Jonathan Kite – 2 Broke Girls

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) “2 Broke Girls” takes up most of my time. We are on the same schedule as the school year. So, from August until March or April I’m doing the show like 100% of my time. On off weekends, I try to travel around the country and do standup comedy. Other than that, I don’t have time for anything else.

Q) What can you tease is in store for the girls and Oleg the remainder of the season?

A) We haven’t shot that many episodes and we don’t get them ahead of time. We literally don’t get them until the week we are going to shoot them. So, we are only slightly ahead of the episodes that are airing right now on TV.

Q) Was there anything about Oleg you added to the character that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) The way he dresses on the show, I wore something similar to the audition because I thought of him as a guy who has three eight hour schedules in his life. So, after working at the diner that he would go clubbing. In my mind, I thought he was a guy who was always on the go. I think the uniform or costume that I wore sort of reflects that. It’s kind of cool taping in front of a live audience. If there is a joke that comes up, I try to pitch it to the writers. If we’re in the middle of shooting and it works out for the scene, they’ll let me try it out, which is pretty cool.

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that has come natural to you or have you had to hone it?

A) Thanks! I don’t know to be totally honest with you. I think there is a traditional sense to comedic timing, which is being established in the way that TV and radio have done for so long. I think part of comedy, which I hope I have as well, is about evolving. The style, presentation and the rhythms are sort of always changing. If you look at something from 1975 on YouTube compared to something from today they have a similar base, but there is something unique to the time period. I don’t just mean the style, but the rhythm itself. There is something inherently different because the rhythm of comedy I think comes from the pace with which we live our lives. Because of the Internet and communication has sort of sped that up over the past at least decade significantly or fifteen years, I think comedy has kind of altered to follow suit with it. Hopefully, I’m able to maintain that and be present with the ever changing speed of it.

Q) There is such great chemistry between the cast. Was it instant or did you all spend time bonding together?

A) We met at the table read, which was kind of nuts because none of us had met each other before. When we shot the pilot, the consensus was that we had known each other the whole time, but we hadn’t. I think we just instantly clicked and our personalities was just a serendipitous that we just happened to all like each other and get along with each other. It was very cool right off the bat.

Q) Oleg is filled to the brim with machismo. What is it that makes him so confident that he thinks he can get any woman in the room?

A) I believe this too, but I think he really believes that women are attracted to confident men. There is a guy that I actually was roommates with years ago. I think he was better than average looking, but his confidence level was off the charts. There was just this kind of thing about him that he had this secret. I don’t know what it was, but it felt like he was a friend of mine more than anything. Everything that he had was this confidence and this secret. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a better batting average with women then this guy! I live in Los Angeles and there are plenty of good looking guys and famous guys all around. For whatever reason, I think the guys that do the best are the ones with the most confidence. I think there is something about him that I pull a little from him. Certainly, it’s in the writing, but I’m often reminded that a confident man is going into with the best odds. You believe in yourself enough that you feel other people will, too.

Q) We have seen Oleg in one romantic relationship. Will he be getting another love interest soon?

A) Last week’s episode we revealed that Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge) and Oleg are going to get back together. I’m not exactly sure what the season holds beyond that. That’s the storyline that was just introduced though.

Q) What is it about Oleg and Sophie that makes them such a great couple?

A) I think the writing is really strong for that. I think that Jennifer and I get along very well in life. We do hang out outside of the show, which I suppose does strengthen our onscreen stuff. We kind of had an instant chemistry. I didn’t even know she was going to do the show until I read it in Variety or something. I didn’t even know that we were going to be a couple because it didn’t start out that way. It was just a pleasure having her and we just get along really well as people. It was just a nice turn of events that at least right now they are trying to make us a couple.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with fans and do you enjoy the instant fan feedback it provides?

A) It’s interesting because we live in a bubble. Los Angeles is great, but it’s on one of the coasts and it is pretty far from the rest of America. We don’t really get to meet these people because we do this show and we’re in kind of this bio dome as we’re doing it. For us, we shoot the show months in advance and then it airs. We’re always ahead of schedule, which is just how it works out. So, I think for me it’s so amazing because we do it because we love the art of it and the storytelling of it. We do it to tell the story to the fans out there, but the truth is we don’t get to hear people’s feedback unless they contact us on Twitter or occasionally on Instagram. It’s something that has never existed before. You would run into people on the street and they would want to take a picture or something, but you don’t really realize (even if you look at the numbers each week) it’s not really personal. It’s very robotic. Even though that number is the truth, there is no feeling behind it. You appreciate the sheer number because each one of those numbers is a person who has seen it, but an individual tweet from somebody who took the time to reach out and connect to you and express what they liked about the show and what they appreciated I think is an amazing thing. I’m always thankful for to hear people’s feedback and to have conversations about the show. I love the show and I feel really lucky to be a part of something like this. There are people in Italy or Germany that write me about the show and we have conversations through Twitter. It’s a really special thing and we never would have met before, but the show brings us together. It’s just nice to know that people have such a positive response out there.

Q) What do you think it is about “2 Broke Girls” that continues to make it such a fan favorite show?

A) I think it is believable. There is a lot about it for people to connect with it on so many levels. I think especially with the economic recession a few years ago and it wound up being global, it wasn’t about giving up. If you look at America’s business history we, as a country, are founded on small businesses and essentially that’s what the show is about. It’s about a budding friendship that is becoming a small business to give them both a better life. I think that is what people can connect with all over the world. You may not be where you want to be, but it’s like that old game at camp where you find somebody and push on each other’s backs until you can standup. It takes a partnership. It doesn’t come easy, but if you really believe in yourselves and in the other person and what you’re doing and you have that persistence and tireless energy to work towards something you believe in…That is kind of what makes life worth living, being around people who you love and care about doing things that you want to do. It’s not going to come easy. It’s going to be hard, but it is like that for everybody. I think that is the common thread.

Q) Where can fans go online to keep up with your standup dates?

A) I tweet about it all the time. As soon as I know when the date is coming, I definitely tweet about it. Every now and then, I’ll do Instagram, but that is like after the fact with photos. Twitter is probably the most immediate place

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I just want to say thank you. People out there don’t really realize how much they mean to people in my position. Even if it is said every day of our lives, it is not said enough. We appreciate people’s support. We do it out there for fans. We tell the stories and hopefully they are inspired the way I was inspired to do the thing that I do that I learned from great people before me. All I’m trying to do is pass on a tradition that is important to me and connect with people who appreciate my work. It’s never lost on me. Thank you for the years of support and hopefully they’ll continue to do so.