Anders Keith on 'Frasier' Season 2: Audition Stories, On-Set Moments & David Crane’s Future

[00:00:09] Anders, thank you for joining me today on Pop Culture Unplugged.

[00:00:13] Thanks for having me.

[00:00:15] Excited times, my friend. We see you on Frasier Season 2, which we'll talk about soon. I was doing some research on you, man. I like the way your career's been going so far.

[00:00:27] Oh, thanks. My mom's happy too.

[00:00:33] That's awesome.

[00:00:35] I'm very happy to be where I am.

[00:00:39] I mean, for what I was doing the research, like I said, you know, your journey, man, you go from like theater 360 on stage to like jumping from there right into Frasier.

[00:00:49] Like, tell us a little real quick, like, you know, tell us real quickly about like, what drew you to acting?

[00:00:54] I saw that your grandparents were on like a little stage play or something like that somewhere.

[00:00:59] That's yeah, yeah. No, you're yes, that's that's absolutely right. Yeah. When I was 10, my grandparents,

[00:01:05] they were doing this series of self-written plays for their senior center. And on the third, the third installment, they thought they needed some new characters, some fresh blood. So they picked me.

[00:01:20] I, uh, seeing I didn't, I didn't have a extracurricular anything yet. I don't know. Maybe they just needed a kid, but they, uh, they said, come do this play.

[00:01:31] And, uh, I would go up every weekend and, uh, and we'd rehearse in a, you know, shed. Basically it was right next to like the, the feed room. It was an old farm, um, a mink farm, which is very, I don't know. Old, old fashioned.

[00:01:49] Yeah. Uh, anywho, uh, we did the play and it, we did two plays. We did that one and they thought it was, that's a success, you know, for themselves, not a success. And anyway, uh, and I was like, yeah, okay. Acting. Huh. Uh, and then I did another one. And then in the sequel, I played Groucho Marx.

[00:02:14] Okay. Um, and, and that was when it became challenging. And I went, oh, okay, this is, this is difficult. You really have to, you know, oh, I gotta be funny. That's, that's weird. Are these jokes? I don't understand. You know, I gotta watch these black and white movies for this. I gotta prepare, study someone else. This is, um, a great acting challenge. I, you know, how was I supposed to know at the time? But, um, after that I was like, okay, I need a break.

[00:03:09] Mm-hmm.

[00:03:12] I went to acting school for college. And then I, uh, went to Juilliard and, uh, did my time.

[00:03:20] There you go. Speaking of Juilliard, uh, how intense was that training? Tell us a little about that.

[00:03:25] Uh, intense, you know, uh, I think in a way I got lucky, not lucky, but, uh, COVID, COVID was during, uh, the pandemic was right during that.

[00:03:39] And, uh, uh, we, we had a, a year where we were doing some stuff on, on zoom. Uh, and it was a year I got to read a lot, practice more of the finer techniques, um, not really put them into practice, of course.

[00:03:57] Uh, so maybe, maybe I got an easy version, but, um, I like to think that year I didn't learn all the wrong things.

[00:04:06] That that was the year they were gonna, they were gonna break us and, uh, I got to skip out on that year.

[00:04:11] Um, but it, it, it, it was intense. Uh, people who go there, I, um, it takes a different kind of mindset.

[00:04:29] Uh, me, I was lucky I was just young and, uh, didn't know what I was getting myself into and, uh, just sort of went, okay, here I go.

[00:04:40] But it's, it's, uh, it's a wild place. I, I think the same can be said of, uh, other acting conservatories too, though, that it just, it puts you through, um, all the feelings that an actor should feel, uh, and, and must be able to feel and handle to be an actor.

[00:05:06] How, how did you transition now going from like a Juilliard theater? All of a sudden, all of a sudden now you're on Frasier.

[00:05:13] Yes. Uh, well, thankfully Frasier is sort of like a similar to a play, uh, in that there's literally an audience, um, and the sets are built with the fourth wall missing.

[00:05:27] Um, of course then there's four cameras filming us. So then, and you don't really have to project like you're in a theater cause there's boom mic sort of hovering right above you.

[00:05:39] And, but the, the style of performance is, is similar to, uh, play.

[00:05:50] Yeah. Uh, but, um, so, so that's been a, a fun transition, you know, something where the audience is still an active part of the creative experience and process.

[00:06:06] So, so we, so we see you as David Crane. Tell us a little about that. Tell us about the audition at first. Uh, and what was like the description?

[00:06:13] Yeah. Tell us about the audition.

[00:06:14] Well, I had to, uh, you know, they sent a self tape, uh, my agent, uh, and I went, oh, Frasier. Wow. Okay. I've heard of that.

