Long before Charles Esten held the role as Deacon Clayborne on ABC television drama Nashville, he played a funnyman, as he frequently made guest appearances on the popular improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway.

"I’ve done comedy for a long, long time, especially with Whose Line Is It Anyway," Esten says in an interview with Big Machine Label Group. "I actually started trying standup ‘cause that’s the first thing you can really get up on stage and do."

Esten further explains that actors often aren't allowed to just "walk into a movie." So, instead he tried his hand at improv and eventually made his way to sitcoms.

While Esten's role on Nashville isn't a complete comedy, he says there is some comedy within every episode if viewers look close enough each week.

"I am loving every bit of what I get to do right now and although it’s a drama, if you look carefully there’s comedy all the way through out it," Esten explains. "I firmly believe that the best comedies have something serious or meaningful in them and the best dramas better have something a little funny otherwise it becomes mellow drama. There’s great moments where the tension’s broken in the show constantly, even with Deacon. So, I got all I need right now and I’m lovin’ every bit of it."

Though Nashville is his main focus at the moment, Esten says he plans to find more comedy projects in the future.

Nashville airs every Wednesday at 10PM ET on ABC.