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\n Sal Saperstein with fans.
\n Photo: Apple TV+\n <\/p>\n
Ike Barinholtz\u2019s Sal Saperstein<\/a> becomes something of an awards-show meme in The Studio<\/a>. 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\u2019s very funny not only because Barinholtz plays it with such earnest enthusiasm, but because it drives The Studio\u2019s befuddled protagonist, Seth Rogen\u2019s Matt Remick, head of Continental Studios, completely insane.<\/p>\n On Emmy nominations day<\/a>, it almost looks like the arc of that episode of The Studio could happen for real<\/a>: 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<\/a>, Barinholtz infuses Sal with an exuberant mischief \u2014 he\u2019s the devil on Matt\u2019s shoulders \u2014 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. \u201cI am really trying to figure out how I get paid from this,\u201d Barinholtz says of his nomination. \u201cI\u2019m trying to find some branding deals. I\u2019m looking forward to getting paid.\u201d<\/p>\n Have you been in touch with any of your fellow Continental coworkers this morning? That category\u2019s nominations from The Studio \u2014 which also include\u00a0Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, and Anthony Mackie \u2014 is really crazy. Is anyone going to be campaigning against Martin Scorsese? The Golden Globes episode<\/a> showed that there\u2019s a silliness to the awards, but it\u2019s also something that\u2019s really meaningful to so many people. Does the success of the show \u2014 both with the Emmys and in general \u2014 feel like the industry acknowledging to some degree that things are a mess in Hollywood right now? It was great to see the show pick up a bunch of technical nominations as well \u2014 the long takes and big sets are no easy feat. You got your start in improv and live sketch. Do the oners<\/a> you do for the show feel informed by that part of your comedy background? Was your character, Sal, based on producers you\u2019ve met during your time in the industry, or was it all there on the page in Seth and Evan\u2019s script? Has anyone shouted \u201cSal Saperstein!\u201d at you?
The text chain has been very active. Everyone\u2019s a bit scattered everywhere, but there have been lots of congrats and I love yous and kisses and I miss yous. I\u2019m so excited for Seth and Evan, of course, but also our Kathryn\/Catherine and our guests. We leaned on our guest stars so much \u2014 to see Davey Franco up there with Marty is delightful.<\/p>\n
I mean, would you want to be campaigning against Scorsese? This is Marty! Let the guy win! All those guys \u2014 and Zo\u00eb<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 were all so funny in such different ways on the show.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014\u00a0that 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\u2019re entertainers; we still believe in and love what we do, even if the future is uncertain.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s so true \u2014 each take felt a little bit like a play. You rehearse and you know what you\u2019re going to do and you can make tiny changes, but it really relies on not deviating too much, because you don\u2019t want to throw anyone else off. But there\u2019s still a liveliness, an energy, that did give me that old-school improv vibe. It\u2019s exhilarating. Even though I might not be on camera for a particular moment, I\u2019m still very, very, very much part of the scene. And sometimes we\u2019d screw up! You\u2019d 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 \u201cCut.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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\u2019d been doing this work since the \u201890s. Sal felt like a very \u201890s 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\u2019ve had some of those people come up to me, though, and say, \u201cI think this is based on me,\u201d and I\u2019ll say, \u201cYes, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh yes, definitely. And I\u2019ll tell you, I\u2019ve had a lot of things shouted at me over the years from things I\u2019ve said in movies and TV. \u201cSal Saperstein\u201d is definitely welcome. It\u2019s 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\u2019re talking about. It\u2019s a pleasant Jewish man\u2019s name, and it really tickles me. If people call you out for a show that you love and you\u2019re proud of, it\u2019s just gonna make you happy. And if it doesn\u2019t, you might be a dick.<\/p>\n