Veep: The Complete Third Season has landed in the UK, somewhat appropriately in the midst of our General Election. Adapted from Armando Iannucci’s Westminster comedy The Thick Of It, the HBO series stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer and follows her transition from calamity-stricken has-been to premier power player.
Who better to chew the fat with over the political carcasses than Matt Walsh, who plays Selina’s long term ally and downtrodden Director of Communications Mike McLintock. Matt kindly gave us his time this week to field some questions about the show, his character and the state of our nations…
If Mike was to meet current PM David Cameron, how would he introduce himself?
I think Mike would try and fist bump the Prime Minister.
What does Season 3 hold in store for him?
I think it’s the beginning of Mike’s aspiration to be happy. I think Wendy (his wife, played by Kathy Najimy) captures his heart, and he more than anyone has a happy personal life, more than anyone on our show. So Mike has discovered happiness, and it challenges what he’s believed in for the past fifteen years, being around Selina. It’s an upbeat season for Mike, but challenging because his job doesn’t give him the happiness his personal life does, so it raises questions about where he’s headed.
Tell us a bit about how you make the show, as like The Thick Of It there seems to be a lot of improvisation.
We do most of the improvising in rehearsal. They write sixty or seventy page scripts for a thirty minute show, so there’s really no time on the day for exploration and discovery. We do a ton in the rehearsals and they take notes. Sometimes whole scenes are thrown away because they don’t work on their feet, or brand new scenes are discovered, then the next draft of the script reflects a lot of those discoveries.
So by the time you get in front of the camera it’s a well-oiled machine?
It’s pretty locked down. I mean, they’re not precious about the work. There’s also room for moments if there’s a funny bit you want to do or a prop you want to use. There’s always room for that stuff but in general you’re trying to capture what’s on the page.
Who would you rather see in the White House, Selina Meyer or Julia Louis-Dreyfus?
I’d never want Selina Meyer to get near the White House. I would be very happy if Julia got it. She would probably age instantly, because it’s such a stressful job! I’m sure she’d never want to do it, but she’s as good as anyone. She’s definitely smart and has charisma and I happen to agree with her politics, so yeah I would love her.
That answer was very nicely-handled.
It was very Mike of me.
As a spin doctor, what advice do you think Mike would have for the leaders trying to win our General Election?
I think Mike sees the value in interaction with the common people. Anything from kissing a baby to downing a pint of beer has real value at the polls.
Or both at the same time.
Drinking a baby and kissing a beer, maybe that would be a winner. (Laughs) So he believes in that old school “pressing the flesh”. And don’t go into a discussion where you can’t win… when in doubt, deny. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to silence.
Satire has fallen out of favour here in the UK. There’s a view our politicians are a bit boring and all the same, whereas in the States you have a healthy culture of satire via things like Veep and The Daily Show. Why do you think that is?
I have to say I admire British politics because it should be boring! It shouldn’t be celebrity-driven, it shouldn’t be sexy or on television all the time. The people I trust, the public administrators and the Presidents, were a little dull and normal. That’s what I want in a politician. I don’t need a movie star running my country, so it’s unfortunate that people are losing interest in satire but I sort of admire that about your politics.
So you think we’ve got the right idea keeping satire in the background?
Well I think you’ve been poisoned by the American media circus! If there’s not enough distraction and insanity in the race, it’s become boring… is that what you’re saying?
To be honest I think I’m causing an international incident, inadvertently. (Laughs) Going by the recent TV debates here we do seem to be headed in more of an American-type direction. You’d say that’s a bad way to go?
It’s wishing for a more innocent time, which of course isn’t going to happen. But I’m a big fan of accidental Presidents like Harry Truman. He was a back-room politician, not a charmer, but he did a very good job. The skill of getting elected has become more important than being a good politician.
Veep: The Complete Third Season is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download. Go buy it!
