Louis C.K.spoke about his new show, Horace and Pete, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!Wednesday, and explained why he surprise-released the serieson his website with no fanfare or advance warning.
Horace and Petecenters around a group of day drinkers at a bar that, C.K. joked, is, like what the bar that Cheers was based on was probably really like, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Though the show boasts a top-notch cast that features C.K. alongside Steve Buscemi, Edie Falco, Alan Alda and Jessica Lange, the comedian insisted there be no promotion for Horace and Pete and announced its existence via an e-mail to fans.
To me, the exciting idea was for people to see this without having any idea what its going to be like, without having any expectation or idea, C.K. said. He added: Part of it was I wanted to cut out the middle man. I make a show, I literally output it on my MacBook and you watch it on your iPad. That was exciting to me. But heres the thing: When you cut out the middle man, you deal with the customers directly.
C.K. also spoke about casting Alda in the role of the surly Uncle Pete. While C.K. admitted he wasnt sure if Alda was right for the part, the actor was adamant about trying, and ended up delivering a performance that C.K. said made Horace and Pete worth watching in and of itself.
The comedian also spoke about not just working with, but directing,storied performers like Alda, Lange and Buscemi. Theyre all better than me, and theyve all done more than me, and theyre higher-caliber in every way than I am but you cant make them feel that way, because then theyre lost, C.K. said. They need direction; theyre actors. Ive had great actors come on to something Im doing, and I go, Im such a huge fan! And you just see theirface go, Oh, shit.'
