Stand up comedian Mike Birbiglia is used to having total control over his material, so he found it quite disconcerting when documentary filmmaker Eddie Schmidt started following him around with a camera.
“When you have someone else directing and editing and producing your story, it's an extraordinary level of trust,” says Birbiglia. “And I felt deeply uncomfortable almost throughout. And so it's a testament to Eddie, that he's just a very zen person that he talked me down from the ledge probably five or six times.”
Mike Birbiglia and director Eddie Schmidt talk to Eric Deggans about adapting a popular comedy podcast into their new Peacock special, Good One: A Show About Jokes. They also talk about sticking with the truth in autobiographical comedy following allegations that fellow stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj falsified elements of his award-winning stand up special, Homecoming King.