Interview
with Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele
There are plenty of people on TV trying to make you laugh,
but none of them are quite like Keegan-Michael Key
and Jordan Peele. As the masterminds behind Comedy
Central's new sketch-comedy show "Key &
Peele," these comedians have an impressive handle
on knowing how to put out a comedy show that stands out
from the rest of what is on TV right now.
The series premieres Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10:30
PM on Comedy Central where Key and Peele will demonstrate
their skills of comedic timing, hysterical performances,
perfect chemistry and social relevance all while making
us laugh... right out loud.
PCM's Allison had the chance to speak with both Key and
Peele about everything from the night they met to what we
can expect from the series overall. She also got some story
gems from them like Keegan finally meeting someone he didn't
like, something the duo refers to as discovering the Fountain
of Youth, and what a day on set with them is like - hint:
it involves a made-up language.
Be sure to read the full interview below to learn more
about these two comedy dynamos who are sure to make a splash
with this new show and the absolute chemistry that they
exude in any given situation. Seriously, check out the clip
that first got us laughing here:
Key & Peele premieres Tuesday,
January 31, 2012
at 10:30 PM on Comedy Central.
---
I can't even imagine how exciting and crazy things are
for you guys right now with the upcoming premiere. How are
you guys holding up?
Key: Longest. Month. Of. My. Life. [laughs]
I mean, it's like, remember when you were a kid and it was
Christmastime? It's been Christmastime for three months.
It's been Christmas Eve for three months. It's just been
getting more and more intense as we get closer to the premiere.
Peele: Yeah, the only difference is that it's almost
from the parents' point of view. It's like we're getting
to present this, what I hope ends up being, gift.
Key:[laughs] Right, right. That is perfect,
Jordan.
Peele: But we've been working pretty nonstop. It's
certainly one of the most busy times.
Key: Yeah, I mean, I would say that's the one thing
that's kept me sane: that we keep on working. We do interviews
and we have to be in editing and have to mix the final episodes.
You know, there's so so so much work to do, so time isn't
at a grinding halt. At least it is indeed passing.
Peele: This last week has slowed down considerably.
Now I know you both worked together before on MADTV,
but how did you both meet? Do you remember that fateful
day?
Key:[laughs] Yes! We met in Chicago in kind
of 2002. I'm sorry, I don't know why I just said kind of.
It was not kind of, it was virtually- it was not virtually,
it was actually 2002.
Peele:[laughs]
Key:[laughs] We met in kind of 2002. And
I worked at the Second City in Chicago and Jordan worked
at a theater in Amsterdam called "Boom Chicago,"
that was the name of the theater, and their cast came over
to the Second City in Chicago and one of our casts from
Second City went to Amsterdam. We did like a cast swap and
that's where I met him. You know, we have similar backgrounds,
similar tastes in comedy and it was just like "boop"
- just a click, it was so simple.
The
fateful night was spent in a diner off the Belmont Redline
in Chicago, underneath the L train and we were in the diner
with some friends. We were there for hours and hours just
talking about all the things that excite us about our work.
Peele: Just nerding out. You know, the improv and
sketch community, even though it has grown considerably
in the last 10 years, it's still very small and pretty insular
and there's very few black people in sketch and improv even
though that number is growing. Yeah, Keegan and I, our sort
of reputations at the time preceded us and I was just told
that I would get along famously with Keegan from a friend
who actually ended up writing with us on "Key &
Peele."
It was a destined, fateful day.
And this great opportunity for a show actually came
about from a couple of unfortunate circumstances like a
pilot not getting picked up and a show being cancelled.
When you two decided to team up together again, did you
immediately know what you wanted to do? Was it always going
to be part sketch, part stand-up?
Key: Gosh, we originally - we found out from Comedy
Central that was the direction that they wanted to go to,
but there was a short period of time where Jordan and I
were both talking about also making the show a narrative.
Then Comedy Central said, no we kind of prefer you guys
to stay in the sketch direction, which was certainly fine
for us because it then gave us the opportunity to write
all of those sketch ideas that we had, that we thought weren't
going to make it on MADtv or MADtv would not be interested
in. Well, now we would have the opportunity to do whatever
we wanted because it's our show.
Jordan, did we originally say sketch?
Peele: This was our first hand at producing, so
yeah, we did from the very beginning. That's our wheelhouse
- sketch. It was always going to be some sort of sketch
show. I think the conclusion we came to with Comedy Central
is, you know, we can really offer something to the pantheon
of sketch comedy shows. So there's no need to reinvent the
sketch format in some crazy way.
We decided to do a pretty straight forward show that really
focused on letting the audience into who we actually are
as people as well as our sketch. That was the strategy we
realized worked for [Dave] Chappelle so well and has worked,
really, for any successful sketch comedy show since the
beginning of time.
