Thomas Middleditch is a Canadian actor, comedian, and television writer, known for his lead roles as Justin Frost in the 2009 romantic comedy Splinterheads and as Richard Hendriks in the HBO series Silicon Valley.
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» All Actor InterviewsI'm an actor / writer / comedian.
You can follow me on Twitter at @middleditch.
Victoria's helping me get started. AMA.
https://twitter.com/Middleditch/status/592374497031782400
Just how long are Amir's father's legs?
Imagine many strands of cooked spaghetti, firm not soft, tied together end to end. MANY strands.
How many times a week does somebody come to you and start to sing "she wants to be in the middle" ?
Not as many I like. I sing it a lot though.
Where did you get the sweater that you always wore on Jake and Amir??
A good second hand store clothing shop in NYC. Very premium.
Why the bitch is this on the front page? My dick is off for sir Michael Chik if this gets one more d-vote.
The fuck are you talking about?
A couple of years back on an episode of You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, you mentioned that you had sort of a strained relationship with Kumail at the moment. You said you didn't want to talk about it since you didn't have complete perspective on it. Now, you guys are on a TV show together and seem to get along. I was wondering, if you felt more comfortable talking about it now, what exactly happened, and how did you guys reconcile? I understamd if that's too personal. I love the show, and think you're absolutely hilarious. Thanks for doing this AMA!
When you know someone for a long time, especially someone who is close to you, there are times where you don't see eye to eye. I'm really thankful for this show, it's brought Kumail and I closer together, and honestly, back to being best friends where we belong. Same with TJ. When you spend 15 hours a day with someone, you better figure out how to be pals again. This show has saved two very important relationships in my life.
What does Joey Tortellini think of reddit?
Lissun, u can even think about it, ok, cuz its like against the law an' shit.
Richard and Jared make a nice and cute couple, don't you agree?
Zach and I have been on dates. We see movies together. I need you to understand this.
How did you become such a cool boy and an inspiration to millions? Every time I see you I feel so euphoric
I am the cool boy. You must follow me and be my kinsman.
Hello there Mr. Middleditch!
I'm catching up on Silicon Valley Season 1 currently, and I really love the show, just wondering, how many gigabytes does their company own? I personally got to know you through Jake and Amir, although I'm sure you're tired of hearing about it now. I heard a while ago you talked about having fun working with the role of Doobs because you could be crazy, and it was glorious. Are you happy to have moved on with the role? If there ever is a Jake and Amir Television show, are you interested in participating? Hope all is well, Cheers!
Silicon Valley currently owns 6 gigabytes, which is A LOT. Remember, each gigabyte is a thousand megabytes -- remember when they were big news? As for Doobs, I loved playing that character. If it comes up again and makes sense, I'd be into it. Love Jake and Amir, and we'll get into doing comedy again for sure.
Richard, why did you eat my fucking quinoa last year?
Because I own this town.
Are you ever going to do a film with Schwartz in the future? You two are my favorite comedy actors and the more you do together the better!
I'd love to.
How's Riley Krilerson doing these days?
Crushing those gnarly waves, brah.
Do you have any plans to get back on the CBB podcast again? The "calling china" segments are some of the funniest things I had heard in a long long time.
Was on there again just recently. When Scott asks, I shall heed his call.
Hello, and thanks for your time!
My dad - whom I suspect to be the brogrammer of his office - is always appreciative of the scientific accuracy in Silicon Valley. (He does laugh condescendingly every time the Weissman Score is mentioned.) How much of the science do you understand? Also, out of all of your fellow cast-members, who is the most similar to the character they portray?
I know a little, only because I'm interested in it. But I do NOT know how to program. No one does. Mike Judge did in the 80s, Kumail studied it for a bit then forgot it. Basically, we're actors. BUT, we're actors who play video games, go to Comicon, and attend Renn Faires in garb, so...
