Comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis is bringing the funnies to the El Rey Theatre today as a headliner for “Alt Comedy All-Stars,” a benefit show for the nonprofit Comedy Gives Back. The group provides comedians with financial crisis relief, mental health resources, and community support. The show’s lineup also includes Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, and Bob Odenkirk.
Galifianakis explains that during the COVID pandemic, some comics weren’t able to pay rent, thus Comedy Gives Back sprang up to lend a hand: “It is a safety net. … I think comics having something to fall back on or rely on, or knowing that’s there is really important.”
Comedy Gives Back’s ethos is that while comedians may perform alone on stage, they should never feel alone off stage. Comics can go to the group’s website to get connected with free therapy, addiction treatment, financial grants, and more.
As for Galifianakis’ own career, he started as a stand-up comedian in New York before his breakthrough roles in Between Two Ferns and the 2009 blockbuster The Hangover. Despite his reputation as a resident funny man, Galifianakis hopes to do more dramatic acting roles like his role as Ty Warner in last year’s Beanie Bubble.
“I think [dramatic acting] is easier [than comedy]. … Comedy takes an extra layer [in that] you need a response. … Comedy is opinionated. Drama is not as opinionated to me. … I think actors and comics are different,” explains Galifianakis.
While he may be best known as an actor, Galifianakis considers himself a comic first. “As far as comedy goes, I was really influenced by my Greek family. … They knew how to make people laugh, and I observed it because I thought it was special. … I thought, ‘Wow … [could I] figure out how to do that for a living?’ Because my father [would tell me], ‘Just do something you love.’”
