Comic
Idols
SheKnows: Who were some of the performers that you looked up to growing up?
Jon Heder: I loved Jeff Bridges, I’ve always enjoyed his work. Anybody who was in a Coen Brothers film, I just thought they were great. In terms of comedy, when I was young,
especially in the ’90s, Jim Carey was a huge thing for me. When you’re a kid, you don’t think of comedy, you like stuff, but you don’t think about a single person. It
wasn’t until the ’90s when I was coming into high school that Jim Carey started doing stuff, and it was like, “Wow, this guy, he can do anything!” So he was a big influence
on me, especially when it came to physical comedy. I loved his stuff.
Dax Shepard: I would say that Bill Murray is my all-time favorite. If there was any career I would want, it would be his. But as far as an actor who I kind of identified with or I
thought, like “Oh, maybe I could do this” — I was obsessed with Nicolas Cage when I was a teenager back when he was making
movies like Vampire’s Kiss and Raising Arizona, all the movies where he was taking these huge swings. I thought, “Oh, OK, this guy’s pretty average looking,
maybe they’ll hire me!” You don’t have to look like Brad Pitt!
SheKnows: And, did you grow up in a household where there was an appreciation of comedy, or were you just always just
the funniest guy in the room?
Jon Heder: Not in my family. I had a whole bunch of brothers growing up. But we absolutely loved comedy. I mean, The Simpson’s changed our lives. We were all between
middle school and high school when The Simpson’s came out. I remember when we were really young watching the Monkeys on MTV, I think it was! It sounds weird, but I grew up watching
the Three Stooges! Even when we were young, I remember my brothers and just dying laughing and rolling on the floor.
SheKnows: And, did you grow up in a household where there was an appreciation of comedy, or were you just always just the funniest guy in the room?
SheKnows: Now Dax, we are really excited that Parenthood is finally seeing the light of day at NBC.
Dax Shepard: Oh my God, it’s the greatest experience ever. Everyone on the show is so good. Again, another cast of characters that I can’t believe I’m among.
There are 14 of us, so the schedule’s not terrible. You drive in and out of work while the sun’s still up. It’s a really, a really nice job, I hope it goes on forever.
SheKnows: Totally, and we’re really eager to see it. I think the buzz out here is pretty hot for it.
Dax Shepard: Oh, that’s good.
SheKnows: Yeah, I sensed it from the people missing it when it wasn’t there.
Dax Shepard: Well, that’s nice. I have this gut feeling that it’s just too good to be true, like something needs to be difficult about it, but it’s not. I keep
feeling in my gut, like, “No, you’re not this lucky. There’s no way you’re actually on this show and it’s going to all work out.”
SheKnows: Cheers to luck! Lastly, now Dax, did you grow up a household that really loved?
Dax Shepard: You know, I’m a middle child and I think I was the peace keeper and I achieved that through being funny, I believe. My mother is also very, very funny and very
liberal. You weren’t afraid. We had a lot of free reign. Freedom of speech was very big in my household so I got to try out every different brand of comedy growing up without any kind of
judgment or her putting the brakes on me.
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