Tim Baltz Is Nothing Like His “Righteous Gems” Character

As a child rising up in Joliet, Illinois, Tim Baltz lived close to 5 prisons. There was the state jail on the outskirts of city, the Will County jail, a girls’s jail, an enormous juvenile detention facility and Joliet Correctional Middle, which is closed now, however which featured prominently to start with of The Blues Brothers. Everybody’s mother and father labored for the penal system in some unspecified time in the future, Baltz says, together with his dad, who taught English and speech in one of many services earlier than his son was born.

It’s that sort of hard-working Midwest grit that has helped Baltz grind out a profession in Hollywood, the place he’s charmed followers on exhibits like The Righteous Gems, Veep and The Opposition With Jordan Klepper. He’s additionally put his Chicago improv background to good use, turning into a beloved return visitor on podcasts like Comedy Bang Bang!, the place his characters all are likely to have a little bit of Midwestern zeal. 

InsideHook talked to Baltz about getting deplatformed, the characters he likes to play essentially the most, and the way rising up non secular helped him discover his Gems swagger.

InsideHook: Let’s discuss The Righteous Gems, as a result of your character, BJ, is basically going through down a wedding disaster within the new season. He doesn’t realize it but, however his spouse cheated on him and everybody is aware of it. How are we going to see that entire state of affairs play out? I really feel terrible watching, as a result of he’s like this lovable little pet that you realize one thing’s going to occur to.

Tim Baltz: Effectively, his love for Judy is unconditional and in order that most likely places some blinders on. After we had been filming the pilot, I sat down with Danny [McBride] and the present’s govt producers and Danny stated, “BJ is the eyes of the viewers inside the present. A part of what we beloved about your take a look at at HBO was that your reactions appeared to essentially clock the household’s conduct the way in which that the viewers would.” So, he’s been very eager to maintain that as a part of the character. 

I feel, to a sure extent, he has to only love Judy unconditionally and settle for all this chaos and turmoil. He doesn’t fairly perceive it, nevertheless it’s simply going to proceed occurring. So this season is fascinating, as a result of it begins to essentially land in his lap for the primary time. It’s not household drama. It’s his drama.

Will he perceive why she did it, or attempt to change himself to satisfy her? It’s not like he did something incorrect.

That’s essentially the most fascinating half. His love is so unconditional for her, so when a betrayal like that occurs, in the event you discover out about it, it’s a must to actually go deeper into your love for someone and attempt to perceive, “Okay, is that this one thing that I need to get previous? Or is that this damaged?” He’s going to should ask himself if the magic is gone. 

The Gemstone world is a really aggressive, dramatic, poisonous surroundings, and so that you’ll have sure individuals telling them what they need to do or what they shouldn’t do, and all that recommendation shall be in battle with one another. You’ll most likely have Jesse and his mates saying, “It’s essential to get revenge,” and also you’ll have Judy pleading for forgiveness. Usually he would grant that forgiveness fairly simply if it wasn’t one thing so excessive, however I feel that that is the largest take a look at that they should face as a result of it goes past Judy’s persona, which might mirror her brothers and be poisonous at instances. 

Is he going to let this variation not simply their relationship, however himself? That’s the large query. 

It doesn’t appear to be Judy’s former paramour goes to go quietly, both.

No, he wasn’t very relenting. He’s a fairly persistent man. I really like Stephen Schneider, the actor who performs Stephen. He’s simply so enjoyable to play with. He was simply an absolute gem of an addition to the solid and attending to sort of lock horns — actually, which you’ll see ultimately within the season — was an actual deal with. 

The present is huge with a capital B. There are huge characters, huge personalities and a number of drama that feels ridiculous, however there’s additionally a grain of fact to it within the sense that there’s some sentiment and a few emotion that we are able to nonetheless perceive and really feel. The place do you personally discover fact within the present? 

