‘Night Court’ – ‘Taught and Bothered’ Post-Mortem Interview with Ryan Hansen

NIGHT COURT -- "Taught and Bothered" Episode 208 -- Pictured: (l-r) Melissa Rauch as Abby Stone, Ryan Hansen as Jake -- (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)

Ryan Hansen is a modern legend in the world of comedy, thanks to his turn as Kyle Bradway in the iconic series, Party Down, and he recently put his comedic chops on display again by playing Jake on this week’s episode of Night Court on NBC. And we here at NTG were fortunate enough to sit down with Ryan to discuss his experiences in Judge Abby’s Stone iconic courtroom.
 
John Betancourt: How did you come to play Jake?
 
Ryan Hansen: Oh, they asked me to do it.
 
John Betancourt: Perfect. That was easy. (Laughter from Ryan and John)
 
Ryan Hansen: They sent me the script about Jake, and I loved it. The character is an HR guy, you know, kind of trying to keep everybody in order. And I thought it was great. And I love a multi-cam. Who doesn’t? I mean, it's the most fun. It's the best schedule, and the cast is incredible.
 
John Betancourt: You actually bring up a lot of what I want to talk about today. Your experiences in shooting this, and that leads me to ask, what do you as an actor have to do differently to prepare for a multi-cam show versus a single-cam?
 
Ryan Hansen: The lines change all day, every day, you know, you shoot for you know, we rehearse for a week or whatever. So, the lines are changing almost every day, even up until you know the day before. And then. So, the live audience, you’ve got to prepare for it. That's always nerve racking. But once you kind of get your first couple takes in with the audience and stuff, then you kind of settle into it and like, and then it's like, you know, the best, because like the audience is there for you. They're cheering for you all that stuff. It's very fun. But then they'll throw in alternate stuff. Like sometimes they'll change the entire scene. So that can be nerve racking. And you gotta kind of like learn your lines real quick on this. Thankfully, we didn't have to change the entire scene. But I've been on multi-cams before where we have done that, it's very stressful. But you know, it kind of works. They know what they're doing. They know that if the audience isn't laughing, we got to switch it up.
 
John Betancourt: That leads me to my next question. Because Jake turned out to be a very well fleshed out, very well-rounded character. How did you as an actor, build him to have such depth in such a short timeframe?
 
Ryan Hansen: Oh, well, that's nice of you to say that I have depth, I don't usually get that compliment. So, thank you so much. For my character. I think it's kind of all on the page. I'm not like my character at all. Not very, very, like, by the rules. And like, “this is how we do things,” you know? So, for me, it's very fun to play that character. And so yeah, it's just kind of like, diving into what they wrote and kind of like, “what would this guy do with this type of thing”, you know, and then playing off of Melissa (Rauch), she really made it easy, because she was, you know, butting heads with me the whole time. And I'm just trying to stay the straight guy pretty much for it. So that that made it easy. You know?
 
John Betancourt: Let's talk a bit about the experience. Because you mentioned that obviously, there's a little bit of nerves that come into multi-cam. I've been hearing this a lot lately, so, how do you, outside of the takes, what else do you do to kind of get into that, that calmness that you need to have to really perform?
 
Ryan Hansen: So, if I know my lines, which I try to do, you know, it's my job. (Laughter) I feel pretty good about it. And then I think honestly, after the first take, you kind of settle into it, and then you get a little more loose, and then you can kind of like play with it. But other than that, I mean, I don't know, you just kind of gotta be ready for it and know that it's gonna be okay. I've been doing this for so long. Now. I'm like, “Okay, I'm here for a reason. I, they wanted me for a reason.” So, you just kind of go for it and trust your instincts and, and all that stuff, and let it let it rip.
 
John Betancourt: Now, to follow up on that, I heard last week at the NBC press tour, that there's kind of an energy that comes out of live audiences. So that really kind of fuels you. Can you elaborate on that energy a bit?
 
