Up Close with Bill Hader

Up Close with Bill Hader

With memorable roles in films including Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Knocked Up, funnyman Bill Hader is increasingly becoming one of the more recognizable faces on the silver screen today. Best known for a hysterical roster of celebrity impersonations in his sixth season on Saturday Night Live, Hader is remarkably ordinary, humble, and headed for his first visit to Rhode Island this weekend. “I grew up in the mid-west and went to the West Coast,” he explains, adding he’s been seeing more of “the exotic Northeast” since settling in the Big Apple.

Hader is headed to the University of Rhode Island for An Evening with Bill Hader on Sunday evening at 7:30pm. “I cannot do stand up,” he concedes, so Hader likens the evening to an episode of  “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” minus the pretension. “I’ll hand it over to the audience,” he says. “I’d have loved it if some one I was a fan of came to my school and you could ask questions.” Admittedly, Hader says its “a little more nerve racking” hosting a completely unscripted question and answer session, because you never know where people are going to go, but it’s always interesting.” Comparatively, on talk shows there are time limits and commercial breaks, what he looks forward to on Sunday is a relaxed evening with lots of laughs. Hader is bringing with him film clips and video of SNL sketches, bringing an insider’s look at some of the most bellyaching scenes throughout his body of work.

The Big Break

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An Oklahoma native, Hader, 32, gained his funny footing cutting his teeth with one of the country’s premier comedy troupes, Second City, in Hollywood. Eventually he landed an audition with SNL, a surreal experience, and a coveted spot on the cast. Throughout the years, his more memorable impressions have included everyone from Ragin' Cajun pol James Carville to perennially spooky horror film legend Vincent Price. “Lorne [Michaels] is like, ‘Why are we doing him now?’” he laughs. “’Wasn’t he hot like 50 years ago?’” But the Price sketch rocked, and with sketch comedy, Hader explains, you never quite know what’s going to hit.

Early 2011 brings Hader two new releases: “Paul,” a sci-fi comedy, and "The Skeleton Twins," an off-beat dark comedy. Just this past Tuesday, media reports surfaced that Hader is a “strong possibly,” says actor Dan Aykroyd, for a starring role in “Ghostbusters 3,” which has not yet started filming. Sounds like a good question to ask on Sunday night.

Tickets to An Evening With Bill Hader are available at URI’s Memorial Union Box Office, Ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000 (students, $10; general public, $20, group discounts available).

Photo credit: above right, NBC; above left, Sony Pictures