I grew up in a conservative non secular city, however I wasn’t uncovered to mega-churches till highschool or faculty. It wasn’t an evangelical city. However I used to be very aware of all these themes of piety, hypocrisy and the sort of judgment that is available in these circles. But additionally, there’s a number of unconditional love and people who find themselves imperfect, however they’re making an attempt their greatest. 

What’s irritating about these environments goes to church each week the place persons are speaking about these values, after which seeing that persons are not dwelling these values. When you make a mistake, they decide you and it’s like, “Wow, it’s actually within the Bible. It says, ‘Choose not lest ye be judged.’”  I might need been raised essentially the most non secular out of anybody else within the solid, and I’ve discovered that it truly helps the character, despite the fact that he’s a nonbeliever going into season one. I’ve at all times felt like BJ was essentially the most pious in a way, or a minimum of I used to be going to play him that manner, as a result of the character wanted that so as to make his relationship with God make sense. 

I’m not like BJ in any respect in actual life. I imply, I want to say that I share the character’s kindness and generosity, however I feel that folks have most likely projected that sort of BJ character onto me up to now as a result of I used to be good. I listened to the values that I heard rising up and I attempted to stay them, and on this society that normally will get you walked throughout. That’s a lesson anyone has to be taught. Going into the present, I mirrored on that somewhat bit, and to be trustworthy, the primary time that I learn the pilot it simply made sense. Loads of instances you’ll get an audition and it doesn’t click on immediately. It’s important to sit with it. It’s important to have a look at totally different angles. It’s important to determine the way you’ll play it. It’s important to do some guesswork, and it both works or it doesn’t. With this one, I used to be working at a job in New York and I hadn’t auditioned for the rest in like a 12 months, and I used to be like, “I’ll do that audition as a result of this job ought to be mine.” It made a lot sense to me and I knew precisely the best way to play it. I knew who these guys had been. I’ve seen guys like this my total life. 

Now, after I meet individuals, it’s so humorous. Ladies will come as much as me and be like, “I need to introduce you to my husband,” and I can simply inform, “Oh, man. This man’s such a BJ.” 

How are you totally different?

I grew up taking part in a ton of sports activities, and I’m very aggressive. I’m outspoken and a bit anti-authority. I may by no means, by no means date a controlling ballbuster. I don’t prefer it when individuals converse to one another like that in a relationship, however I additionally perceive how some individuals get pleasure from it or how some individuals really feel prefer it’s regular and even thrilling, so I don’t have any judgment for the character. 

Understanding the variations between me and the character has truly helped, as a result of if one thing is going on, I’ll assume, “My regular response in actual life can be to face up for myself, so why isn’t this character doing that proper now?” 

Let’s transfer over to Comedy Bang Bang! the place you’ve been a fan favourite for years taking part in characters like Don Darling, a Wisconsin sugar daddy who owns three Culver’s areas, urinal ice aficionado Randy Snutz, and Darren Matichek, who owns the Nationwide Bobblehead Museum and Corridor Of Fame. Are your hottest characters additionally those you like essentially the most, or are there ones that you just adore however that you just want had been extra appreciated? 

Oh, yeah, completely. I even waited like six years to do Skipp Dribbles once more for that cause. 

I got here up in sketch and improv and so I’ve seen a number of stand-up. I simply wanted to make enjoyable of dangerous stand-ups, which, to me, dangerous male stand-ups are simply speaking about how they’re alcoholics and so they love masturbating, and I used to be like, “Effectively, that’s not sufficient to go on. I don’t need this to only appear to be I’m making enjoyable of stand-up,” so I additionally made him an enormous basketball fan, which I’m. I solely did that when and it bought such a constructive response, however I stated, “We are able to’t do that in studio once more. I can solely do it stay,” so I did it stay on the final Comedy Bang Bang! tour. 

There was one other one referred to as Tom Boreman who was the manager vp at LinkedIn. I solely did it as soon as on tour however individuals quote it to me on a regular basis, and it’s like, “I may try this once more nevertheless it feels so particular.” The one which I really like doing essentially the most is Randy Snutz. He’s so my hometown. I’m so tickled that folks get it. I believed nobody would however as an alternative, individuals from all around the nation had been like, “I grew up with that man.” Truthfully, one out of each seven or eight guys that I grew up with sounded precisely like that. A few of them dropped out of highschool and a few of them had good SAT scores. It made no sense. It’s simply an accent that I attempt to put some Midwest taste into.

