The Man behind the laughs with Felipe Esparza
Felipe Esparza is a stand-up comedian and actor, known for his 2012 stand-up special “They’re Not Gonna Laugh at You”, his recurring appearances on “Superstore” and “The Eric Andre Show”, “Last Comic Standing” (winner – 2010), his podcast “What’s Up Fool?” on the All Things Comedy Network and his latest stand-up special”bad dedecisio", which premiered on netflix in september 2020 and continues to run on netflix .
visit FelipesWorld.com for Tour dates, news etc.
1. At what age did you know you wanted to be a comedian?
(Felipe esparza)
12 or 13, but not really until I was 20.I had always tried to be funny, bagging on people I grew up with in the projects, joking/charming my way out of situations. But it wasn’t until I went to rehab when I was 20 when I finally realized it as an actual dream I could follow. Before that, like a typical kid from the hood, I thought life was over at 18. By the time I was 18, I had 1 kid and another on the way, a drinking problem and had just had to drop out of high school to support my new family – so I thought the end was near. Rehab was the first time anyone ever asked me about my goals and dreams and it was there that I looked back on one of my earliest memories with comedy – listening to an old Cosby album (“My Brother Russell, Whom I Slept With”) on a record player in my friend’s garage when I was about 12 or 13. I realized that I really enjoyed that and I remember wishing I could be that funny one day.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
2 .Who do you think is successfull and the most influential in your
genre and why?
(Felipe Ezparza )
Kevin Hart, Joe Rogan and George Lopez.They’re 3 different comedians who are each going in a different direction in comedy that’s new and also being successful at it. Kevin Hart is probably the biggest comedian ever. I don’t think there’s ever been a comedian who’s been selling out 70,000 seat venues AND having multi-million dollar movies in theaters.
Joe Rogan started his podcast when everyone else was just doing it as a hobby. He broke ground with how he did his show. He’s also very active on social media and with his fans – just like Kevin. George has everything a comedian thinks of when they think of success – a successful touring career as a stand-up, a popular sitcom that’s gone into syndication 5 times already, he had a talk show, and all the while he still stayed 100% George. He’s the same George now as when I met him years ago before his sitcom. He’s also adding a lot of politics into his comedy lately and that’s new for a Latino comic to explore that. We haven’t really had that yet in the Latino comedy scene – a strong political comedian. It’s a turn he is taking lately and it’s natural for him to make that move with Trump in office and George being an undeniably American comic who’s also culturally Mexican.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
3. So your a frequent cast member on Superstore, what aspect in
acting excites you the most and what discourages you the most?
(Felipe Ezparza )
Getting the role excites me. Getting the role and having to keep working on my acting discourages me. I hate auditions. I’m working on my acting more now and I have a teacher I see each week. But I don’t have a lot of time to work on it since I’m on the road so much. Most of the TV and film roles I’ve gotten were because the director or producer or writer liked me and put me in it – even Superstore. I’m grateful for those people who throw comics a bone here and there. My standup is my main focus, but I like acting. It’s fun. I have a show getting started in development now and I’m working on my acting more so I’m ready if that goes forward. If I got a long term acting gig I guess I’d take a break from the road for a while, but standup is my real love.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
4. What are your plans on acting and touring wise?
(Felipe esparza)
Im working on developing a sitcom based on my life with my wife and her son, my family, etc. – working on that with One Race (Vin Diesel’s production company). It’s still early and we’re meeting with writers to find the right fit, but that’s what’s in the works. Also, I just did a sizzle reel for an unscripted show with SONAR Entertainment and that’s a show that has me doing a little bit of stand-up in pop-ups along the proposed border wall path – both sides of the proposed wall. Along the way, I interview people in each town who have a story to tell about how the existing wall has affected them already and what they think of the proposed wall and the politics around it. I’m not a political comedian, though, so it won’t be heavy on the politics – this is focused on the people on each side and their stories.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
5. If you can name one word to describe your fans what would it
be and why?
(Felipe esparza )
Loyal. I’ve had so many fans who started following me before there was a way to follow you – before social media lol. Some of them bought my old comedy CD after live shows back in the day. These were bootlegs, people… I would copy my own album onto a CD that just said “Memorex” on it and then I would sell that CD with no cover, no sleeve even and they’d buy it for $20. That’s a hustle! Now sometimes I get those people at my shows who tell me that they own one of those CDs and where they bought it off me. I always offer them a new DVD or CD to replace that old bootleg one and they refuse. They love having the old one. They love the memory of it and of us chatting after the show when they bought it. I don’t think I’ll ever in my life turn down a fan for a photo or not say hi to them. I worked too hard to get here, why reject attention when it starts coming at you?
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
6. Where are you originally from?
(Felipe esparza)
Born in Sinaloa Mexico. Came to the U.S. when I was about 5. Grew up in Pico Aliso/Aliso Village housing projects in Boyle Heights (a neighborhood near downtown L.A. and East L.A. – well known for it’s multiple street gangs in the 80s and 90s). Now I live in the suburbs of L.A. lol.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
7. What's the craziest thing that has happened during tour?
(Felipe esparza)
People might not believe this, but my road life is pretty tame. I am sober now so I don’t go to bars or stay out partying after shows. I go straight back to my hotel to wind down and sleep. I usually have to fly out the next morning. The life of a comic is not that glamorous or exciting on the road.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
8. Would you ever consider making your own comedy film and if so what actors would you like to work with?
(Felipe esparza )
I want to make films/TV shows, but I’d prefer to work with strange and unknown actors. I’d like to work with my friend Emilio Rivera (he started as a comic), Michael Pena, Salma Hayek, Tom Hardy.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
9. when was your first comedy stand up performance and how did
it turn out?
(Felipe esparza)
1993 at a little place called the Natural Fudge. It was a health food restaurant and they had an open mic with comics and punk bands in between. It went great. I wanted to do it again right away.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
10. What motivated you in the beginning in pursuing your dream?
(Felipe esparza)
I ran out of things I wasn’t good at.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
11. Do you ever get stage frieight and if so how do you overcome it?
(Felipe esparza)
Yes, I get stage fright, but it goes away right when I get on stage and grab the mic.
(The SoulRiffic Magazine )
(Felipe esparza)
Shout out to Paul Rodriguez. Just because.
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