Ryan ChartrandThe job from hell – we’ve all had one. (Or at least we’ve laughed hysterically while listening to other people share their horror stories from “the real world.”)
Whether it’s the babysitter who has to deal with stinky diapers and terror children, or the bartender who is forced to mop up drunken people’s vomit, there are always demeaning and/or embarrassing jobs out in the world that need to get done.
For actor and comedian Ryan Stiles, the transition into the working world wasn’t nearly as glamorous and exciting as people might think.
At the beginning of his career in the entertainment industry, Stiles was hired by the Coca Cola Co. to attend a televised tennis match . dressed up as a giant can of Coke.
“I really needed the cash. I had to wear a big wooden Coke can on my head. But about halfway through the match I decided I’d had enough, so I started to walk out,” Stiles said. “I could feel things hitting me in the back of the head as I left.”
Obviously, Stiles has come a long way from his days of pretending to be a giant can of soda. Audiences from all over the United States and England tuned in to watch and laugh as he cooked up crazy comedic antics as a cast member of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and Lewis Kiniski on “The Drew Carey Show,” for which he received an Emmy nomination.
Although ABC canceled both shows in the past three years, Stiles has continued to work in the industry as a performing and manager of his own improv theatre UpFront in Bellingham, Wash.
“I need to get on stage every once in a while or else I’d get a little nutty,” Stiles said.
He and former “Whose Line.?” cast members Greg Proops, Chip Esten and Jeff Davis bring their own comedy show “A Night of Improv” to the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center tonight at 7 p.m.
“I think (the audience) is going to like this even more than ‘Whose Line .?’ because it’s fluid and it’s fast- paced – it just blows by. It’s a lot of fun,” Stiles said.
The show is a 90-minute collection of improvised skits and musical numbers that the men have performed all over the west coast. The show will feature some familiar “Whose Line.?” favorites such as “Greatest Hits,” in which Stiles and Proops will pretend to host a music infomercial while Esten and Davis serenade an audience member.
“We try not to pick a girl who’s too young because it can look a little creepy,” Stiles said.
“A Night of Improv” will also feature original long-form acts and musical numbers accompanied by musical director Bob Gercach (a man who Stiles refers to as “the master”).
He also said that they won’t be using props or performing anything that has them standing in one place because the cast wants to use as much of the stage as possible.
“(The show) has a different feel that ‘Whose Line.’ We have more fun because we’re allowed to do what we do best, and we’re live,” he said.
Performing in front of an audience is nothing new for Stiles who got his start doing stand-up comedy in the late 1970s.
“I dropped out of high school and started doing stand-up in strip clubs and bars,” he said. “I really wouldn’t recommend it now, though, and my parents weren’t very happy about it either – but, luckily, it’s all worked out.”
He said that even though doing stand-up had its fair share of challenges and dive bars, he enjoyed the experience because he “was always learning and performing.”
Today, Stiles is most comfortable on stage doing what he likes best – improv.
“In stand-up, the audience has more of a ‘make me laugh’ attitude,” he said. “When you’re doing improv, there’s a more relaxed atmosphere and it’s more enjoyable for the performer.
“It’s harder to be a stand up comedian now because it’s more competitive. (It seems like) everyone’s doing it to get their own TV show,” he said.
Preparing for an improv show is a completely different process for Stiles as well. He said that unlike a stand-up show, which takes a long time to write and perfect, improv is more spontaneous and creative.
“We make up a list on a napkin about five minutes before the show,” he said.
“I like to stretch out before I go on stage so I don’t pull anything. And I think Chip reads a book right up until he goes on,” he said.
However, it’s Stiles’ naturally relaxed, down-to-earth attitude that gains the most respect and admiration from fellow improvisers.
“He appears to be so comfortable on stage and he looks like he’s having a lot of fun,” said history junior and Cal Poly Smile and Nod improv troupe member Kelsi Copeland.
“He’s just so quick and he never appears to be frazzled, even when he has something unexpected thrown at him. You can never tell if he’s pausing to think of something. And he has great shoes.”
Despite his popularity on television and on stage, Stiles prefers a quieter lifestyle.
“I’m not much of a party guy,” he said, adding that he prefers spending time with his wife and three children at their lakeside home in Washington.
“You have to get away from (Hollywood) once in a while … you have to do something you really enjoy,” he said.
Even though Stiles said he’s appreciated his success in Hollywood, it’s not a life he plans to rely on.
“I’d take money over fame any day . because you can’t pay the rent with fame. You can’t say ‘Hey, don’t you know who I am?’ to your land lord. He doesn’t care. He just wants his money.”