“Inside the Actors Studio” will welcome Sarah Silverman this month, Variety has learned. The episode will mark the stand-up comedian and actress’ first time on the long-running Bravo series.
The Emmy-winning Silverman, who recently opened up about her battle with depression, taped her sit-down with host James Lipton this week. In anticipation of her upcoming film “I Smile Back,” her interview is set to air on Oct. 22 (8/7c), the day before the flick’s theatrical debut.
“It is no surprise that Sarah Silverman is a phenomenon who holds nothing back,” Lipton commented. “On our ‘Inside the Actors Studio’ stage, she not only lived up to that reputation, but surpassed it, revealing hilariously and touchingly the secrets behind the tantalizing secrets of her life and work.”
In the episode, Silverman will discuss her experience as a female pioneer on the comedy scene, plus why she decided to take on an intense drama in “I Smile Back.”
“I don’t think it’s a brand new conceit that comedy and drama share a wall, you know? They’re adjacent, at least,” Silverman says in discussion with Lipton on the upcoming episode. “And I think there’s a lot of darkness comedians carry – [they] often come from darkness. It’s a darkness from an early age that, usually, they need to become funny to persevere through.”
Silverman helmed her own Comedy Central show “The Sarah Silverman Program” for three seasons, and won an Emmy for her 2013 HBO stand-up special “We are Miracles.” She recently had a recurring role on Showtime’s “Masters of Sex,” lent her voice to “The Simpsons” and “Bob’s Burgers,” and appeared in Seth MacFarlane’s 2014 movie “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” She also has a comedy pilot, which she will star in and exec produce, in the works at HBO.
Over its 20-season run, “Actors Studio” has brought on endless female superstars such as Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Jane Fonda, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Kate Winslet, plus many comedians, including Billy Crystal and the late Robin Williams.