[00:06:25] Um, and I taped it and then I taped it again because it wasn't right the first time.

[00:06:37] Uh, you know, I, I won't get into the details, but I, I decided, you know, I really got to be that guy this time.

[00:06:46] Um, this is a character who, who maybe does, isn't conscious if he's get, he's being annoying, maybe getting on your nerves, uh, overstepping, saying too much.

[00:06:59] Uh, I had to be that guy. So I re-taped it, sent that in, didn't hear anything, sort of just told friends, family, oh yeah, last audition I had.

[00:07:11] It was around, um, the Christmas, uh, Christmas, uh, it was around the holiday season.

[00:07:16] Yeah. And so, you know, everything was slow and I just sent it in and people were asking, oh, what have you auditioned for?

[00:07:23] Oh, last thing, uh, Frasier, you know, didn't hear anything.

[00:07:27] New year comes, they want you to come in. Chemistry read, Kelsey Grammar. Oh, okay.

[00:07:34] Uh, I go to the Paramount lot. I've never, this is, I've never had a callback either.

[00:07:38] This is my first, first callback. I'm like, oh, whatever. Okay. I go here. I walk into this place. It's huge. It's, there's people in it, but it's also kind of empty.

[00:07:47] It's sort of, it feels like you're on a college campus during like spring break. There's a few kids there, but not that, you know, it's what is this place?

[00:07:56] Um, go to a little room with, uh, Jeff Greenberg who cast the whole show. He also cast Modern Family, the original Frasier, worked on Cheers.

[00:08:08] Uh, wings, you know, I can go on and on. Uh, because it was my first callback, my manager and agent were able to swing that.

[00:08:17] I got a sort of a work. I got to work with him for a second, you know, couldn't have been more than six or seven minutes.

[00:08:23] Um, but, you know, and he was very, no, stop. Try it again. Do this, do that. And I was like, yeah, okay. Okay.

[00:08:34] And then he gives me, it gives me a note at the very end, uh, in the audition. I'm, I'm, I'm going to, yeah. Uh, in the audition, there was a, something that was not in any episode.

[00:08:45] It was sort of material just for the audition. Uh, a part, it seemed that, you know, David had, he, he was like, oh, I'm, I'm late.

[00:08:55] I saw, I was leaving my dorm and I saw this bird dot, dot, dot. Anyway, I'm here now. That was the line.

[00:09:02] And I sort of thought, oh, okay, well he's sort of ADHD. Oh, I was thinking about the bird. Oh, anyway, I'm here now.

[00:09:10] Jeff Greenberg says, no, no, something really bad happened to the bird. There was something messed, messed up about this bird.

[00:09:18] And so I get in the audition and I go, yeah, I was leaving my dorm and then I saw this bird. Anyway, I'm here now.

[00:09:27] And so I just sort of like, anyway, everybody left, but that was not me. That was, uh, I mean, I did it, but Jeff Greenberg, uh, lo and behold, uh, first, first audition.

[00:09:40] Uh, that was one of the first lines in the scene. And so then it was like, oh, this is, this is good. I go in, I go into the room.

[00:09:47] They whisk me in with Kelsey, with Kelsey and Kelsey. He's, he's, he's good because he started before I was ready, you know?

[00:09:57] And I'm not doing that with everybody because it's in a way, a gift of let's, let's start this, be in it. Now you're in it.

[00:10:06] Um, and that went well, as I was leaving the room, they, they seem to remember some other thing that I tripped on a plant.

[00:10:13] That's what the writers say. I don't remember that, but as I was leaving the room, there was this big dusty, um, like, you know, Coors Light sign.

[00:10:22] And I was just, you know, it was right by the door, literally like this high. And so I just, you know, as I'm walking out, I was just like, oh, dusty. That's dirty thing. I, you know, just saw how dusty it was.

[00:10:34] I don't know. And apparently every, as I was leaving, apparently that meant something to them and, and that was the audition.

[00:10:44] And so, uh, then it was like two more weeks and then I was in Frasier and it was, it was crazy. It was, it was crazy, especially considering in the first episode of the first season, they put me in the first scene.

[00:10:59] And I was like, ah, you know, never, I've never been on anything. I've, uh, at one point in one draft, I think I had the first line where I came in and it was like uncle Frazier. And I was like, they got, they got to change this. I cannot have the first line.

[00:11:15] Everybody will, will hate me. Um, thankfully Frazier had the first line. Um, anyway, that's that.

[00:11:26] Uh, so like, you know, with David, you know, also, you know, he's like now as a Daphne son, any pressure, try to like emulate these characters, like mannerisms or quirks to like the, put a fresh take on Dave.