What specs do you run on PC? Do you plan on buying a fully operational simulation cockpit for Flight Simulator? Thanks!
When I get the space, a sim pit is definitely a possibility.
Specs I don't know off by heart but it's a Maingear Shift. I've swapped some parts out though.
First off, thanks for doing this, I'm a big fan. My question is, since your fame as come relatively quickly in this past few years, what has been the biggest change in your every day life?
I get asked for selfies a lot. We live in a world of selfies. Life is selfie.
what was your take on that salon article a couple weeks back that credited Kumail as an actor on the Big Bang Theory?
Pretty ironic, eh?
In an article where they were defaming us for sexism they followed up be being racist in the most blissfully unaware way. It's a great example of the type of journalism that Salon is interested in. Gotta find something to get mad at.
Can we bro?
Bro.
Dear Thomas, I am proud to see that as of 12 episodes ago, you have finally made it as a Hollywood actress in the brilliant student film, Silicon Valley.
It is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen that also keeps me genuinely interested in the plot.
Consider answering just one of the following three queries
1) Who is the quickest improvisor you have ever worked with (famous or not)?
OR
2) Do you have a favorite comedy sketch? (like a Monty Python or something)
OR
3) In the show, how many gigabytes does your company own?
Namaste, and good night, sweet prince.
1) There's a group out of Chicago I perform with called The Improvised Shakespeare Company. They are gentlemen and scholars.
2) Kids In The Hall were my jam as a young man.
3) So many tons of them.
Can we expect you and Schwartz to ever take your two man show on the road?
I try to convince him of that all the time. Tell HIM.
What is your opinion on the hate the TJ Miller received after the Crunchies?
People love to get mad at things. TJ was being TJ. They hired him, not the other way around. He, and really no comedian should, censor themselves. So they brought a giraffe into a forest and got mad that the giraffe tried to eat the tree leaves. People are sensitive and love to express that via negativity to someone else.
What the fuck were you thinking cleaning out that bowl on new issue day?
ON NEW ISSUE DAY!!!!!!!!!
Terribly sorry.
You came to perform at the college of charleston and I made all of my friends go to your show even though they had never heard of you. It was one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. I'm the annoying kid that you called doobs and then proceeded to make fun of my name for the remainder of your act. I ask for your forgiveness and do you plan on doing another stand up tour in the future?
You've scarred me for life and I'm giving up on the entertainment industry. If anyone needs me I'll be in the Yukon.
I just heard on the Nerdist podcast the other day that you're a reformed hockey fan thanks, in part, to the EA NHL games, so:
Do you play as the Kings or Canucks?
Have you ever checked out /r/hockey? It's one of the best subs on this entire site.
I'm a King's fan. In the game, I'll play as the Kings or the Leafs. On EASHL (which wasn't in the last NHL game, shockingly enough) I'll drop in with whatever game, but I usually turn off my headset because there's too much racism and homophobia in random games. Sad.
Never checked it out.
Hey Thomas, big fan of Silicon Valley here :)
Have you ever had a crazy fan experience or something like that?
Thanks a lot for doing this AMA.
Nothing crazy crazy. Mainly creepy. Sometimes I'll look over and there's just someone with their phone taking a picture. That's weird, you guys, just come over and say hi. You don't have to be Kraglore The Kreep.
How's the carpentry going?
No major projects now. I want to make a really nice wooden longsword though.
What is love?
Love is abstract and relative. There is no one love for everyone. Love for me is different than it is for you. And what's more, to that, it changes. Love for me will be different in ten years, as it will be for you. Love is really only chemicals in your brain. It can be manipulated by environment, interaction, and even drugs. Mankind alone is not the only being capable of it. But what is it to a dog, elephant, or dolphin? The same thing? How can it be when it is so intangible? Does it make it less valid? Who is the arbiter of validity?
Love is your own and uniquely belonging to your experience, yet shared inextricably with the one you love.
who's taller? schwartz or you?
Probably him. He's better than me at everything.
