An Interview with Raymond Lee from ‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’

Raymond Lee as Sam in ‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’.

Actor Raymond Lee plays Sam on the hit new series, Kevin Can F**k Himself, and he was gracious enough to sit down with us to discuss acting and his experiences on the show.
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John Betancourt: So, let’s talk a little bit about what got you into acting.

Raymond Lee: Oh, boy. Big question. You know, I think I was just not a good student because I just needed too much attention growing up and I figured out a way to get that attention. And now I'm trying to make a living with trying to get that attention. So, I think it's just a matter of a lack of attention.

John Betancourt: Well, that’s a great reason, now you have it! And in keeping with that acting theme, what is it then that attracted you to the role of Sam?

Raymond Lee: You know, the script attracted me a lot. And I thought it was just such a unique and original idea. And the fact that there was this character that sort of exists in a really personal space to Allison's and the convention was so cool. And the character himself, Sam, has a lot of layers to him. He has a kind of a past that he's trying to run away from and that he's trying to, you know, rewrite. And I just love that he has this unrequited love that shows kind of back up in his life. And I liked working through all of that and figuring out where that lives in me and yeah, it’s an opportunity to work with Annie Murphy as well. It's just too many pluses and it’s on AMC, just, the list goes on.

John Betancourt: Now you mentioned something there, working through layers and I want to touch upon that a little further by asking, how much of your own personal experiences have you managed to inject into Sam?

Raymond Lee: You know, quite a bit. You know, being married for quite a while, trying to get a career started, that is not unlike, I imagine, trying to open up a diner and to make that work in an area that that might not really serve a diner like this. You know, you're going against all odds and Sam kind of thought like me, kind of spoke like me, there was a lot of just kind of similarities to wanting to become a better person, wanting to be a good person for somebody else. You know, there are quite a bit of similarities, but also many things that aren't like me at all. Because I do have a great relationship with my wife’s parents and her. But being from a small town also was interesting to me. Just many things, you know. 

John Betancourt: If I could, I’d like to circle back real quick to the word ‘unique’ that you used earlier o describe the show, because I am quite curious as to what you think makes this show so incredibly special?

Raymond Lee: You know, I think there are really standout characters and performances and themes that we haven't really addressed in this way. And it's cool to see sort of a modern-day ‘Thelma and Louise’ played out in Worcester, Massachusetts. And I just think that these characters are just so enigmatic. They kind of have their own gravitational pull to them too, that sort of attracts a lot of bad or precarious situations. And to see these two characters work through that is really cool. And to also have that coupled with an entire sitcom world that they have zero control over and that it's just being done onto them and seeing how they respond to that in their own personal lives, that is just really marvelous to watch as a viewer. 

John Betancourt: Now in regard to the sitcom aspect you just mentioned, you’re actually one of the few actors that has managed to appear in both the sitcom portion of the show and the more grittier and dramatic aspects of the show. As an actor, what do you do to change that mindset? Because I'm sure it has to be night and day to be all jokey and happy on set like that, and then have the grit that comes so quickly afterwards like it did in ‘The Grand Victorian’.

Raymond Lee: I think just like physically having more people around. Because when Sam and Allison are together it's very much just Annie and I doing our scenes and it feels very intimate because of the pandemic. Because we had a very stripped-down crew. So, I thought, like a lot of times we're filming an indie movie almost. And then to show up on set on a sitcom day, you have four cameras with multiple operators. It's just wide open. You have the ‘laughers’. You have other actors, the energy fuels you. But as far as performance is concerned, they just wanted things just a little more heightened and a little more played out to the camera and the words did the rest. And we have very keen direction, too. So, performance wise, it didn't feel like I was doing too much more. But it also helped to have the energy of Eric Petersen and to navigate that and to have that fuel me and to just work off of it and then hit the ball back to him, that was all super-duper fun. But just to physically have more people in a space just makes the whole thing much more exciting and active.

John Betancourt: So, what you would say you are most proud of when it comes to this series, and your career?

Raymond Lee: So, you know, just being a part of it feels really cool, just getting to act across Annie Murphy is really cool. Getting to be a part of the show that I loved on the page and that I love in execution and to work with people that I truly admire, and respect and think are brilliant, I think to me is a really big accomplishment. You know, you get these moments in life where you look around and you go, ‘hey, I'm doing exactly what I want to do’, which is really neat. So, I guess that answers both questions of what I enjoy doing with the show and where I feel accomplished in my career, because so many times we don't feel that way. So many times, we're always thinking the grass is greener. But when you can look up and think like, ‘oh, I'm kind of on the green side right now.’ It's a neat feeling to feel it to be a part of a show that people are enjoying as well.

John Betancourt: So, without any spoilers, what are you looking forward to fans experiencing the most as we close in on the end of season one?

Raymond Lee: Just for everyone to see what happens, just to see where the convention goes, just to see where the character goes, and, there are cliffhangers that need explanation and for viewers to tune in – and it's cool to also kind of try to predict what's going to happen because it's pretty unpredictable. So, yeah, I'm excited for all of that to unfold.

John Betancourt: Before we go, is there anything else you want to the fans?

Raymond Lee:  Just keep on watching and keep on supporting us. And I promise we have a lot of fun and a lot of interesting things to uncover down the road. So, let's all keep rooting for season two.

This interview was lightly edited for clarity.

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