‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ director Andy Fisher reveals ‘there’s times in the monologue he doesn’t have a joke’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
“There’s times in the monologue he doesn’t have a joke,” reveals Andy Fisher about directing Jimmy Kimmel. In our recent webchat he adds, “It will literally sometimes say ‘joke TBD’ and he’ll just come up with something on the spot. Those get some of the biggest laughs.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has aired on ABC for 21 years, making Kimmel the current veteran of broadcast network late night. Fisher says Jimmy’s strength is “his ability to change with the time. When the show started, we were the young kids on the block. We were experimenting with format. Jimmy didn’t wear a tie, we didn’t have a monologue really. It’s interesting that now we are the show to be looked at for what late night is. It’s interesting to see what late night has become. With people watching it the next day and watching for the monologue rather than the guest. Jimmy has changed over 20 years of doing the show into a very distinctive and powerful voice that has evolved with the time.”
Fisher has worked on the show since 2008, helming more than 1,000 episodes and counting. He explains, “The other night Jimmy pulled a women out of the audience. You’ve got to be ready for whatever happens. My background was improv comedy back in college, and then I got into video editing. It’s a perfect merge of those two things. Being aware, within the moment and which thinking camera I am going to cut to.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
He also admits, “Once you get a show like this up and running it has a life cycle of its own, like the ocean. Even within the day things will change. I got to work the other day and I had a text from one of the producers saying, ‘let me know when you can talk about the flamethrower.’ What flamethrower? That’s what’s so fun about it. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
Fisher has been nominated for three Emmys for directing the series. He has also worked with Jimmy on segments for the Oscars and won a DGA for his work on “Live in Front of a Studio Audience.” The director reflects, “I remember listening to a book about late night and thinking about Hal Gurnee’s history of directing Letterman, a hero of mine. It’s hard for me to say I’m in that conversation, because it doesn’t even seem fair. When I meet the other late night guys, I still feel like I’m just this kid that wanted to make movies and shoot things and be part of being creative. That’s what I’m most grateful for, because I get the chance to do that everyday.”
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