“The Four Seasons” writers often mine their own lives and their spouses for material for their Netflix comedies. However, for one of the storylines in season 2, producers drew inspiration from real events that happened on set.
Early in Season 2 of The Four Seasons, a group of vacationers are forced to isolate in a cabin as a deranged criminal is on the loose. It turns out that something actually happened on the show during the production of Season 1.
“As Coleman’s[Domingo]character says, ‘It’s a state too far,’ and we were filming, and I remember being in the trailer at lunchtime and thinking, ‘This is so weird, because normally I’d be back to hair and makeup by now,'” recalls star Kelly Kenny-Silver, who plays Anne (Nick’s ex-wife, played by Steve Carell).
“Then they finally came and said, ‘Actually, you guys are going home,'” she continued. “Everyone was whispering and I thought, ‘Well, did someone get stuck in a crane or something and lose a leg or something?'” No, there was an investigation, there was a person at large with a weapon, and the whole area was put on lockdown. They had to evacuate us, the crew, everyone to a safe location. It’s not interesting at all. Yes, life imitates art. ”
Well, most of us have probably never experienced a lockdown where we were forced indoors like crazy. But the show checks in with the characters on vacation every few months, so we’ve all hit life’s curveballs just like the characters in “The Four Seasons.” And that empathy is what drives “The Four Seasons.”
“I feel very watched,” says Will Forte, who plays Jack, the schoolteacher who is married to Kate, played by Tina Fey. “The writers do a great job of bringing out all the moments that are very relatable. I understand my own character very well,” he says. “There are a lot of familiar topics that come up. I’m really honored to be a part of this show. The script is really great and perfect.”
Kenny-Silver added. “I grew up watching George Carlin, and the most interesting things to me are the timeless observations about human behavior and relationships. And[the Four Seasons writers]are very good at that. They’re very good at not overexplaining it. With a hand, sometimes it’s just a throwaway joke that makes me want to stop and rewind. It’s not a joke at all, but Tina in particular is very good at that kind of thing. It’s like an arrow hit that human act, which is a part of us that we can all relate to. ”
Forte and Kenny-Silver spoke on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast about Season 2 of “The Four Seasons” and how fun it is to watch the series several times to get all the references and jokes. Looking back on his first variety show appearance, he also took on a 10-question quiz. Listen below!
For Kenny-Silver, “The Four Seasons” gave her a chance to show off her range as her character navigates the end of her marriage (and the death of her ex-husband). In season 2, she helps Ginny (Erica Henningsen), a young woman who began dating Nick after his divorce from Anne, raise her new baby.
“This was the first time I’d gotten to do something other than a really funny comedy,” she says. “I studied to do this kind of work, grounded film and TV acting work. But I never had the opportunity to be a part of something like this, and I never thought I would be able to do it. To tell you the truth, it’s all in that script. If you really show up and do that script… If you can say the words and be honest and be true and see the great actors on the other side of the scene, you can’t help but win. I mean, it’s all there. It’s yours to mess up. So that’s what I did every day and try not to mess it up. ”
Forte replies: “I’ve always been a big fan of yours, but I didn’t know it was so impressive to have a front row seat to see everything, including your dramatic chops. You can do everything so well.”
Forte, on the other hand, is primarily known for his comedic talents (“MacGruber,” “The Last Man on Earth”), but he has also shown off his dramatic skills (“Nebraska”).
“There are a lot of elements of this character that are very similar to me in real life, but the way this character deals with grief and deals with different things is not necessarily the same way I do,” Forte points out. “So I’m trying to run it on my machine, and sometimes I’m just trying to see how I run it.”
Kenny Silver said: “I think people are surprised when they hear the words, ‘Take a stab at it.’” There are so many more layers to each character this season. This is something they do so beautifully in the script, especially when it comes to Jack, you can see this new layer that you mention, where we can actually see all of us really expressing anger. These were all one takes for my friend Will, and it was a really difficult scene. That was incredible to watch. ”
Kenny-Silver first appeared in Variety magazine on September 25, 1995, when she was nominated for a Cable Ace Award for Best Comedy Series for her part in “The State.” “For kids, there was this thing called the Cable Ace Award years ago, and it was the best award in the whole country,” Kenny Silver quips. “And I was nominated for one of them. I topped the Cable Ace Award!”
