Based on our chat last week with Jeff Hiller, the veteran actor would lead you to believe he was somewhat unaware of what a lucky year he’s had. That may be genuine, but it may also reflect Hiller’s infectious, self-deprecating nature. Because 12 months ago he was simply celebrating just being nominated in the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for his acclaimed performance in “Somebody Somewhere.” To many, it was a “the nomination is the win” moment for the little gem of a show that had a small but passionate fanbase and was a critic’s favorite. Then something unexpected happened. He actually won.
READ MORE: Rhea Seehorn On Carol’s “Insurmountable” Task After The ‘Pluribus’ Season Finale [Interview]
Hiller’s trophy and acceptance speech were a triumph for talented actors who have toiled and waited decades for an opportunity to truly shine. His peers rewarded a performance that was undeniable even if “Somewhere’s” viewership didn’t rank as high as some of his fellow nominees’ series. This year, Hiller tells us he finally experienced the fame that comes from being on a massive series. He may joke he’s just the 10th man on the call sheet, but his experiences in public have completely changed thanks to his role as Dale in “Widow’s Bay.” A supernatural comedy from his friend creator Katie Dippold that saw Dale go from being initially killed off to sticking around long enough to discover a long-lost secret in the season finale. Hiller knew what Matthew Rhys, Katie Flynn, and Stephen Root were primarily crafting was good, but he also thought “Widow’s” would be somewhat niche. Now one of Apple TV’s biggest hits ever, it’s decidedly not.
But wait, no, that’s not even how he landed his second Emmy nomination in just two years.
Despite stiff competition, Hiller was rewarded for guest starring in Vince Gilligan’s “Pluribus.” As Larry, he played a neighbor of the center of the show, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), a rare member of the human race who has not been integrated into the collective Hive mind that has seemingly brought peace and order to the world. Assuming you don’t mind giving up all that free will stuff. As Hiller reveals, he shot the episode over two years ago and was only given his specific scenes as the production had tight creative security measures. He knew Gilligan’s involvement meant the show wouldn’t slip under the radar, but, again, the end result? An Emmy nomination. Surprise.
What wasn’t a surprise was how delightful Hiller was reflecting on his recent good fortune. A conversation you can enjoy below. Oh, and did we mention he also released his first novel this year, too? “Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success,” a New York Times bestseller. Yes, good things can happen to good people in Hollywood.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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The Playlist: After everything that happened 12 months ago, what was your reaction to getting another Emmy nomination on Emmy Morning?
Jeff Hiller: I was there [announcing]. And Sam [Bridgett Everett] was there, and so was my manager, Lucas [Kosoglad], and they came up to me very quickly afterwards and said, “You got nominated.” And I was like, “For what?” [Laughs.] Yeah, I just wasn’t really expecting it, but it was very exciting and thrilling. For a second, I thought it was for “Widow’s Bay,” and I was like, “How is that possible?” I was barely in it, but I was kind of barely in “Pluribus” either. But that’s what guest starring is, right?
It is. That’s the qualifications of that category. As someone who covers both the Oscars and the Emmys, I do love the civilized time that they actually announce the Emmy nominations. I don’t know if you know this, but for the Oscars, they make those presenters stay up all night. And then, because it’s at 5:30 in the morning, they have to get there around midnight. What time did you have to show up to do the Emmy nomination announcement?
First of all, I just have sweaty palms thinking about having to stay up all night with, I don’t know, a ball gown on. It wasn’t terrible. It was like I had to be there by 7:00 Am, that kind of thing.
Oh, O.K. Civilized.
Yeah, who’s going to complain about that?
This past year has been sort of incredible for you, though. You won an Emmy award for a beloved show that so many of us loved, that all the prognosticators had not picked you to win. It was one of the biggest upsets, but insanely deserved. And then “Pluribus” comes out, and then “Widow’s Bay” comes out, and you have this bestselling book. Are you soaking it all in? How are you reacting to all this?
It’s not until you mirror it back to me that I’m like, “Damn, it was a good year,” But also I worked quite a bit at the very end of that year, but I shot “Pluribis” a long, long time ago, and I shot “Widow’s Bay” a long time ago too. And so it was just coming out, but I wasn’t working. And so, like a neurotic, I was like, “Oh no, I’m not working. What’s happening?” And now it’s like, ‘Oh, that was dumb. I should have just been enjoying the time off.”
I’ve seen some other interviews you’ve done for “Pluribis,” and tell me if I’m wrong, did they not explain what the concept of the show was before you arrived on set? Was it that secret?
Yeah. Yeah. They were very, very secretive about it. I did not know what the concept was until after my fitting even. I got a text from the AD saying, “Would it be okay to give Rhea Seahorn your phone number?” I was like, “Yeah!” [Laughs.] I trust she won’t. She’s not going to give my phone up. I was like, “Are you sure you should give me her number?” But it was very exciting. She was like, “Hey, do you want to come over and we can kind of explain what’s happening?” We shot on a Monday and a Tuesday, and I went over to her house on a Sunday, and I was there with the director and the writer. Zetna Fuentes was the director, and Allison Tatlock was the writer, and Allison, because she had been in the writer’s room for, it’s a long time- a year- was just really discussing all of these things and trying to answer every single question for me. But when I auditioned, they said, “You’re her father.” And they changed the lines to have her be asking if her dead mother liked her painting.