[00:11:39] No pressure, no pressure, you know, but, uh, it's a gift that, that, that as an actor, you would have.

[00:11:49] Hours of, uh, material to be able to watch and learn what the, the music of the show is, could be our show has a different vibe to it, of course, but learning that rhythm and music in the original and of these characters and of my father and my mother.

[00:12:14] That's awesome. And so I don't feel pressure in that way. I feel, uh, excited and happy and grateful, but, uh, in terms of recreating, uh, you know, I'd say the first season we were definitely finding the character, uh, more and, and trying to be like, okay, we'll do a little Niles, a little Daphne, a little Niles, a little Daphne.

[00:12:39] And then as it went on and now, especially in this season, I think we found a nice place where yes, there are glimmers of Niles and Daphne.

[00:12:50] Um, but he is also the product of that, uh, of that marriage and, and love story.

[00:13:00] And, and my interpretation, uh, was always that it was a very great family to be in and that truly I w I was, uh, a healthy and well adjusted emotionally, but extremely sheltered.

[00:13:16] Um, and now I think, uh, especially in season two, we, we've leaned into the comedy of being a true innocent, uh, which when you look at sort of the comedy tropes that made the original Frasier, uh, uh, commedia dell'arte, uh, those sorts of things.

[00:13:34] Uh, uh, the, the idea of the innocent, the person who, who knows nothing and is, um, uh, uncorrupted is, is a classic archetype.

[00:13:46] And, uh, those things work.

[00:13:50] Yeah.

[00:13:50] Yeah.

[00:13:51] We've seen, you know, we all vote, you know, for the first two seasons too, you know, we've seen David grow in these two seasons too.

[00:13:57] What would you say is like the, what would you say for you is like the most rewarding part of playing this character?

[00:14:02] Great question.

[00:14:05] Uh, the rewarding part.

[00:14:12] Um, there's lots of report.

[00:14:15] Okay.

[00:14:16] Okay.

[00:14:17] I'll start with first, firstly, what I think is such a awesome opportunity about being, uh, being on a show like this.

[00:14:29] Where if you're in being on a sitcom, it allows a different language, as I was sort of saying, a music of storytelling that lends itself to the form.

[00:14:46] And because of that, I think there's opportunity for things like physical comedy.

[00:14:50] Yeah.

[00:14:51] Um, where sometimes that's out of place in other shows, uh, in a sitcom, it makes sense.

[00:15:00] And the hijinks, the misunderstanding, two people are in the same room, but one conversation is happening over here and they don't hear the other people.

[00:15:08] All these classic farce rules are allowed to live in this world.

[00:15:14] And, and when the show leans into that and when we're all plugged into that, it is an extremely rewarding experience.

[00:15:23] And you see it with Kelsey and Nicholas Lindhurst, of course.

[00:15:30] Yeah.

[00:15:30] They know exactly what is needed in terms of, um, focus of energy.

[00:15:37] All these things are things that are from the theater back to that.

[00:15:42] And, and being in that, that feeling of play, because this is, this is playtime.

[00:15:52] This is Kelsey's favorite character.

[00:15:54] And all of us are getting the chance to build a character that we really love too.

[00:15:58] Um, when we're playing, it's, it's extremely rewarding.

[00:16:03] Mm-hmm.

[00:16:05] You mentioned, you know, like, uh, you, you can mention Kelsey too, you know, uh, I like David's relationship with his uncle too.

[00:16:11] Like it's entertaining, it's touching, you know, like how would you, how would you describe that dynamic now on set?

[00:16:17] Uh, the, uh, the dynamic, basically I would say David looks up to his uncle so much.

[00:16:24] Yeah.

[00:16:25] Uh, like any young person, um, mesmerized maybe by his fame, his, uh, intellect, his, his, the respect he has, um, and therefore wants to impress.

[00:16:47] Yeah.

[00:16:47] His, his elder.

[00:16:49] Uh, but he also of course truly cares for his uncle and, uh, wants his uncle to respect him and, and see the effort he's putting in.

[00:17:00] Yeah.

[00:17:00] Uh, that doesn't usually work out for him, but, uh, such is life.

[00:17:06] Right, right.

[00:17:07] Where do you want to see like this character go?

[00:17:09] Where do you want to see David Crane go next?

[00:17:10] Uh, well, I, I would say he's probably a second year sophomore in college.

[00:17:24] Not his second year as a sophomore, but it's his second year.

[00:17:27] He's a sophomore comma.

[00:17:28] There's a comma in there.