Hi Mr. Middleditch!
Thank you for doing this AmA! I was wondering what your experiences were like working on the set of Wolf of Wall Street? How was working with Scorsese and all the other wonderful cast people?
Thank you so much!!
I thought Scorsese was great. Small, enthusiastic, positive. Leo was a knockout. Seriously, he's exceedingly charming. Other than that, I got yelled at for six hours (because that was the scene).
How fast could You jerk off the entire appropriatly gendered audience at tech crunch?
I'm really only good at jerking off women.
How geeky/techie are you in real life? How familiar were you with the tech world and programming before Silicon Valley?
84%
How did you react upon hearing Jake and Amir was coming to an end?
I get it. It's been a long time. There's nothing wrong with wrapping something up when it's still positive as opposed to tired. It was a great series, those guys worked very hard on it.
Hey Thomas!
I'm currently a student at iO Chicago. I know you were there for a bit. Can you tell any fun stories from your time there? Also, you kill it on every podcast I hear you on. I don't know how to end this. Good bye.
I love Chicago. Great place to learn improv. One time, at an Improvised Shakespeare Company show, the logic was that the secret to the show, the thing we were all searching for, was inside this piece of gum that was on the edge of a woman in the audience's glass. Like, she had chewed it there and stuck it there. It fell down and made a noise, then we all pounced. So the only way to get the secret out was to chew the gum. I chewed it. Then Joey Bland asked "what was the secret?" and I said "you have to chew it to find out." We all ended up chewing that woman's old gum, then wrapped up the show, then stuck the gum over the arch. It was great. Gum stayed there for a while, I'm sure it's gone now though.
Do you have any experience with software development, like your character Richard in Silicon Valley? Do you understand what you say on the show?
I understand SOME of it.
Did you ever see your fourth roommate stream?
Honestly, I'm not sure what that is.
Wiping - stand or sit?
STAND. I'm not an animal.
Hi Thomas. Huge fan. I have two questions.
How much time on an average do you spend on your hair every day? Or is it just naturally this beautifully curly?
Also, did you finally get to see a komodo dragon?
You think my hair is beautiful? You are just a real charmer... I wake up and then I look in the mirror and then I put on a hat.
I have never seen any time of dragon. Komodo or otherwise.
How did you first get involved with Jake and
Amir?
Also want to say I love listening to you on If
I Were You, you're always a fantastic guest!
Thanks dude. Got involved through College Humor. All good people over there.
First of all, thank you so much for doing this. I loved your work in Jake and Amir, where I first saw you, and in Silicon Valley, where you are killing it. Also that scene in Wolf of Wall Street containing you is one of my favorites. I also recently saw you in Atlanta when you did the stand up show with Kumail, it was phenomenal.
My question is, which episode/scene in Silicon Valley has been the most fun for you to do?
There's one coming up in this season where TJ and I talk to Zach about putting tampons up his butt. Look for it.
Actually I know you more from CollegeHumor and Key and Peele! I think you are like the male version of Anna Kendrick :P Anyway, your favorite actor you've worked with and why?
She complimented my suit once. I was very flustered.
I think Will Ferrell is up there. He was so kind, so enthusiastic about comedy... he included my in conversation when I was a very small potato. Just a real tiny tot. And he was just a genuine dude.
Hey, Thomas!
I'm a huge fan of yours, I first watched you in Jake and Amir, and now I'm following Silicon Valley which I started watching solely because you starred in it.
Two questions: Of all the things you've done, what was the hardest scene to finish because you couldn't stop laughing?
How do you find time to enjoy your hobbies with your busy life?
Keep being hilarious, can't wait to see more Silicon Valley!
Oh wow. It's hard to remember the time I broke the most. I break all the time, is the thing. I remember, back in Chicago, TJ and I used to shoot these short films with our director friend Jordan Vogt-Roberts (who's doing the new King Kong movie) and one night we bought a pig. Like a dead pig, but a whole pig. And we dressed it up like a baby and pretended that we had to babysit it. It was one of the weirdest, most macabre night I've ever been through. I was both disgusted and delighted the entire time.