So you sit down, and they explain it to you.
Yeah. I’m an actor, and I’m playing a collective Hive mind.
What was the direction they gave you in terms of feeling emotion? Play it or not play it? And also, if it’s the next day you’re shooting it, were you like, ” Wait, what am I doing”?
Yes, I was. Because I’m always worried I’m going to get fired, and this is really complicated. Because I kept saying, “Well, do I need to have some sort of inflection? Is there a way that the group talks that I need to mirror?” And they were saying no, that people still speak in the same physical way that they spoke when they were not connected, but it’s just that they have all this thing. And then the main work that we did, because we rehearsed it a lot, I mean, we rehearsed it a lot. Rhea is not afraid to keep going back. And I’m from the theater too. And so she started in the theater, and we were kind of enjoying ourselves. It was kind of nerdy. And then the director would give us notes, and Allison was like a dramaturg, giving us all these ideas. And so we rehearsed it quite a bit. So, I was completely off book by the end, which was very impressive because I got the sides, but I couldn’t download them. I had to type in a password, and you couldn’t print them or anything like that. The only way I could do it was every time I’d type in the password and read it. So, I was having a hard time memorizing my lines. But the big thing that they wanted for me to do was to convey that the Hive mind had genuine love and respect and affection for Carol, for Rhea Seahorn’s character, and that we knew it would disappoint her to find out that her wife thought her work wasn’t great. And so we were doing that. And there was a lot of talk about how I can’t lie, but I can spare feelings by not fully telling the truth.
Was it so secret that they didn’t tell you anything about the rest of the show? So did you watch it like everyone else, wondering what was happening?
On the first day [my character and others] were cleaning up debris, and I kind of was like, “Why are we cleaning this up?” And they were like, “The Hive mind helps people.” That was all they told me. But they didn’t tell me it was because she had gotten a grenade and thrown it and stuff. I didn’t know any of that.
So wait, you shot this in what, 2024?
Yeah.
A year and a half later. And you know what your episode is. You know you had a great time with Rhea, and that’s really it. Watching it when id you realize, “Oh, this is something special”?
Well, they asked me to do it. There was a marketing tool where I recorded a voicemail because people could call in and hear the Hive mind. You know how she calls in and can hear the Hive mind? So, Karolina Wydra did it, and I did it, and I don’t know, maybe the mayor of Albuquerque. But I didn’t say this is Jeff Hiller. I just did it in my voice. And I had a few friends be like, “Are you on that Vince Gilligan show?” And I was like, “What?” I didn’t tell them because I was afraid I’d get in trouble, but I was just like, “What are you talking about?” And they’re like, “We called into this [phone] line.” And that’s when I was like, “Oh, I think this show’s going to be a really big deal.” Because have you ever called into a phone line for a TV show you’ve never heard of before?
When you saw the show, what surprised you the most?
I didn’t know how the virus or whatever it was was spread. So, when they were licking the donuts, I was like, “What is happening?” And I think I didn’t really take in that my allegiance would switch back and forth by being like, “Maybe I would like to be a part of the Hive. Oh, no, I would never want to be a part of the Hive.” That was the part that really was like, “Oh, this is so smart how they’re not just telling us these are the bad guys, these are the good guys.” I thought that was really interesting.
I know they’ve been working on season two. I mean, in theory, your character is alive. Is there any chance that Larry could return in some form?
I’m not being coy with you. I have heard nothing. It doesn’t really make sense that I would come back. Jeff would come back. But I don’t really know why Carol would want to see Larry again. But if she does, I will be there, baby.
The show that is coming back is “Widow’s Bay,” which you also shot last year before you won the Emmy. And also congratulations on that.
Thank you.
Another example of when you were making that show, did you realize it had a chance to be this, for lack of a better word, water-cooler sort of phenomenon, whatever that means in 2026?
Right. My water cooler. My Brita filter talk. O.K. So when I read it, I was like, “This is going to be good.” But I kind of thought it would be niche. I did not realize how wide it would go. But I know [creator] Katie Diffold. We’ve been friends for 20 years. She’s one of the best writers I’ve ever met. And even some of the stuff that’s been produced, I’ve read earlier versions that I’m like, “Oh my God, this is so good.” Anyway, my point in saying that is when I read this script, I thought every time a new script came in, I was like, “This is so Katie. Everything about this is so her stamp. It’s so specifically her.” And with “Somebody Somewhere,” it was the same thing. So, I kind of thought it would be like that, where it would be like a small audience loved it. I did not realize people would be going down the street looking at number 10 on the call sheet being like, “I love you, Dale.” I had no idea that that would happen. And so many people have been like, “I’d never heard of ‘Somebody Somewhere,’ but when I fell in love with you on ‘Widows Bay,’ and so now I’m watching it. I’m like, “Oh, I should have done this before.” It actually tells me Bridget should have gotten somebody famous for Joel. People would’ve watched it.