[00:17:29] Okay.

[00:17:31] Uh, he, I think needs to experience the things a young person would at college.

[00:17:39] You know, maybe he accidentally goes to the wrong party and, uh, he, the cops show up.

[00:17:47] Oh no, David, you have to rise, save this group of kids.

[00:17:50] You know, uh, your fellow college students.

[00:17:54] Um, I, I would love to see more of him coming of age because yes, he's a, he's an adult, he's

[00:18:05] in college, but he's truly not a, a man yet.

[00:18:11] You know, he's figuring out who that is.

[00:18:14] And I think he, you know, needs at least, uh, you know, he needs to make some big mistakes.

[00:18:23] Hmm.

[00:18:25] I can see that maybe a David spinoff down the road.

[00:18:27] You never know.

[00:18:28] We continue on with them.

[00:18:29] Uh, you know, I would be honored if they'd choose that.

[00:18:34] That's all I'll say.

[00:18:35] Right.

[00:18:36] Right.

[00:18:36] So without, you know, season two finale is right around the corner.

[00:18:39] What can you tease to the fans?

[00:18:40] What can you look, uh, what can they look forward to for David or even the rest of the crane

[00:18:44] family?

[00:18:45] Um, I w I will say that, uh, David, uh, let's see what two episodes.

[00:18:53] Uh, David, I'd say gets a little taste for, uh, power, uh, at the, at the end of, uh,

[00:19:02] this season.

[00:19:03] And I, I'd say that was a very rewarding, uh, part to play.

[00:19:08] You know, it's fun to be a jerk, uh, on, on, on, on, when you're acting because we can

[00:19:16] all laugh at it.

[00:19:17] Uh, so that, that, that was fun.

[00:19:21] I'd say we get to see a little bit of his maniacal evil side.

[00:19:26] That's awesome.

[00:19:27] Yeah.

[00:19:27] There's what's next for you.

[00:19:28] Anything you're allowed to tell us about that you're coming out?

[00:19:30] You're about to go work on.

[00:19:32] Uh, lots of things I'm working on, you know, uh, uh, you'll, you'll see it on the future.

[00:19:41] You know, don't worry, don't worry about it.

[00:19:44] Yeah.

[00:19:45] Uh, and there's how can that, I was gonna say, uh, all right.

[00:19:50] Um, by ending this interview, we're now working the listeners, the viewers find you on social

[00:19:54] media to keep up with you about Frazier or any other type of news.

[00:19:58] You know, I'm on Instagram, uh, you know, follow if you, uh, want to see, uh, uh, what

[00:20:05] video games I'm playing.

[00:20:06] I don't know.

[00:20:08] That's, that's, that's all that's new.

[00:20:10] Yeah.

[00:20:10] Actually, I did, I did write something down about your video game.

[00:20:13] Sega Genesis.

[00:20:14] I saw.

[00:20:14] Oh yeah.

[00:20:15] Yeah.

[00:20:16] Yeah.

[00:20:16] I, I, I do play that.

[00:20:18] Yeah.

[00:20:18] What's your game on that?

[00:20:19] Mine used to be hockey back in the day.

[00:20:21] NHL 95.

[00:20:22] Oh, nice.

[00:20:24] Nice.

[00:20:24] I have a 94.

[00:20:26] Okay.

[00:20:27] Yeah.

[00:20:27] But 95.

[00:20:28] Okay.

[00:20:28] That used to be a fun game.

[00:20:30] Oh, 91, 94.

[00:20:31] That's what I meant with the one with the blood on it when you were fighting the hockey players.

[00:20:34] Oh, there's blood.

[00:20:35] Oh.

[00:20:36] Maybe it was 94, 95.

[00:20:38] I don't remember.

[00:20:38] Maybe, maybe, maybe.

[00:20:39] Okay.

[00:20:40] Well, we'll look into that.

[00:20:42] Yeah.

[00:20:42] And there's, I want to thank you for giving a few minutes.

[00:20:44] This is great.

[00:20:45] Hopefully we see a season three.

[00:20:46] We'll get you back on.

[00:20:47] Continue the David story.

[00:20:48] Hey, knock wood.

[00:20:49] Thank you so much.

[00:20:50] Thank you.

[00:20:51] I hope you enjoyed this and I'll tag you on Instagram.

[00:20:53] So you can share it as well.

[00:20:54] I had a great time.

[00:20:54] Yeah.

[00:20:55] Have a, have a good one.

[00:20:56] Thank you.

[00:20:56] You too.

[00:20:57] Have a good day.

[00:20:58] Bye.

[00:20:58] Bye.

[00:20:59] Bye.