As an actor, writer, producer, and comedian, Rob Corddry has developed an eclectic career in entertainment over the last 20 years that has made him recognizable to many different groups of people.

He may have been your favorite correspondent on The Daily Show in the early-to-mid 2000s. Maybe you recognize him as the lead of Hot Tub Time Machine or as a supporting character in the much differently toned Warm Bodies. Many others know him as the creator, producer, writer, and star of Childrens Hospital, which just ended its seven-year run on Adult Swim. And for an entirely different audience, they know him as Joe Krotel on Ballers, which premieres its second season on HBO on July 17.

HBO

"With everything I do... I get recognized by a new demographic," says Corddry. With Childrens wrapped for good and a variety of movies coming out this year that range from the straight comedy (like Office Christmas Party) to the thriller (Shimmer Lake), Corddry may still add a few new fans in 2016 that he didn't have before.

How did you get the idea to start doing Childrens Hospital as a web series? That became one of the first shows to be picked up from web-to-TV, and now that seems to be the trend.

I don't think about how groundbreaking it was. What I've learned from doing it now is that the formula for making a good show is to not give a shit about where it ends up. You just make it for the love of it. We were very fond of saying that we had no interest in bringing it to TV when people would ask us because I didn't know a lot about TV at the. I didn't think it would fit. Then when Adult Swim asked, that made a lot of sense to me. But also making it 30 minutes was a question, and that also didn't make sense to me.

Yeah, that was another trendsetting move, whether it was intended or not: The 12-minute comedy.

I remember Tenacious D being 15-minute blocks but they put two of them together, and I always liked that because I liked having the choice to just bite off half of it and then just bite off the second half later. But I did think that this kind of comedy was just "get in and get out" because it could get exhausting.

Adult Swim

The tone of Childrens also felt new for television. Subversive comedy rarely existed outside of the Internet, or sometimes movies in like Anchorman.

Well, I think it's especially hard for networks to do that. There's a lot of cable networks out there that are willing to take risks on weirder stuff whether it's absurd or not. Police Squad and that kind of thing were big influences on me. Yet, it's funny: There was a rule on Childrens [where] we would say "That's too Airplane-y" or "That's too Police Squad." These characters know they're in a comedy in those spoofs—they're farcical to a point. Ours is a drama, and that's why the only real mythology we have is the behind-the-scenes world of the characters making a very important dramatic TV program that's been on for 25 years, because it's the only way for that kind of comedy to really play. For me, it was really influenced by The State. David Wain brought a lot. I was just very influenced by him and his movies. It's more similar to Wet Hot American Summer than it is to Police Squad.

When did you meet Wain?

In New York about 2007 or 2008. And we just had a meeting. I had thrown my back out so I was going to cancel, but I was like "I really want to meet this guy." We had a coffee, we chatted, and it was really nice. And at the end he goes, "This was nice. I like you. Do you play backgammon?" I was like "No, but I'll play backgammon with you." And he said, "I've just been thinking about getting into it." Still to this day I don't know if he was joking or not. We never played backgammon.

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Do you see Hot Tub Time Machine ever coming back?

No, I don't. I say that now… When it is coming back, I'll be like, "I told you so!" I would like to do another one when the studios have finally come to terms with the new model…with the way that comedies—specifically that kind of comedy—are being consumed. Which is largely video on demand. You don't run out to the movie theater to see a comedy.

That seemed to plague Hot Tub Time Machine 2, a highly anticipated sequel that got pushed back from Christmas to last January and didn't end up making back its budget domestically.

When the writing was on the wall during opening weekend of Hot Tub Time Machine 2, I wrote an email to the whole team, and also MGM and Paramount, and was just like, "Guys, this sucks right? Sorry, everybody. But we have a chance here—and I know you're gonna say 'No' because this is crazy—but rip it out of theaters right now. Take it out of theaters on Monday, raise your middle fingers to the old model, and say 'This belongs here, and we're gonna figure out how to make as much money that way.' That's the problem we'll work on, but we're gonna watch it this way—the way it should be watched."

It's also fair to say that people were big fans of—

John Cusack? Of course you are! Everybody is! Don't underestimate the power of Cusack. He's appealing. Fucking appealing. I love 1408.

