While he’s known for the boundary-pushing NBC sitcom, “The Carmichael Show,” and ruthlessly honest comedy stand-up specials—including the “Rothaniel” 2022 HBO special where he came out of the closet for the first time—comedian/actor Jerrod Carmichael is also carving out what appears to be a promising career as a filmmaker. His feature-length dramatic debut, “On The Count Of Three,” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021, was released theatrically this summer in May via United Artists Releasing, and now the indie is available on Hulu.
As per Carmichael’s affinities, “On The Count Of Three” plays with a controversial and provocative subject matter: suicide. But the filmmaker, who directs and stars in the movie alongside Christopher Abbott (“Girls”), is quick to point out that he’s never provoking for provocation’s sake. Instead, his approach, like it is with all his comedy, is a super candid and honest approach to the subject matter, no matter what that is.
READ MORE: ‘On The Count of Three’: A Dark Comedic Suicide-Pact Between Friends [Sundance Review]
In the case of “On The Count of Three,” written by Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, the former of whom wrote much of “The Carmichael Show” with him, the film is a darkly comic feature about two best friends, Val (Carmichael) and Kevin (Abbott), who have made a suicide pact, after they live out the last day of their lives together. There are more twists to the story as well, but we’ll save that for you to experience.
Like all the topics he covers, Carmichael’s “On The Count of Three” attempts to have a serious and truthful conversation about suicide and suicide ideation, mental health, and more, perhaps taking the stigma of those conversations, but then, of course, coats it all in hilariously black humor. With “On The Count of Three,” available on Hulu now, we recently spoke to the comedian/actor/filmmaker about the tricky and careful process of the film and the difficulties of speaking about and around suicide.
If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). If you are located outside the United States, call your local emergency line immediately.
So, I’ve seen your movie, it’s dark! [laughs]. First of all, it’s been touted as your directorial debut, but I was looking, and you’ve kind of directed a lot of things already, no?
Oh, I don’t think I’ve directed a lot of stuff. I directed like two or three things before, two comedy specials and kind of one long broken up into two-part docu-series for HBO, but, this is definitely my feature directorial debut. I like to say the prior work is me, like playing around with the camera, really kind of even just learning in production, how to move the way I wanna move. Which I’m glad I had those things to learn about myself.
But directing that stuff is super helpful, right?
Yeah, it’s very, very important. I mean, you’re always learning, you’re always growing, and everything is kind of a school or an experiment, but, you know, I’m trying to present such a big idea with this film so, you know, you wanna come in a little less green. [laughs]
For sure. I’ve seen a lot of your HBO specials, and you obviously have so much to say, so when I first heard about and saw this, I just presumed off the bat that you had written this, but looking at credit, I realized you hadn’t so I’m curious what drew you to this? Because, as someone who could write your own material, something must have sparked something in you.
Yeah. Well, these are two different things and two totally different skills; developing a screenplay and doing stand-up. They don’t necessarily overlap at all. [Laughs] Storytelling in this form is extremely difficult and time-consuming if done correctly. I’m very thankful to have the partners that I have worked with over the years who are great, great writers.
On this, I work with Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch, who are two writers from Alaska who had this idea. I attached myself to direct and star in this film, in many ways, out of the necessity of getting it made. It’s a difficult film to get made because they are very daring writers who took on the subject matter and really immersed themselves in it. They use personal experiences, conversations with therapists, and attended anonymous meetings, and did all of the research by actually taking on this world and treating suicide as we see it and feel it. They put a lot of themselves into the script, which I could feel, so I wanted to be a part of it in any way possible. I thought it was beautiful and needed to work with it.
You have a history with the writers, right? On a bunch of things, but most prominently, your show?
Yeah. Well, Ryan didn’t work on the show, but Ari did, and we wrote the bulk of the show together. Ari has always been a writer, so even when talking to him about my standup, his contributions are largely on structure and intention. He’s incredibly empathetic and curious, which is what I think makes him a great writer, so in everything I do, I’m in contact with him. He is someone whose opinion matters a lot to me. And Ryan is just an incredible mind.
More from this interview is on the next page.