Less free time nowadays...
If you could do one thing to Silicon Valley show, what would it be ? It's awesome by default but I hope you'd have thought something that would make the show even more awesome.
We get to the end of the internet and find a portal to the Game Of Thrones world. We zap in, and I become the Father Of Dragons and marry Daenerys so we can all move on from her boring free-the-slaves plotline.
Which episode did you find most difficult to film and why?
In terms of sheer difficulty, the shows with a lot of tech jargon are pretty tough. I'm dumb, you see, and I have to pretend I'm smart. That's hard for a dumb person to do.
I saw you do improv at UCB before I ever saw you on TV/in the movies, and I'm extremely happy that you still make time to do shows as often as you do (loved Snowpants last night!). What keeps you coming back to the stage?
I love it. There are thousands of just-ok shows that are all good and fine and I like doing them... but then there are the truly great ones. Those are shows where everything comes together. You can't get it through TV or film, but only through live performance. I'll be in the pursuit of those for as long as I'm able.
Hey Thomas, I loved your episode of You Made it Weird with Pete Holms where you dissected your "bro breakup". How did you feel about that experience and do you two still stay in touch?
Sure we do. We're both busy boys though so we don't hang out as much as we like.
How often do people come to you and call you Doobs? Does it still bother you? I remember you mentioning it you the Jake and Amir podcast.
I don't really mind it that much. There's a difference between recognition and support as opposed to spam and trolling. I was dealing with the latter for a bit but things have evened out for the time being. Part of the game, I suppose. Bummer though.
Was it difficult playing doobs again in the finale after all the harassment you got on social media?
Can't wait for your episode of Comedy Bang Bang!
Admittedly, I was reluctant. Then I remembered that for every troll there are thousands of people that are just straight up fans. I loved playing Doobs.
I feel like you kind of popped up out of nowhere, does it sometimes feel like that to you too? Obviously you worked very hard to get here, but now does it feel like you've "made it"? You're on a pretty big HBO show, how has that changed your life?
I can see how that would appear. I've been at it for fifteen years now. SV has definitely changed a lot of things. That's what happens to many actors. They hustle at it for a while until something pops. For me it's been performing live comedy, writing, big parts in small films and small parts in big films, commercials, internet sketches... and then SV comes along. But believe me it's not like it was my first audition.
One of the things I love about Silicon Valley is that despite it being absolutely hilarious, all of the cast members are so committed to their characters. The acting is just superb. I'm curious if you'd ever consider taking a dramatic role?
I'd love to. Really, I would.
Hey man, I saw you and Zack Woods at UCB Sunset last night and immediately went home and watched season one of Silicon Valley in its entirety. Yall are hilarious.
What's it like getting to work with your friends? And how much of the show is Retroscripted?
It's the best.
I would say if anything, we improvise on top of the script. We get great scripts, and we just try to add a little character color or a little moment. If it's good and can't be used we might find another spot for it, but we like to keep it in-the-moment.
hello sir, big fan right here!
your character on Silicon Valley seems darker, brooding, this season. do you agree - and if you do, was that something you requested?
also, i enjoyed the hell out of you and Jordan painting the streets red with your sniper skills that one time on twitch. (not that i didn't like the Viking saga.) will you guys play ARMA III together - and if so, will you tell me what server you're on? like you i have yet to find a nice regiment.
If I can get all my chores done tonight, I'll play a little more with Jordan. I'd love to get on ARMA. It would be cool to jump in a large co-op mission.
Hey Thomas! I'm a huge fan of doobs and Silicon Valley, so I'm curious- what do you mostly get recognized from, jake and Amir or Silicon Valley?
Also, do you have a CD rom drive?
