussels with serious message
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Ewers throws 4 TDs as No. 7 Texas bids farewell to Big 12 with 49-21 title win over Oklahoma State
- Kiss say farewell to live touring, become first US band to go virtual and become digital avatars
- Father of Palestinian American boy slain outside Chicago files wrongful death lawsuit
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Why solar-powered canoes could be good for the future of the rainforest
- Florida State grinds out ACC championship game win with third-string QB under center
- Man dies in landslide at Minnesota state park
Recommendation
Clay Aiken's son Parker, 15, makes his TV debut, looks like his father's twin
Klete Keller, Olympic gold medalist, gets 36 months probation in Jan. 6 riot case
Nightengale's Notebook: 10 questions heading into MLB's winter meetings
It’s Kennedy Center Honors time for a crop including Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal and Dionne Warwick
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Indigenous Leaders Urge COP28 Negotiators to Focus on Preventing Loss and Damage and Drastically Reducing Emissions
Harris focuses on shaping a post-conflict Gaza during a diplomatic blitz in Dubai with Arab leaders
AP Top 25: Michigan is No. 1 for first time in 26 seasons, Georgia’s streak on top ends at 24 weeks