Parental Advisory Spoiler Alert : NPR

Actor and comedian Paul Scheer maintains an incredibly high standard for the roles he accepts — even when he doesn’t have any idea who he’s playing. Known for his work with the sketch comedy team Human Giant and his role on the FX sitcom The League, Scheer also co-hosts the podcast How Did This Get Made?, which celebrates (and eviscerates) some of the worst movies ever made. He recently had a recurring role on HBO’s VEEP, one of his very favorite shows, and he spoke to host Ophira Eisenberg about the air of mystery that surrounds such a spoiler-free series. “I got a call from the showrunner Dave Mandel,” Scheer recalled. “He said, ‘Here’s the deal: I can’t tell you who you’re playing and you don’t have a name. Just come to set and we’ll figure it out.'”

Scheer got his start as an improviser at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and inadvertently inspired his Ask Me Another opponent to become a comedian herself. D’Arcy Carden fell in love with improv after seeing Scheer perform at UCB. “I sat in the front row and it really was one of those moments where I was like, ‘I see God!'” she said. “I just was like, ‘This is what I want to do.'” After mastering the L.A. improv scene, Carden began a successful screen-acting career, making appearances on Broad City and in the film Other People. Carden currently stars on the NBC sitcom The Good Place as Janet, a Siri-like concierge. She told Eisenberg about the new affinity she feels for tech tools like Siri and Alexa, and how it can ruin her social life. “The host of [this] party sort of yelled at Alexa,” Carden said, “in a way that was so upsetting to me. It really…deeply affected me.”

Our first two Famepocalypse celebri-testants faced off in a radio-friendly cinematic challenge, naming films from the MPAA’s explanation for their ratings.

Heard On Los Angeles: Famepocalypse Part One

HIGHLIGHTS

Paul Scheer On The Downside Of Appearing On VEEP

People will come up to me like, “Wow, you’re really, like, a real a-hole on that show.”

D’Arcy Carden On Technological Ethics

I think part of the Alexa or Siri thing should be you have to say ‘please’ in order to get her to do what you want.