November 4, 2011

Fresh off wrapping up season eight of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” actor and comedian J.B. Smoove is in Columbia for the weekend. Performing his nationwide comedy routine Special Engagement at Deja Vu Comedy Club, Smoove is notorious for his character of Leon on “Curb,” as well as roles in “Date Night,” “Hall Pass,” “Mr. Deeds” and the upcoming “Ice Age” movie. Smoove, 46, having worked with the likes of Adam Sandler, Larry David, Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Jason Sudeikis, was kind enough to talk with MOVE.

**[MOVE]** What can you tell us about your comedy routine, Special Engagement, that you’ll be performing at Deja Vu Comedy Club this weekend?

**[J.B. Smoove]** It’s different. It’s out there. It’s me doing what I do. I’m very physical. At the same time, I’m very insightful. At the same time, I’m very in your face. It’s like me in 3D. It’s like JB in 3D. I improv a lot, because I’m from that world. I tend to like to entertain myself also. That’s because I’m coming to work, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a good time. To connect with people and give them a little bit of my world. I’m not the typical standup comedian … I break all the rules. I break every rule in the book in terms of standup.

**[M]** Have you been to Columbia before?

**[JBS]**First time at Deja Vu, isn’t that crazy? It’s called Deja damn Vu, like I’ve been here before, but it’s my first time at Deja damn Vu! You know what I mean? What am I supposed to remember if I haven’t been here before? First damn time at Deja Vu, I don’t remember a goddamn thing.

**[M]** You just wrapped up season eight of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” What’s it like working with Larry David?

**[JBS]**Larry is a damn fool. He is a rich fool. You know what Larry does? As Larry keeps getting money, he stacks his money in a certain way. I don’t think Larry has even touched his “Curb Your Enthusiasm” money. He is a specific kind of actor, he thinks (outside) the box and the stuff he picks for the show is stuff they’ve actually been through. So, this a great outlet for him to speak out to the world. With the improv format, he’s allowed to have fun without it being so restrictive as far as a script.

**[M]** Is improvisation the best part of your job?

**[JBS]** Yeah, that’s a fun part of the job. That’s the part of the job that makes me laugh, because I get a chance to dive in there and half the time I don’t know what the hell I’m going to say. But when that scene starts, because Larry tells me something of how he wants to do it, he allows me to step into my world, and do what I do. There is nothing better than that. We laugh constantly. It’s always so fun. Larry is a good dude, he’s the best I’ve worked with, and I’ve been on a lot of shows, but this I would say is the most fun I’ve ever had on any TV show that I’ve ever done.

**[M]**: Growing up, who was your inspiration to pursue comedy?

**[JBS]** I was inspired by so many people. So many TV shows inspired me to do standup comedy. I was a big fan of “The Andy Griffith Show,” a big fan of Peter Sellers (and) a big fan of older television shows. They actually allow these comedic actors to have fun. Comedic actors were a different breed back then. They were just different. It’s a little different now. To me, they are waiting for that next breakout comedian to come out and start all over again. I haven’t seen that in a while. I want to be in that boat.

**[M]** What advice would you give to a college student?

**[JBS]** Stay real. Be yourself. Make sure you know if that’s what you want to do, but at the same time, know what you want to do to a fault. Be open-minded to let people in; don’t burn any bridges. Try to be yourself throughout. Try and be the same guy that people always knew. (People will) see you years from now, and will say, “Man, you’re still the same.” You never know who you’re going to run into again. When you break out of that college, you’re moving on to do bigger and better things, you want the phone to keep ringing. You want the phone to keep ringing from colleagues, old classmates, from people who knew you already.

**[M]** What’s next on the agenda for you?

**[JBS]**I’m shooting a comedy special Nov. 13 in New York City at the New York City Comedy Festival. I just got on a new TV show with Amanda Peet. I’ve got three or four movies coming out… I’m hosting a show called the CLIO Awards, which is the awards for the best commercials of the year. I’m just trying to stay busy, I’m working on a new set. Just trying to keep it going, trying to go into the new year with a vision. I’m trying to be the Jay-Z of comedy one day. I’m trying to get my hands in everything.

J.B. Smoove performs at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3 for $12; 8 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 for $12; and 8 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 for $15.

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