You recognize, I’m a fan of CBB firstly, however I’d hearken to the present and assume, “There aren’t that many Midwest characters on this.” It’s like that on TV, too. The coasts get the Midwest very incorrect. After we had been making Shrink, which is on Peacock now, we shot in Chicago and we tried to make it genuine to our lived expertise there. It’s nearly too genuine, in that folks don’t get how a lot we nailed Peterson Park or Budlong Woods, or all these tiny neighborhoods on the north facet of Chicago. 

And also you even have a Randy Snutz podcast now as a part of CBB World.

That’s one in every of my favourite issues that I’ve ever completed in my life. I’m so happy with that. Dan Lippert, Mary Sohn, Lily Sullivan and Brett Morris… all of the visitors that we’ve had on… I stand by that. I feel it’s legitimately one of many funniest issues I’ve ever completed. 

Talking of Lily Sullivan: You two are married. How do you separate your house life and your comedy life? 

It must be each. We’ve been working and writing with one another, and we’re good viewers members for one another, however if you’re each in the identical area, it’s a must to take day off from that and it’s a must to actually talk effectively about what you want. “Hey, I’m displaying you one thing and I would like your full consideration,” or “I’m displaying you one thing and I truly simply want you to be like a cheerleader proper now.” “I would like you to inform me what doesn’t work in blunt phrases.” It’s important to be taught one another’s wants and talk your personal wants so as to spare one another’s emotions or to not harm each other. 

You talked about Shrink earlier, and that was a present you offered to Seeso, which was a streamer that folded in 2017 earlier than the present truly premiered. Then it sort of languished for just a few years, and now it’s on Peacock. You had been additionally on Bajillion Greenback Properties with Paul F. Tompkins and Drew Tarver, amongst others, and that was on Seeso earlier than bouncing round for a bit after which touchdown on the VOD websites. What do you assume if you hear about streaming providers like Max or Paramount Plus knocking down exhibits they produced for tax breaks, because you had been sadly on the forefront of the entire “content material disappearing” phenomenon? 

In a manner, Seeso was an indication of issues to return or a harbinger. It breached this bizarre hole the place millennials had been chopping out cable, nevertheless it was earlier than individuals understood what streaming was. I keep in mind individuals had been scoffing at Seeso being $3.99 or $4.99, like “Oh, my God, I can’t consider I’m being requested to do that.” There have been sure comedy communities in New York that had been actually bad-mouthing it. After which quick ahead 5 or 6 years and everyone seems to be subscribed to seven or eight totally different streaming providers and so they all value between $8 and $15 and no person complains about it. It’s similar to, “Effectively, that’s the panorama.” 

An all-comedy streamer ought to exist. One thing that low-cost ought to exist. It’s simply that, in hindsight, it was this actually quaint product that didn’t have a fantastic title, it didn’t have a fantastic font and the colours of the font weren’t good, and likewise the positioning crashed loads. There have been 4 strikes in opposition to it. However when it comes to watching issues disappear from the platform, it was additionally very forward of its time. I want every part may simply be accessible for buy. When you’re gonna deplatform one thing, superb, however put it up on iTunes or some digital market. 

It’s so foolish, like I get that you just’re not going to make a killing placing these episodes up for digital buy, however you’ll make some cash, and the creators and the individuals concerned will make some cash. That’s what occurs when the individuals that really make issues are not in cost and it’s simply enterprise individuals in cost. They don’t truly care concerning the mannequin of creation itself. They only care about chopping prices. And so now now we have this dumb shell sport the place persons are making an attempt to promote down their debt earlier than they promote every part off for items. It’s so clear what’s occurring. All I can say is that hopefully the strike — or strikes — will assist.