And for Forte, his first variety appearance, as reviewed on March 7, 1997, was as part of the writing team for “The Jenny McCarthy Show” (Bob Odenkirk, with whom Forte would later co-star in “Nebraska,” was also part of that team).
“What a fun group,” Forte reflects. “I think I was roommates with Jon Benjamin. He made everything funny. But Jon Glazer and I worked together a lot. Melissa McCarthy was the PA on that show!”
His second appearance came a year later, as part of the Emmy-nominated writing team for The Late Show with David Letterman. “Obviously it was so much fun to be nominated, but before I found out I was fired too! So it was bittersweet. You know, Letterman is one of my lifelong comedy heroes, so what an honor it was to have even a small part of the experience of writing for him.”
10 Questions with Will Forte and Jaelan Howell:
1. Childhood nickname: Forte: “‘I can take the pill.'” “Foreplay” was also one of the Foreskins of “Forte.” Or “Falte.” ” Kenny Silver: “Care Bear.”
2. Something I loved as a kid and can’t believe I’m obsessed with now: Forte: “Mine is Pixie Sticks. It’s just sugar, but now it’s too much!” Kenny Silver: “Mine would be that Stauffer’s Salisbury Steak Dinner. But that’s still mine.”
3. Songs you sing at karaoke or in the shower: Forte: “James Ingram’s ‘Just Once.’ Merle Haggard’s ‘Mama Tried.'” Black Sabbath, “War Pigs.” Kenny-Silver: “I hate karaoke! I like to sing while listening to a lot of yacht rock.”
4. Give us another title for your show: Forte: “Seasons.” Kenny-Silver: “By Season 13, they’ll be calling it ‘Seasons’ or ‘Sons’ or ‘SSSS.'”
5. What is your hidden talent?: Forte: “Probably skiing. I don’t think people know that I’m a skier. My dad was a big skier and loved skiing, so he got us on the ski team really early.” Kenny Silver: “I’m an amazing cake decorator, because I worked in college decorating cakes and cookies. So when I really wanted to get into it, my son’s first 14th birthday was a three- or four-layer cake, and I would often make it over a week or two.”
6. Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Specialty: “Jenni’s Gooey Butter Cake. Honorable mentions go to Haagen-Dazs Caramel Corn and Thrifty’s Double Chocolate Malted Crunch.” Kenny-Silver: “Cotton Candy. I like really gory stuff. The pink and blue can make my mouth blue for a few days.”
7. Items I can’t live without: Specialty: “Wife and kids.” Kenny Silver: “Why don’t you say that? Like, my wife and kids! Oh, wait, I have a husband and a son. They’re great.”
8. What TV show in history do you wish you had been a part of?: Specialty: “Cheers.” Kenny Silver: “Carol Burnett”
9. Fictional character you most admire: Kenny Silver: “I love Eloise in the book ‘Eloise.’ She’s the idea of living in the Plaza Hotel and dancing and jumping on the bed and eating candy without a care in the world.”
10. Favorite Advice: Kenny-Silver: “My favorite piece of advice I’ve ever received was from my mom. ‘Kelly, people will take you more seriously if you wear eye shadow,’ she said in the most loving words. She was the best mother ever and my biggest cheerleader. And she really meant it. And, you know, she wasn’t wrong. What do you think? I put on some eyeshadow for you guys today.” Forte: “Work-wise, it’s probably Bruce Dern doing the movie ‘Nebraska.” It was basically, “Just be honest. Just do everything honestly.” I don’t think it was very popular at the time. Because I thought that sounded very pointless as an actor. But the longer we were there, and the more he talked, the more I realized, “Oh, he’s absolutely right.” You have to find the truth about each character and try to be as honest as possible. Find the truth of the scene, maybe it’s an absurd sketch, and you just have to find the truth of that scene. ”
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tunkay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also serves as a producer, is your one-stop destination for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode’s “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talents and creators, discussions and debates about the awards race and industry headlines. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you download your podcasts.
