Over the past 21 years, New Zealand actor Rhys Darby has become one of Hollywood’s most successful ‘weird guys’.
Best known as Murray, the well-meaning manager in HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, and for his role as “werewolves not swearwolves” leader Anton in What We Do In The Shadows, he has an exceptionally colourful filmography.
In the past 10 years alone, he has played a sheep, a pirate, an American Samoan football federation executive, a Troll, a lizard creature, an alien, and a bushman survivalist.
Now, though, the eccentric actor says that work is drying up, insisting that AI is pushing creative people out of the arts.
Darby walking the red carept at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Determined to take a stand against ‘the robots’ he so often loved to imitate on stage, the 52-year-old made his return to stand-up comedy following an almost decade-long break.
“I was forced about a year and a half ago to go back into stand-up,” he explains, noting that he hasn’t acted in Hollywood in over five months.
“It was the time when AI was really starting to get a grip on us all, and I had something to say about that – and I still do.”
Although he acknowledges that AI has the potential to do some good in the world, he is adamant that it has no place in the arts.
Darby atteds the “What We Do In The Shadows” preimiere in 2014
With his new show, Unhinged, he hopes to shed light on these matters, all while giving audiences a much-needed laugh.
“It feels good, it feels really lovely to be in front of live audiences,” he says. “We all need a good laugh because the world has gone down a weird path lately. There’s a lot of negativity, so to do some silly, fun stuff that has a point to it and resonates with people feels good!”
Describing himself as a “stand-up knight”, Darby is on a quest to deliver his message to the masses through “middle-aged complaining with physical comedy”.
“It feels good to be unhinged in this kind of world,” he says, referring to the title, “because it’s kind of a fight back against Artificial Intelligence, and being told, when you turn your phone on, that there’s a thing that wants to help you, but you don’t feel like you need help!”
“I’ve been on this world 52 years; I don’t need your help to write an e-mail!”
The comic performing at the Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival in 2018
This October, Darby will bring his Unhinged tour across Ireland, bouncing from Dublin to Belfast, back to Balbriggan, over to the Galway Comedy Festival, down to Cork, and on to Limerick and Sligo.
“It’s kind of a happy place for me,” he says of Ireland. “I think there’s something about the Kiwis and the Irish; there’s a link there, obviously through rugby and through sheep and through a rural environmental thing.”
“It’s good to get out of the States,” he adds, “and it’s even better than hitting up England, I think.”
Rhys Darby attends the premiere of “Love Hurts”
As well as performing, the history buff hopes to spend time exploring Ireland’s many castles for a yet-to-be-announced project.
“I’m writing some stuff at the moment,” he hints. “Can’t say too much about it, but it includes a new show, and it involves medieval stuff and castles, so hey, perfect place to go!”
A ‘weird guy’ through and through, Darby also hopes to look into Ireland’s cryptids – legendary animals that have yet to be proven by science.
“I’ll do some local folklore stuff! My buddy is coming with me, Steve – great comic – and we’ll hit the road together; we’ve got our cameras, and we’ll do some content making. I’ll definitely bring cryptozoology into it. Ireland has so much folklore of weird creatures and mystical beings.”
As a man who has played just about every entity on-screen, it sounds like he’ll be right at home.
You can find Rhys Darby’s full list of tour dates and buy tickets at rhysdarby.com