Working together again, was it easy to fall back into
the groove with one another?
Key: Oh, yeah, like riding a bike! Like riding a
bike. It was not difficult at all. We just locked ourselves
in Jordan's apartment...
Peele: You know, Keegan gets along with everybody,
though, famously, so that's not saying too much.
Key: I didn't tell you, Jordan, I actually met a
dude in San Francisco who I didn't like! [laughs] And
not a comedian, not a comedian. We finally found the guy.
This is like finding the Fountain of Youth for us, finding
somebody that I just abjectly despise.
Yeah, this guy, I was watching the game and I was like,
"gosh, this guy's horrible. I cannot wait to leave
here." [laughs]
Peele: Okay, so I know it's not within the realm
of your conscience to pinpoint who this guy is, but can
you give us a sense of what irks you about this person?
Key: Oh, it's just - we were watching the football
game and everything he had to say, it was... you know what
it is? It was a know-it-all vibe, so like every time, you
know he goes "I can't believe- he stepped out of bounds!
He just stepped out of bounds!" And then they show
the shot from another angle and then he's "Ok, ok,
maybe I guess I'm wrong." [laughs] And I go,
"yeah, you're wrong! Stop saying sh!t until you know
sh!t."
I'm sorry, I just couldn't believe how viscerally I was
responding to this guy. Then I was told he was a lawyer
and I was like "Yes, of course you're a lawyer! Of
course you're a lawyer." [laughs] It was just
like, dude, the world isn't that bad of a place. Relax.
It's just a football game. You know what I mean? It was
weird.
Peele: We also liken our personalities to - I would
be Garfield and he would be Odie.
Key:[laughs]
Peele: Not that you annoy me or anything, Keegan,
but I think that those energies are...
Key: Yeah, if anything we tickle each other. Jordan,
he's a 5'9" duck. I mean, everything just slides off
his back. It's really got to be bad to irk Jordan. [laughs]
And I just marvel at that.
Peele: Well, I get irked more often than you might
know.
Key: That's probably the case. [laughs]
Peele: We have, just, crushes on each other's comedy,
for starters. So that makes a perfect comedy marriage right
there. We just, we're inspired by one another and I think
some of the most fun scenes in our show are the ones that,
you know, we call one-upsmanship scenes, so it's all about
a sort of friendly competition, in some way or another,
you know, behind the premise of the sketch and it just offers
a chance for Keegan and I to inspire each other to greater
heights than we never would have gone without one another.
PCM TV News is part of the Pop Culture Madness Network. Pop Culture Madness is your complete entertainment news and trivia resource. Click us out HERE for the latest pop culture news or our Trivia
section for our ever-expanding organized trivia categories.
Our motto: "All The Pop Culture News That Fits, We Print!" We
are adding more information daily. Well, semi-regularly. If you don't
see a link for what you're looking for, then it's your responsibility
to write something up, and send it in.
By
the way, PCM does NOT allow frequent Pop up ads, Pop under ads, or sneaky
spyware. Nor do we link to sites that have excessive Pop-ups, spyware
or inappropriate (all ages) material. If you find one, please let us know
and they are toast!
Also, since we don't "sell out" to those Pop-up advertisers,
and we're too proud (so far) to ask for donations, we'd like to proudly
point out some of our carefully chosen advertisers throughout the site.
They have some cool stuff that should be sitting in your room, or wrapped
like a present for a friend.
Please check 'em out!
pop,
as in 'popular': (adjective) Pertaining
to the common people, or the people as a whole as distinguished from any
particular class.
Having characteristics attributed to the common people and intended for
or suited to ordinary people.
culture:
(noun) That which is excellent in the arts.
A particular stage of civilization. The behaviors and beliefs characteristic
of a particular social, ethnic, or age group.
madness:
(noun) The state of being mad. insanity, senseless folly, intense excitement
or enthusiasm.
College
Students in the Northern Delaware area or willing to work from any other
campus, check out our Internship
Program!
Privacy
Statement: We will not sell, give or share any personal information, including
e-mail addresses, of any of our visitors to anyone outside of Pop Culture
Madness.com or our affiliated sites. We do not accept any stealth or spyware
advertisers or third party sponsors of such programs. Pop Culture Madness.com
and affiliated sites do not send spam, offer get-rich-quick schemes, offer
or suggest "enhancement" devices or medications via e-mail.
For purposes of review, we often (usually) get samples, previews, get press
access and other 'inside information.'
Take that into account when you read a positive (or negative) review, on
PCM or anywhere on the internet. We do not place stories up for payment
unless it is a stated sponsor or a link that we believe will be helpful
and relevant to our visitors.
PCM does use third-party advertising companies, such as google, to serve
ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not
including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about
your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements
about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information
about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information
used by these companies, click
here.