Silicon Valley takes the cake. And my CD-ROM drive hasn't stopped spinning since the 90s, dude. Get with it.
What was your favorite scene from Wolf Of Wall Street, and what was it like acting alongside Leonardo Dicaprio? Thanks a ton!
Leo was great, but my personal scene was really between Jonah and myself. He was great, too. Scorsese likes to make sure he gets coverage, so we did it different ways a whole bunch of times.
I loved Leo on Quaaludes. A real physical comedian!
I was intrigued by what you said about GURPS in the Rolling Stone. What's the funniest scenario you've been involved with?
In GURPS? Well, I GM'd a game where everyone had to pick a signee of the Declaration of Independence. They had to research that person, then present them to the group. Then they had to make that person with 120 points as accurately as they could. The game kicked off just after everyone signed the DoI. Then... one man turned into a werewolf. They had to go find Washington, and he trained them into being psychic monster hunters.
Hi Thomas, how's Debra doing?
Debra died, dude. She died in that marshmallow fire. Like 20 years ago... wait... WHO HAVE YOU BEEN TALKING TO?
You look like my friend cole? Can I call you cole? Or be my friend? Maybe both even.
He looks like me. You may call him Thomas.
Do you do open jams at improv places such as Nerdist School? Are you planning on doing Beta Test? Nerdmelt is a great place to perform and see shows.
I'm going to try and do Beta Test tomorrow night, although I have no idea what I'm going to do or say. It kept me up last night.
hey Thomas!
you as Nightcrawler in the Ex-men sketch was hilarious,
how hard was it to not break while working with Pete Holmes?
Pete and I like to laugh. It's hard not to laugh around Pete, he'll bring it out of you if it's the last thing he does.
Off screen, do you have a love for computing and technology? If not, did you have to learn it all before the show? (Love the show by the way)
Yes I do. Very much. It's why, if I don't understand what I'm talking about, I can grasp it in some way.
Hi Thomas, I love Silicon Valley and I'm a subscriber to your twitch stream. My boyfriend is a shy, somewhat awkward tech worker that wears hoodies and occasionally gets panic attacks just like Richard. Hell, you two even look alike. His name is Tom as well. Are you method acting his life?
I've been in contact with him for years. Tom and I are best friends.
Just wanted to say that I loved your standup routine with Kumail at MIT last year!!! Huge SV fan as well as a lot of shorts you've done with CH, Pete Holmes, and others!
How do you balance so many things? You're a great actor, improviser, and standup. How do you decide which projects are worth your time and which ones to let go?
I just want to do stuff I'm proud of. If I think I'll enjoy it and the end result will be good, I'll get after it. Sometimes I'm wrong, but there ya go.
Do you guys still grab each others dicks on set?
I wish I could say no. But we do. EVERY CHANCE WE GET.
Hi Thomas! I actually recently saw one of your shows with Kumail and I really really loved it, especially your segment about what you think college dorm life is like. I just wanna ask - what's going through your mind when you make up names like "Brialca" (that one killed me) for your stories?
Honestly, I just try and make myself laugh. That sounds self serving but I want to have fun up there. As you saw, my standup isn't a lot of setup/punch-line, so I better have fun doing whatever else it is I'm doing or I'm sunk. SUNK, I TELL YOU.
Big fan of Silicon Valley!
I just recently watched a 10 minute interview with you and TJ Miller with Hitflix and the interviewer could not keep up with you two and it was hilarious. Do you guys, and the rest of the cast, just have that sort of telekinetic humor that each other gets?
Zach, TJ, Kumail and myself have all been performing live comedy for over ten years each. It's very fortunate that we're doing a comedy show with comedians.
Hey Thomas! I'm a huge fan of your work on Jake and Amir and silicon valley. You are one funny dude. I just wanted to ask:
What's TJ Miller like in real life?
TJ is a funny, smart, and quite prolific. He's a philosopher at heart, and it always a joy to wax poetic with him.