You have a number of movies coming out this year, including some dramatic work with Shimmer Lake.

That's a crime/mystery/thriller/drama that is really interesting. It's played backwards in terms of days. And I play an FBI agent along with Ron Livingston, it's really fun. This is Oren Uziel's directing debut; he wrote 22 Jump Street. He's like "the guy" now, he's writing everything. This was his baby. He wanted me to play another role and it wouldn't work out schedule-wise, so I'm in this other one. This is just being friends with the right people.

Did you ever think, as a young actor, that one day you'd have to turn down roles because of your schedule?

Oh my God, no! It was probably like five to 10 years ago when I learned the power and freedom of "No." Being able to say "No" to things, realizing that you're in charge of your own company, you're your own thing… Sometimes it's really smart to say no where you've been trained and accustomed to just begging for stuff. Its really an odd shift, but when you understand it, it's beautiful.

Did things change a lot for you because of Ballers? Do you get recognized more?

Yes. With everything I do, another high profile thing I do, I get recognized by a new demographic. After the premiere I went on Facebook, and my friend request list was insane. It was like 500 requests—sports dudes and guys who look like they could kick my ass—all people who had never heard of me before, which was cool.

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Have you heard that what's portrayed on the show is a realistic portrayal of the life of an NFL player or agent?

One of our writers, Rashard Mendenhall, played for the Steelers. Not only does he write episodes, but he can police the authenticity of it. I've never heard anyone in sports say, "That's bullshit, that doesn't happen." It's a window into that world that people don't get. You just read, "There's a stall in contract negotiations" or something, but there's a whole lot of drama happening behind those words. That's what the show is.

Would you say it's a more realistic portrayal of a lavish lifestyle than Entourage?

Yeah, I would. My friend and I used to joke that the first season or two of Entourage was like "a documentary on Hollywood." But then like, with Hollywood, you sort of run out of those bullet points. With sports, it's just way more accessible. With Hollywood, there's no way to do it and not run into the wall of feeling insular and then not having anything to do. [Entourage] suffered from not knowing what to do. I think there's an endless amount of stories to tell. There's been a lot already. Season Two explores a whole different sort of angle.

You're a pretty accomplished writer and improviser in your own right. Do they take your input?

Yeah. They're better storytellers than I am, and they're cool with me—sometimes the only complaint I have is that the words just don't fit in my mouth. They're cool with me tweaking stuff. But there are also things that I just don't agree with, and they're very collaborative. There was a scene where a guy was insulting me and talking about Dwayne Johnson's character. "He's bald. You're both bald" But [Johnson]'s not ashamed of it because he's got a clean head. I was like "Guys, that joke doesn't work. You're not in the tribe. Ask any of the bald guys around here. If anything, I am more comfortable with my baldness because I clearly showcase my pattern here. Whereas if you shave your head, it could have been a choice." That was one of the minor things.

HBO

Do you feel like you've achieved success at this point?

Yeah, I do. But I think I've always felt like I've had success. The first time I realized that, I was in a shitty Shakespeare tour—The National Shakespeare Company, which sounds a lot more important than it was. It was a ramshackle organization; we went around to community colleges all year. We played different roles, we were always out on stage, and there was one scene where I was laying on the stage being fed grapes by the girl that I was dating at the time—my "tour love." I had a chance to just relax and look up at everything, and I was like, "I'm making $300 a week, I'm living like a king here, I drive the van sometimes, I made it!" You know? I think like I've always just felt that way.

Do you easily find happiness?

Well, no. My version of "happiness" is realizing that it's okay to feel everything. That sort of comfort is happiness, I guess But it's also about—it sounds kind of trite—gratitude. I remember when I was doing Old School. I was basically background, because all of the old guys and pledge class's lines were cut. I remember I was staying in L.A. in this cold, cold room in Valley Village with my friends. I'm sitting there thinking, "I'm in a movie. I get to go to work every day and watch Will Ferrell!" It all hit me right there like, "Holy shit!" An I-made-it moment. I don't pray necessarily, but I just started saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," and it's now an unconscious practice when something like that happens. I'll say it until it just becomes a word that I don't believe anymore. I've lost the feeling, and I'll go on with my day feeling good.

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