It's all part of Miller's comic philosophy to do as much as he can to make as many people happy as possible, everywhere around the world. "No one in China is going to see 'Silicon Valley,' right?" he says. "But they do see 'Transformers 4.' And if some Chinese guy in a factory who's really not happy with his life, if he goes and sees 'Transformers 4' and then a week later at work is like, [laughs] 'That weird-looking guy with the weird hair, he was funny, he was screaming, he's like, "This is a scary car!" ' He's good. All right, back to it."

T.J. Miller has stretched himself into just about every corner of the entertainment universe. On the big screen, he's Deadpool's best friend, and a recognizable voice in the "How to Train Your Dragon" series and "Big Hero 6." On HBO, he's the self-centered self-starter Erlich Bachman on "Silicon Valley." When he calls to speak to the Globe, he's an hour outside London wrapping up shooting for his part in Steven Spielberg's upcoming film "Ready Player One," after which he'll head out on a 21-city stand-up tour that stops at the Wilbur in Boston Thursday. Next month, he'll film a show for a new HBO special.


Miller's view of life is surprisingly nihilistic, and comedy is the antidote for that, for himself and, he believes, everyone else. "Life is this kind of tragic and bizarre endeavor, that you feel lonely a lot of the time," he says. "And it's an uphill battle for most of your life. And you need comedy. It's the best possible opiate. Actually if you see the world with a sense of humor it'll change your life for the better."

Comedy is something Miller always knew he did well. In high school, his drama teacher encouraged him by giving him funny roles in plays, and taught a class on stand-up. She told them it was mostly an exercise, that no one would wind up being a comedian, except maybe Miller. That pricked up his ears. "That was the first time I was like, wait, I could make a living as a comedian?" he says. "That was the real moment . . . the 'ah-ha!' moment."


From then on, Miller strove to make himself a well-rounded performer, studying clowning and Shakespeare at the British American Drama Academy and improvisation at Second City. "I only learned a few things from B.A.D.A. because I'm not a very good actor and I'm definitely not a Shakespearean actor, as I'm sure you've seen from my work in 'She's Out of My League,' " he says. "But the things I did learn there were incredibly valuable. I learned how to fall like a clown there. I learned pratfalls there."

He applies those lessons wherever he can, especially the improv. Miller says he is frequently hired specifically for his ad-libbing skills. He does it a lot on 'Silicon Valley,' and estimates roughly a third of what he says on the show he either wrote or improvised. Even Spielberg was curious.

Miller sold a movie to Dreamworks Pictures, in which Spielberg is a principal partner, called "Ex-Criminals." Miller wrote it and plans to star in it, and he thinks his role as bounty hunter i-ROk in "Ready Player One" is a test so Spielberg can see what he can do. "He was sort of like, yeah, do whatever voice you want, riff whatever you want. Ad-lib whatever. And he'd sometimes make me edit it down and make it shorter, but that's a good director."


So far, Miller reports they have gotten along famously. He finds the experience of being directed by the legend hard to describe. "He has this love for movies and actors and stories and cameras and digital effects — just anything, anything that helps tell a story he's fascinated with," he says. The pair have even bonded over snacks. "We're Cheetos brothers," says Miller. "You'll be the first to hear it. He's the one who coined the term. That's true."

Miller also reports that a "Deadpool" sequel might start filming as soon as the beginning of 2017. They just want to make sure the script is right. "A follow-up to something like that that's weak is going to be a real bummer for the fans," he says, noting the high bar the first movie set for its audience. "They kind of got what they were waiting for. It was so well executed. So I hope we can hit another home room. And Weasel might get a gun."

The one part of Miller's career that he'd like people to know more about is his stand-up. He's much more well-known as an actor and even a voice-over artist than for his live comedy. A big part of the reason for that is people haven't really seen his act. He did a special for Comedy Central in 2011 called "No Real Reason," but Miller says they don't air it anymore. "The tide will kind of turn, ideally, when this HBO special comes out," he says. "I think I lack one coherent example of my stand-up. And that's what the HBO special, I hope, will do."


In "No Real Reason," Miller moved quickly from one form of comedy to another, telling quicker, one-liner type of jokes and longer stories, mugging, and doing physical humor. In one surreal moment, he brandishes a machine gun while confetti blasts around the stage, then returns to his stand-up as if nothing happened. "I think that if something is funny, then it doesn't have to be coherent," he says. "And in some ways if you're an absurdist you're kind of playing out, there doesn't have to be any format to this. It doesn't stylistically have to be one choice or not some other choice."

He is excited about performing with his wife, Kate, with whom he shares a love of physical humor, on this tour. "We both studied clowning," he says, "and Kate's background as a ballet and modern dancer enhances her skill with physical comedy and performance. I lucked out because she's a great singer, and a damn good clown, and she likes my strange faces and funny noises — particularly my 1920s car horn."

It's hard to tell if he's serious when asked what pulls all of these disparate elements of his career together. "I think it's my work in 'Yogi Bear 3-D,' you know what I mean?" he says. "It was a seminal work. All of my work since then has been kind of a downward slope."


T.J. Miller: The Meticulously Ridiculous Tour with Kate Miller and Nick Vatterott

At the Wilbur, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $30. 617-248-9700, www.thewilbur.com

Nick Zaino III can be reached at nick@nickzaino.com.