In Enlightened creator Mike White’s upcoming satirical dramedy Beatriz at Dinner, John Early doesn’t have the largest part. That was the crux of Early’s visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers yesterday, in which the comedian/actor — often some degrees delightfully removed from earnestness — attempted to convince audiences that, despite the brevity of his screen time, his caterer character “is kind of like the glue of the film.” To prove it, he shares three clips with Seth Meyers, the first being a shattering interaction between him and Salma Hayek’s title character, in which she says, “hi,” and he gets to say “hi” back. (The other two clips are similarly breathtaking, of course.)
Watch Early glue together some reasons why his character is the glue:
Beatriz at Dinner, which stars Hayek, John Lithgow, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, Connie Britton, Chloë Sevigny, and yes, John Early, is out in theaters this Friday, June 9. It once again brings together The Good Girl and Chuck and Buck collaborators Mike White and Miguel Arteta, and follows an L.A.-based massage/Reiki/sound therapy practitioner from Mexico (Hayek), whose rich white clients extend an invitation to dinner after her car breaks down; the rest of the film takes place over the course of the very long, tense, and ultimately dramatic dinner party. Flavorwire Film Editor Jason Bailey called it a “keenly observed and frequently upsetting portrayal of the rules of polite society, and of a woman who decides not to play by them.”
Watch the trailer:
Read our interview with John Early and Kate Berlant, largely discussing the ways the threats of Trumpism have been addressed — or should be addressed — through comedy.