As he comes to Lexington, T.J. Miller on ‘Deadpool III,’ ‘Silicon Valley’ and being absurd

Good luck predicting what T.J. Miller is going to do next, whether he’s on the stage or off of it.

The absurdist stand-up and comedic actor best known for his breakout role as chaotic and perpetually stoned tech entrepreneur Erlich Bachman on the hit HBO comedy series “Silicon Valley” (which he left controversially after four seasons) may end up doing voiceover work for family-friendly film one minute (2017’s “The Emoji Movie” or Steven Spielberg’s 2018 film “Ready Player One”) or being brought up on federal charges for phoning in a bomb threat the next (which occurred on an Amtrak train in 2018).

Miller’s eccentric and chaotic humor, antics and personality has led to plenty of ups and downs in his life on and off camera.

But whether it was his time coming up in Chicago’s comedy scene or doing stand-up today, he said making people laugh on stage is where he feels the most free and the most fulfilled.

“I love acting in film and television and doing voiceover because it’s a collaborative art form… but so is stand-up. I’m just collaborating with the audience to create a show they will make it a memorable and happy evening for them,” Miller said via email. “I used to say I liked doing all mediums of comedy because I just like doing comedy, but I now realize after touring for a couple years – stand-up is my favorite thing.”

T.J. Miller Q&A

Before his upcoming performances at Comedy Off Broadway this weekend, Miller touched on what shaped his approach to comedy, his onscreen work and why he may be misunderstood.

Question: I know it typically takes several years for a comedian to find their “voice” and you really seemed to hone in on having an off-kilter, occasionally absurdist approach to your stand-up. How and why do you think that was the style you developed?

Answer: I was always a big fan of Steve Martin growing up. Something about his absurdism was so funny to me and he always made my mother laugh. I was drawn to absurdist observational comedy, people like Ellen DeGeneres, and even in high school I was studying Eugene Ionesco and other absurdist writers. So, I guess I was always interested in absurdism and it always made me laugh and felt like something that not a lot of people were doing. I also love doing things that make people wonder what in the heck is this guy talking about.

Q: Speaking of voices, your voiceover work has popped up in some notable spots in both TV and film over the years? What is it like to have an in-demand voice for animation projects? Was that an unexpected surprise in your career?

A: I didn’t expect that sounding like a chain smoking drag queen who is been out all night would be in demand as much as it is, but – hey! I’ll take it. I never really thought of voiceover as being a goal, but rather another possible facet of doing comedy. So I did study and take classes, but it wasn’t until Dreamworks had me audition for “How to Train Your Dragon” (he played the character “Tuffnut”) that I started getting a lot of voiceover work. I think I especially like it and people enjoy working with me because in film and television you only have 3-5 takes to improvise different lines, but in voiceover you can do 10 or 30 takes.

Q: Your role in “Silicon Valley” was extremely memorable and you were one of several extremely talented comedic minds and performers during your run. What was the overall dynamic like creating and performing on a show like that?

A: That was a great example of having incredible writers (the show was created by Mike Judge) but also being given the freedom to riff as much as I wanted. Though I didn’t think anybody would care about a show where the topic was “Silicon Valley,” I did think that we had a very special chemistry and amalgam of comedic talent. It was a lot of fun making that show, and my character was so ridiculous and they let me shape it so completely but it’s definitely one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. And I have worked at Radio Shack.

Q: You recently had a scene-stealing turn in the popular “Deadpool” franchise and it seems like things are in flux as to whether you will be returning or if you want to return for a third movie. Any new developments there?

A: I simply made the point (in previous interviews) that we didn’t need to make a third installment and that I would be worried, like I was in making the second one that it wouldn’t live up to the previous film. I would of course love to do a third if they make it because people love the franchise and seem to be clamoring for a third installment, but as of now there is no “Deadpool III,” and they just finished work, I think on “X-Force.”

Q: I know you have faced some criticism and accusations over the past few years for your alleged behavior (he was accused of sexual assault in 2017 by a college girlfriend, which he and his wife deny) and I read where you addressed a lot of those in a homecoming performance in your hometown of Denver. What do you think people may misunderstand about you at this point of your career?

A: It was nice to go to Denver and it’s nice to go all over the country where people realize that the internet is a pretty toxic place and most of the clickbait, copy-and-paste journalism is not to be trusted. As my wife says: it’s OK to be misunderstood, it can just hurt when people think ill of you when they shouldn’t. Luckily, the majority of people all come to my stand-up shows and not once have I had anyone express anything other than gratitude at my coming to their town and making them laugh. So, it’s really the Twitter-sphere yelling into a vacuum of nothingness. Let ‘em yell.

Q: I feel like comedy is in a weird place right now. It seems like more people are getting offended by it but it also seems like an exciting time where comedy may be a bit more dangerous and performers are awarded for taking chances. Do you sense that when you get on stage and does it affect how you perform in any way?

A: I feel like everything is in a weird place right now, unfortunately. More people are definitely getting offended and the court of public opinion is trying to crucify comedians for things they say – so free speech within the realm of comedy is being muzzled. That’s a very sad thing for America. I don’t see a lot of performers being rewarded for taking chances but I think that the real people watching comedy will always respect when a chance is being taken. It’s just that the faux journalists and social media will always be looking to take down people like Dave Chapelle by calling them old and out of touch. They are anything but that. In fact, they are some of the few types of performers that are speaking truth and authentically expressing their point of view. But you won’t find anything political in my act, I try and stick to the idea that I’m here to make everyone laugh, be a welcome distraction and force somebody in the audience to play the trombone.

T.J. Miller

When: 7:15 p.m. Dec. 12 and 15, 7:15 and 9:45 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14

Where: Comedy Off Broadway, 161 Lexington Green Circle

Tickets: $25 reserved seating; $45 VIP meet and greet Thursday and Sunday; $30 reserved seating; $50 VIP meet and greet Friday and Saturday

Call: 859-271-5653

Online: Comedyoffbroadway.com

This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 3:24 PM.