Any silver lining, any 5% chance that the success of ‘Widow’s Bay’ gives us a “Somebody Somewhere’ movie or some third season or something, I’ll take in a minute.
I’ll take it too. Again, I’m not being coy, but yeah, that’d be great. We would all be there. We would all love that.
Do you feel like you’re getting recognized more for “Widow’s Bay’ than other stuff you’ve done?
So much more. Undoubtedly, inarguably. People are like, “Hey, I like that show.” I mean, it’s not like I’m getting mobbed like Lady Gaga or something. Before, I would get a couple times a week, maybe once a week, somebody from “Somebody Somewhere” would be like, “Can I take a selfie?” And now I’m stopped every day. Every day.
I did want to ask about “Widow’s Bay.” Because you knew Katie for so long, do you think you had an upper hand in understanding the voice of the show? It has such a unique tone. It’s trying to be scary and comedic and dramatic at the same time. Not an easy thread to needle.
No, because I submitted a self-tape and she called me and said, “This won’t work at all. You’d have to do it really differently.” And I said this in another interview. I said it was a favor. And they meant they thought I was doing her the favor. And I was like, “No. No. She did me a favor by letting me be in it.” I guess I can say this now because she said it at Comic-Con. My character was supposed to die, and they liked my performance, and they said, “Do you mind if we don’t kill you?” And I was like, “Sure.” But when she pitched it to me, she was like, “I’d love to have you come out. It’d be fun to hang out with you for a summer, but your role is very small, and you’re going to die.” And then they would add things in. They made me the DJ in episode four. And then by episode 10, they gave me the fun scream and stuff. But before that, I was not in it at all.
Well, you’re the Nancy Drew at the end, too. You discover the big revelation for the audience. I’m assuming you got excited when you saw that scene.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I loved it. I loved it. Dale Dickey, K Callan, and myself had been on. I mean, Dale had some stuff to do, but K and I were both just in the background most of the time. And I was so happy for that. But when we got episode 10, we were both like, “We both have stuff to do.” It was very exciting.
I’ve read conflicting things online about Dale. Was he born on the island? Was he not born on the island? Is it not clear yet? Have Katie and the writers not determined yet? Is this a season two plot line?
Well, now I am being coy because I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say.
O.K.. So that at least insinuates there’s a storyline for Dale in season two that might be bigger than season one.
I don’t know. I don’t know what the storyline is, but I do know whether or not I was born on the island, and I’m not allowed to say that. I don’t know how that would lead to a storyline. That I’m not being coy about. They’re very, very tight-lipped. They’re very tight-lipped.
All these secretive shows. You’re ready for the MCU or “Star Wars” now. You know how to deal with all this.
But it was so funny because with “Somebody Somewhere,” people would be like, “Can you give us a tease for season two?” And I was like, “I don’t know. They have lunch.” It’s like nobody cared.
Through all of this, you also released your book that was a national bestseller. How much did the fact that people loved it so much mean to you?
Oh God, just even hearing you say it now makes me be like, “Thank you.” I think as an actor, a lot of times you can do something and you could be like, “Well, if it doesn’t come off right, it’s like, I was just the actor. I did my part.” But when it’s like my book, it’s like, “This is all me. I can’t blame it on anybody else if people don’t like it.” Because it was very scary to put it out, so it feels so good. It’s funny because someone I met just recently was like, “Would it be weird if I read your book?” And I was like, “No, no, it wouldn’t be weird. Please read my book.” Because she thought it would be creeping on me. But I was like, “No, I would love that.” And it means so much when people come up to me and say they read my book. Just on the subway uptown, somebody was like, “I just read your book. It was so great.” And it made me feel so happy, made me feel so excited.
I have many friends who’ve written books, and the stress of doing it the first time around is a lot. Do you want to do it again? Do you have more ideas for another edition, or is that something you’ll revisit down the road?
Well, I already did. I already sold a book of essays, actually, like a real idiot. [Laughs].
Congratulations.
My agent’s like, “I think you’ve got more in you.” And I was like, “I do?” So, I wrote it. Basically, it was just like, “You’ve got to do it, kid.” And I was like, “I want to please you.” I do think I have more in me. But it’s funny because Murray Hill, who I’m friends with, his book is coming out in October and he’s in the last phase, which is a little gnarly. There are just so many details, and it’s not the writing part or the creative part. It’s just the publicity and what festivals are you going to go to and blah, blah, blah. And he’s going slightly crazy, and I am a little like, “Oh no, what did I get myself into?” But it’s like childbirth. I’ll forget it by the time it’s over.
Yeah, by the time it’s over. But you do have a ticking deadline if you signed a contract.
March 15th, 2027, but who’s counting?
“Pluribus” and “Widow’s Bay” are available on Apple TV
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
