Sal Saperstein with fans.
Photo: Apple TV+

Ike Barinholtz’s Sal Saperstein becomes something of an awards-show meme in The Studio. When Adam Scott (playing himself) calls him out during an acceptance speech, every subsequent winner gives Sal a shoutout to pile onto the joke. It’s very funny not only because Barinholtz plays it with such earnest enthusiasm, but because it drives The Studio’s befuddled protagonist, Seth Rogen’s Matt Remick, head of Continental Studios, completely insane.

On Emmy nominations day, it almost looks like the arc of that episode of The Studio could happen for real: Adam Scott is, in fact, nominated for an Emmy for Severance, as is Rogen for his work with Evan Goldberg on The Studio, and Barinholtz himself is nominated for the first time in his two-decade career across TV and film. In The Studio, Barinholtz infuses Sal with an exuberant mischief — he’s the devil on Matt’s shoulders — and the nomination feels like an old-school achievement for a comedy performer never afraid to go big in a world full of wry dramedies. “I am really trying to figure out how I get paid from this,” Barinholtz says of his nomination. “I’m trying to find some branding deals. I’m looking forward to getting paid.”

Have you been in touch with any of your fellow Continental coworkers this morning?
The text chain has been very active. Everyone’s a bit scattered everywhere, but there have been lots of congrats and I love yous and kisses and I miss yous. I’m so excited for Seth and Evan, of course, but also our Kathryn/Catherine and our guests. We leaned on our guest stars so much — to see Davey Franco up there with Marty is delightful.

That category’s nominations from The Studio — which also include Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, and Anthony Mackie — is really crazy. Is anyone going to be campaigning against Martin Scorsese?
I mean, would you want to be campaigning against Scorsese? This is Marty! Let the guy win! All those guys — and Zoë — were all so funny in such different ways on the show.

The Golden Globes episode showed that there’s a silliness to the awards, but it’s also something that’s really meaningful to so many people.
It’s always nice whenever your show is recognized by your peers, but I think because of what this show is, it feels even more sweet. There’s a layer of irony on top of everything, just because we literally, on the show, talk about how important these awards are for us. Life imitating art imitating life.

Does the success of the show — both with the Emmys and in general — feel like the industry acknowledging to some degree that things are a mess in Hollywood right now?
Seth and Evan did such a great job at being honest about where the world is at, and where our business is within that world, and how people retain a kind of optimism within that — that we still feel genuine surprise when something is successful. I think The Studio resonated with people and friends who work on all sides of the industry in part because everyone is just much more of a realist these days. But we’re entertainers; we still believe in and love what we do, even if the future is uncertain.

It was great to see the show pick up a bunch of technical nominations as well — the long takes and big sets are no easy feat. You got your start in improv and live sketch. Do the oners you do for the show feel informed by that part of your comedy background?
It’s so true — each take felt a little bit like a play. You rehearse and you know what you’re going to do and you can make tiny changes, but it really relies on not deviating too much, because you don’t want to throw anyone else off. But there’s still a liveliness, an energy, that did give me that old-school improv vibe. It’s exhilarating. Even though I might not be on camera for a particular moment, I’m still very, very, very much part of the scene. And sometimes we’d screw up! You’d just hear Seth start laughing, and then the whole take was useless. The goal we had in the show was to not make Seth laugh until they called “Cut.”

Was your character, Sal, based on producers you’ve met during your time in the industry, or was it all there on the page in Seth and Evan’s script?
It’s funny, because I think a lot of the people on the page are styled off people that myself and Seth and Evan all know. I tried to draw on a lot of people, and the main thing those people all had in common is that they’d been doing this work since the ‘90s. Sal felt like a very ‘90s type of executive. Those guys who are still in it now have really had to survive some uncertain waters in order to keep their jobs. I’ve had some of those people come up to me, though, and say, “I think this is based on me,” and I’ll say, “Yes, it is.”

Has anyone shouted “Sal Saperstein!” at you?
Oh yes, definitely. And I’ll tell you, I’ve had a lot of things shouted at me over the years from things I’ve said in movies and TV. “Sal Saperstein” is definitely welcome. It’s not a curse or something profane that people yell at me at an airport, and then I have to explain to my children what they’re talking about. It’s a pleasant Jewish man’s name, and it really tickles me. If people call you out for a show that you love and you’re proud of, it’s just gonna make you happy. And if it doesn’t, you might be a dick.

The Studio got renewed for a second season. Is there anything you can share about those early conversations?
I hung out with the writers a few times, and I love hearing what they’re noodling on. They did a great job with this first season of making every episode about one thing: It’s an award show; it’s a test screening; it’s a oner. So I do think that they’ll probably stick to that form. When they told me about the first season, I thought a lot of it sounded impossible, but I now completely trust these guys to know how to pull off the impossible.

I feel like I maybe know the answer to this, but is being nominated for an Emmy more or less stressful than being on Jeopardy?
Well, I would say right now that Jeopardy is more stressful, because the prospect of getting nominated always just feels impossible. But then I got nominated! And now I’m one of what, five or six? There’s a chance, you know what I mean? But Jeopardy is definitely more stressful. But then, hey, check in with me on Emmys night and I might be like, “Aahhh!”

Your Jeopardy run looms large in the consciousness of Vulture staff.
I need to figure out how to get my revenge, because at least once or twice a week, I think back to the semi-finals of Tournament of Champions, and I’m literally one question away from going to the finals. I think about it too much. I need to figure out a way to get back on there and have some closure.

I believe in you.
If Vulture believes in me, I know I can do it. I’ve been saying that since I was a kid.

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