Steve Byrne On His New Film “The Opening Act,” Future Projects, Vince Vaughn, Karaoke & More
Written and directed by stand-up comedian Steve Byrne (Always Amazing), The Opening Act and produced by Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley), The Opening Act is the rare excellent movie about the life of a stand-up comedian. Featuring tons of great comics, The Opening Act stars Jimmy O. Yang, Alex Moffat, Cedric The Entertainer, Neal Brennan, Debby Ryan, Ken Jeong, Bill Burr, Jermaine Fowler, Russell Peters, Whitney Cummings, Tom Segura, and Iliza Shlesinger. Yang is in the lead role as Will Chu, who seems to have it all — including the job and the girl — but is not where he wants to be as a stand-up comedian. When he gets the opportunity he has been waiting for, the emcee slot on the road opening for his hero Billy G., the realities of life on the stage come crashing in. Yang as Chu ultimately needs to decide if he should continue with the life he has, or pursue the life of a comedian.
The Opening Act is far from Steve Byrne’s first brush with the mainstream. Beyond starring in the 2003 documentary 13 Or Bust and a 2006 Comedy Central stand-up special, Byrne wrote, created and starred in the TBS sit-com Sullivan & Son for 3 seasons. Although a headlining act within the stand-up world for close to 15 years, Byrne was the supporting act for The Tenderloins on their Impractical Jokers: Where’s Larry? Tour, which played arenas all over the world, including London’s O2 Arena.
On October 6, 2020, I had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Byrne by phone, as embedded below. More on Byrne is online at www.stevebyrnelive.com, while more on The Opening Act — which hits theaters, VOD and digital outlets on October 16, 2020 — can be found at us.rljentertainment.com and https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-opening-act/id1533330775?ign-mpt=uo%3D4.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal.Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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