Photos Courtney of Shark Party Media
You may know Danny Jolles from his various acting roles, such as George in the CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Jacob in Hulu's Ramy, and on Netflix's The Joel McHale Show. Six Parts is Jolles's debut special, but he is in no way a stranger to comedy. He has been performing stand-up for the last decade and has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central, and was one of the New Faces at the critically acclaimed Just For Laughs festival in 2017. In his first hour-long special, Jolles breaks from the ordinary and performs in six unique venues over the course of six nights, around the city of Los Angeles. According to Jolles, "Stand up is the greatest art form on the planet for many reasons, but one of the best reasons is that it can happen anywhere." He set out to prove this belief by recording his special in six parts - hence, the title of the special: across a range of venues, some typical for comedy and others, not so much.
What's the hardest thing about being a comedian during lockdowns and COVID-19 rules? Everything?
Honestly, everything about it was terrible. Doing shows on zooms was brutal. Then we all had to do shows outside and distanced. It's just been difficult. BUT, comics can't help but be comics. So we all figured out stuff. But I am very excited for life to come back! I need it! Reverse question what's the easiest and most exciting thing about being a comedian today?
The freedom to put out your stuff. You used to have to wait for others. This special was made to go on a streamer. But instead, we decided to just give it to the people and put it on YouTube. That's cool that that is an option for us. That wasn't always true!
Who's your favorite icon and why? What inspires you to be you? Icon all time?
Jerry Lewis. Modern-day icon? Chappelle is one of the most inspiring people on the planet. His writing and jokes are just on another planet. Tosh, Regan, Whitney, there are so many great comics right now. With that said, young comics and my friends get the most excited. Seeing Ramy, Taylor Tomlinson, Jak Knight, Hannah Einbinder, Etc. People that are working so hard and grinding. I love that.
Where would you like to take your career as the end game? Inspires me to be me?
I don't know. I guess audiences because they hate bs on stage. Anytime I'm not me, crowds let me know. Would you love your TV show, or would you like to move to movies? Clue! I have a lot of things I would like to do in my career, but end game-wise, my only goal is to become the best comedian I can. I want to be better next year than I am now, and better than a year after that one, and I hope if I can do that for the rest of my life, I can end up in a pretty good place by the end of my career.
Both?
I choose both! It's the same thing as when people ask me if I'd rather act or do stand up. There's no reason I can't do both and take both really seriously. That's my goal at least. Do everything I can to the best of my ability until I pass out from exhaustion.
How long does it take to write a great joke for you?
Matters the joke. Some of my jokes took me a couple of tries. It took me YEARS to finally get the wording exactly the way I want. I don't think you're ever settled with a joke until it's in a special. And even then, you always think of new tags or something that happens in the world that you can work in. A joke is never fully done.
How do you say humble and focused? What's a typical day like in your shoes? That is a very kind question. Typical day?
Honestly, there are no typical days in comedy because days change so much. I wake up and look at my schedule for the day. Podcasts I'm on, auditions I have to do, ETC. And then I fill those gaps with emails, writing, and panicking. Then at night, it's done as many shows as I can. Then I come back late. It's a 16-hour job a lot of the time.
How often are you on your social media accounts and which one is your favorite platform now?
UGH! Too much, and I hate how much time I have to spend on them. Instagram and TikTok I think both do a perfect job of helping people discover new comics. But that's now a part of my job. Spending time doing something on social media.
What should fan lookout for that you're in for this year and 2022?
Well, the main thing right now is watching my full special which is free on YouTube. Head over there. I'll also be in a big movie that I can't talk about. But trust me, big movie with my face appearing.
How can fans reach out to you via social media?
@dannyjolles and it's the nicest thing you can do for me! Please follow me!
