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so much of it, and what am I
left with?
Allison Kugel: You began
your career as a standup
comedian, correct?
Craig T. Nelson: Barry
Levinson and I did stand up
[comedy] together for four
years, and then another guy,
Rudy DeLuca joined us. We
wrote and performed comedy,
and then we worked with Tim
Conway, John Byner and Alan
King. That's how I started.
Allison Kugel: How did
you segue into film
and television, and how
does that early standup
experience help you in
the roles you play now?
Craig T. Nelson: I was never
really interested in doing
standup comedy. Barry
Levinson and I were in the
Oxford Theatre together, which
was a theatre group in LA. We
got to talking and Barry said,
"Why don't we do a standup
act?" I had never done that
and never even thought of it,
but we put an act together. We
went out and auditioned and
started doing clubs. It was an
intro into the business, and I
met so many incredible people
during that time. It does give
me a different perspective.
Comedy helped me to enlarge
and be better at what I did.
Another important thing is that
you just get better as you get
older. You realize what you're
doing more, and you don't
make as many mistakes. I'm
so much more comfortable
in a scene now than I ever
was, because I know how
to play it. Certainly, there are
challenges, but your tool bag
is filled up. There are so many
experiences and so many
people to draw on, and it's a
wonderful place to be.
Allison Kugel: This is not
your first time playing
Mary Steenburgen's
husband. You also played
husband and wife in the
2009 movie, The Proposal,
alongside Ryan Reynolds
and Sandra Bullock.
How was it playing her
husband again in Book
Club? This time around,
was there a comfortable
rapport already in place?
Craig T. Nelson: She's so
much fun to work with. She's
got this wonderful quirkiness
to her that is so beautiful. It's
also very challenging, because
you need to stay on top of
your game with her, as with all
the actresses in this film. I've
worked with Diane [Keaton],
I've worked with Jane [Fonda],
I hadn't met Candice [Bergen]
until this film, so that was neat.
I look forward to continuing to
