An Interview with Michael Angarano & Andre Hyland from ‘Laid’

LAID -- "Il Mostro del Sesso" Episode 108 -- Pictured: (l-r) Michael Angarano as Richie, Andre Hyland as Zack -- (Photo by: James Dittiger/PEACOCK)

Michael Angarano and Andre Hyland are a pair of talented actors that are quickly coming to dominate our screens large and small, and currently, they star as Richie and Zack in the new Peacock series, Laid, and we had the honor of sitting down with both of them to discuss this amazing new show.
 
John Betancour: Would love to start getting to know what inspired each of you as actors, to want to join this project?
 
Andre Hyland: Well, the creators have a good track record, so that, and then the script was really funny, and then also it was right on the heels of the strikes ending. So, it was just like, amazing and great to be back to work.
 
Michael Angarano: Yeah, it was a no brainer. It was a really great script that was genuinely funny. And Nahnatchka Khan is, is a genius slash beast, like she's just, you know, so incredibly smart and down to earth and funny and, like, just such a good person to work with. And also, like, Stephanie (Hsu) was somebody I had wanted to work with. And, yeah, it was just, it was also the character, like, it was such a fun character for me to play that there was pretty much, like, no reason to not want to be a part of this. And like, Andre said, it was like, hot off a yearlong strike in which nobody worked. And so, everybody who had read this script, and there were a lot of people who read this script, thought it was one of the, you know, better things they had read. And so, it was just exciting all around.
 
Andre Hyland: Yeah. So, I even read for different parts. I read for Richie, and then kind of came and went, “Okay,” and I got a call being like, “Can you do a chemistry read for a different character?” and I was like, “Oh, yeah.” And then I wound up playing, Zack, and I was, I think… we've talked about this earlier, just like, how they cast everybody really fit the writing and vice versa. I think it was, like, really well curated.
 
John Betancourt: That does actually bring me to my next question, because you're now a part of something that's very original and very refreshing for the airwaves, and I'm curious what it means to each of you to be a part of a project like this?
 
Andre Hyland: I feel like that's some that's an element you would always like to have in something. And it's, it's unfortunately kind of rare. So, it's great to get to do that, to feel like you're part of something that feels different than everything else.
 
Michael Angarano: Yeah, like, first you want to have a good experience. Then if something's creatively satisfying, that's just a plus. But people watching it is the ultimate, the ultimate plus. And so, the show just feels like, you know, it has the potential to, like, you know, be accessible to a lot of different people, just not like the industry or a certain group. So, it feels it's exciting in that sense, yeah,
 
Andre Hyland: Yeah, almost like it's got a big reach, but it's still a unique project.
 
Michael Angarano: Yeah, it was totally, it's a tough combo.
 
John Betancourt: I think there's a lot of layers and a lot of themes here, people can latch on to. And I'm curious if there's a particular theme or message that you hope the audience takes away from season one.
 
Andre Hyland: Treat people nice they sleep with. (Laughter from everyone.)
 
Michael Angarano: That's certainly one. I, just thematically, I really, like, I really appreciate how the show, like, talks about sex and death, doesn't take itself too seriously, obviously. But it's also like, you know, I just appreciate the sort of full -- the flawed characters, and how we're treating these people and how, you know, we're watching them actively make and retroactively make many mistakes. And you know, they're just kind of figuring their shit out. It's, it's messy. It's very messy in that sense. And that's, that's nice. That is a nice thing to see. It's a less watered-down version of that, you know?
 
John Betancourt: Obviously there's more than just, you know, the depth and what we kind of talked about and some of the magic of it. It's just purely a funny show in general. And I'm curious, from a more general standpoint, what are each of you most excited for audiences to experience when they tune in?
 
Andre Hyland: I, like, there's some… I mean… stuff I can't and don't want to say, but I just like, sort of the twists and turns of the show. Like, it's a fun one to watch, not knowing what's going to happen. There's a better way of putting it, yeah. I'm also like, I like to go to movies in as blind as I can, but I feel like this is a kind of show where you want that, you get the premise, and that's like, I don't know, to get further into it. It's like, I don't know there's stuff I'm excited about that I experienced. But just as a viewer, I think it's just fun to watch it unfold without knowing what's going to happen.
 
Michael Angarano: I think just nostalgically for me, especially like millennials in general, like the show, feels a little bit like a throwback to the kind of, you know, raunchy or romantic comedies that were being made in the 90s, like dark comedies, a little bit like Jawbreaker, Drop Dead Gorgeous, or… Forrest Gump, yeah. You know, old Zemeckis, prime Zemeckis? No, it just, it just feels like it has that reverential throwback vibe to me, a little bit that I think people will click into.
 
John Betancourt: Last question I have for you… if you had to use one word to describe this series, what would it be?
 
Andre Hyland: Oooh. One word. My first thought is like, regret, but that doesn’t say it all.
 
Michael Angarano: This is hard… what have other people said?
 
John Betancourt: Have to be honest I haven’t asked this question to anyone from Laid, today. I’ll take more than one word if it helps.
 
Andre Hyland: I’ll just go with kimono for me.
 
Michael Angarano: Yeah, I’ll just go with relationships.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.