Ryan Hansen: Yeah, for sure. Because, you know, sometimes we pre shoot a few scenes the day before the live audience. And you can even tell then, the energy in the room is different. Like, I don't know what it is. I mean, because they still have like, the writers and the crew is free to laugh when there's not an audience, you know, because there will be laughter.
 
John Betancourt: So, let’s talk a bit about the wonder of well, being in that courtroom. Because it is an iconic set from an iconic franchise, what was that like?
 
Ryan Hansen: It's so cool. My parents were, you know, over the moon that I was gonna be on the show. They loved this show growing up. I wasn't allowed to watch it. Obviously seen episodes, you know, later in life, and reruns and all that stuff. But yeah, and then having just John (Larroquette) there, he's such an iconic dude. I mean, he's like a legend, you know? So, it was so cool to be around him and, on his set, and all that stuff. Yeah, very surreal. Very, very, very cool to be a part of like a such an iconic show. And that it's back, and it's different, but it's the same, and it's just wonderful to be a part of.
 
John Betancourt: Is there any pressure that comes with stepping into an iconic set like that?
 
Ryan Hansen: Yeah, I think leading up to it for sure. And, you know, but once I met everybody, everyone was so welcome and so cool, because that's not always the case as a guest star when you jump on a show, you know, a lot of times they have their little bubble that they're in and they're like, “hi,” you know, but everyone here was like, let's work on this together, you know, it's like, we're doing a play, basically, you know, so if that vibe was different, and they were so cool, Melissa, couldn't be kinder and welcoming. And as far as everybody else India (de Beaufort), and you know Lacretta and John, and I'm just naming the cast now. But yeah.
 
John Betancourt: What did you enjoy the most about this experience?
 
Ryan Hansen: I think the live audience part, which I was the most nervous for, as well, because I didn't really I didn't, I grew up doing musical theater, which is in front of a live audience, but I didn't do like a play, never any strict plays or anything. So, to get to do that, and perform and then have the audience react immediately, is very satisfying. Because, you know, if you do a single camera, you kind of wait and see what people think, you know, the cast and crew think it's funny, but you never know exactly right, then if it's funny or not.
 
John Betancourt: To dig in a little deeper on the iconic standing of the show, why do you think it continues to hold on the way that it does?
 
Ryan Hansen: Yeah, I think the format is so cool. I mean, they're set up, like it's the courtroom, there's going to be a weird thing that happens every episode. It's kind of perfect. I mean, Party Down was kind of like that, too. We're gonna cater a weird, you know, every episode, so it's pretty perfect. I think that's why it was able to come back because it's kind of timeless, there's still a courtroom. There are still weird people. And John is still killing it. So why not?
 
John Betancourt: What does it mean to you personally, to now be a part of this iconic franchise?
 
Ryan Hansen: I mean, it's like… my wife, and I watch Friends every night. So, to be a part of a show that's, like, timeless, and you can watch at any time in life and be like this, it just feels good. Like, it's like comfort food, you know, almost. So, it's like to be a part of a show that you can watch… forever… is awesome.
 
John Betancourt: So, I do have to ask, will this be the only time we see Jake on the show?
 
Ryan Hansen: You know, being opposite Melissa is incredible. She's so sweet. So kind. So, giving as an actor, she's just the coolest and made me feel, so welcome and made me feel good about what I was doing. And it's great. So, I’m hopeful I get to come back and enjoy more of that.
 
John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes to work here, and in general as an actor, really?
 
Ryan Hansen Gosh, what am I most proud of? I'm just I'm proud to be still doing this. To be honest. Like, it's such a privilege to be an actor and to be working. And because you know… you feel… like… when there's a COVID or a strike and you're not working, you're like, “Well, what do I… What!?” You know? So, to be able to do it. I've been doing this for over 20 years now, which is wild. And so, I guess I'm most proud of just continuing to work.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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