Niecy Nash-Betts Is On The E-List | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I had the experience recently of doing. something that was more serious on this. project and hasn't come out yet but I. was very self-conscious about it at. first because it's very different you. know if your whole life is listening for. the laughs and then You' you've got to. inhabit this other space where You' got. to just actually sense if it's working. or if it's not working and it's jelling. and I'm wondering when you first were. switching over did did you feel when you.

were doing dramatic Parts did it feel at. all alien to you or was it just like a. duck in water first when I when I first. started yes it felt foreign to me. because it was a muscle that I didn't. get to exercise in my in my craft you. know what I mean I could take a a. multicam script and and read it in the. car at the stoplight and get to work and. already have three choices you know. leave them wanting more you know what I. mean I'mma do this in front of the live. audience I'mma do that for the and I'mma. give them another you know what I mean.

because it was such in My DNA but the. other part I never forget honey let's. get back to mama my mama told me she. said now you know what you real funny. and you got that natural you got that. but on that drama side you need some. work you you you you don't do that too. good so here's what mama's going to do. wow she said that to you she said I'mma. work. overtime okay to get the money you find. the best class in town and I'm GNA pay. for it cuz if you going to do it you do. it right what my mother said that's.

incredible that's when I went somewhere. and tried to figure it out and I was so. lucky that I found then a class where. you used to bring a VHS children that's. a videotape um there were these. machines but you you you could take it. the old days they were a big brick. that's what I had the old days that just. the the big quarter inch I mean it was. it was or 3/4 inch I think it was a big. it was like a piece of concrete that was.

that was your right on up in there and I. would go back home and just watch it and. see what I could do different and try to. you know try to watch it but now you can. also because you know what we look for. we we're looking for the reaction to. make sure we did the bit but you see it. in the face of the crew you see it when. you when you do a scene and you know if. it's popping or not when the crew is. like yeah you know what I mean or they. choke up you know what I mean walk off.

you know the when they stop eating for a. second the fried bread you know you got. them that's it that's it when they drift. away from the craft Food Service table. you know you got them that part yeah I. always used to try and I mean this. always relates more to Comedy but when I. was working on anything I would I knew. that if the like if it was at a venue. where there's like weight staff for. anybody if they're hanging out watching. and they seem to be chuckling that meant.

more to me than anything like I felt. like okay these are people that aren't. they're not here to laugh they don't. have to laugh they don't even have to. listen but it's a it's a very different. vibe but but yeah it's interesting that. you mentioned that with the crew like. they're people and they will pick up and. they see a lot they see every they see. people come and go oh yeah and you can. see if they if you've got them that. really means something it means. something who was I'm just curious what. kind of acting classes did you take was. what was the was there a certain method.

that you were learning or um I don't. even remember the the teacher or. anything I just remember taking a class. where you had to bring your your. videotape in yeah every week and then. you know they would tape you and then. you know watch it back and critique you. and tell you all of the things and then. I just kept I just kept trying and. trying and trying and I really just felt. like I wanted to get it right and um uh. where it turned a corner for me was this.

the series that I did on HBO called. getting on yeah that was where it turned. the corner because even though it was a. comedy I guess a workplace comedy. interesting because I love the show but. it's also it's so funny because we're in. this new world now where I think it's. harder and harder to label things a. comedy or a drama because getting on. could be really funny but also very. touching and then just heartbreaking so. I don't know what you would call it but.

yeah but it it was playing I was always. so broad all of my bits all of my stuff. that I had done before that were always. so Broad and this was so small so panimo. so to me it it very much felt like if. you play the scene for real It's a drama. for me you you you play it for real you. don't play it for the joke and you say. it with as much of a straight face you. not not waiting for the BP bump you you.

you just the lines are just rolling into. the next one and I was like oh boy this. this. is and I I remember the producer coming. in he says Hey listen I know you've. never done anything like this before but. if you play your cards right you lady. will be on the e- list and I thought my. God Kathy Griffin is on the D list. what's lower than that what what do I.

want to be on the. eist you'll someday maybe get up to. Kathy Griffin's level weird thing for. someone to say El but then I find he. kept talking and I was sitting there. just about to cry and I was like I he. really thinks he doesn't think that much. of me and he said because when you get. nominated for that Emy I said oh. El yes I got it yeah I got it now I was. like yeah but that was after I died. inside.

and he was right you know and I and I. got the nominations so he was right you. know what's cool too about that show is. it uh put a spotlight on we have such a. we our culture just so avoids older. people and so avoids you know and and to. a point where if you look at ads and you. drive around you just look at magazines. and everything you'd think that old. people didn't even exist and it's it's. for a to actually make the whole Focus.

about that the elderly the elderly and. that St that stage of life but then also. I think that's why the humor was such a. relief on the show you could create that. tension and then things were that much. funnier to me because oh yeah you're. dealing with such a a third rail topic. one of one of my the ladies in the show. that I was in a scene with and they they. kept trying to yell and tell her she was. talking too loud and he said what and. she tell her she talking too loud and I.

said well he just wants me to let you. know you're talking you know too loud. you could you could talk a little softer. oh that comes from my years in vaudville. dear I was like. okay that's awes I said all right that's. awesome so at lunchtime we talked about. VV I tell me everything I killed it in. 1911.