Matt Ingebretson – Corporate

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) What are the recent projects you have been busy working on?

A) Ever since the first of the year I’ve been trying to clean my apartment and it’s moving at a snail’s pace. Very little has gotten done. I’m really struggling to tidy it up, but I’m still working at it. I’ve been posting photos on Instagram. Other than joking answers, Jake [Weisman] and Pat Bishop and I have been writing movie scripts and developing other show ideas. We love “Corporate” and also still want to keep making it, but also we are going to make a lot of things in our career. I’m also doing “Good Heroin.” We actually had our four-year anniversary show at the Regent Theater in LA.

Q) What can you tease is new this season on “Corporate?”

A) Matt finds new depths of nativity that he didn’t think were possible before and is more confused than ever at what life is and what his purpose is in it. He becomes power hungry in a way that is a little scary this season. He attempts to go a concert one night…And I won’t spoil what happens at the end on whether or not he goes to the concert. You’ll have to watch to find out. Matt finds both inner and outer beauty this season and I think that everyone will be amazed at how I look in episode three. I’m really proud about how beautiful I became then I ever thought possible.

Q) What continues you to challenge you about portraying this character?

A) I think it’s like the character isn’t really based on me, but it’s sort of…I think the character Matt embodies has a lot of personality flaws and humanistic flaws that myself and Jake and Pat and the writers we hire have. It’s a very self-critical character so I think it sort of forces myself and the rest of the people that create the show to potentially take a harsh view of all they are doing in their life and how they are behaving.

Q) Was there someone you were hoping to share more scenes with coming into Season 2?

A) It is a true dream and privilege to work with Lance Reddick at any point. Actually, I did get to work with him quite a bit this season. At the end of the day, since he is the CEO of this company and my character is a lowly employee, the interactions I have with him are a little sparser – except for one episode where we kind of go on a little adventure together. I would have loved to continue to act with Kyra Sedgwick this season. She was a true delight to work with and just a very high-level talent. It was a joy to work with her and I would have loved to keep doing that.

Q) Who would be some of your dream guest stars to have on the show?

A) There are a lot of people. We’ve often considered offering something to Laura Dern or Laurie Metcalf. There is a long list. One thing we really enjoy doing is casting actors who have primarily done dramatic things in comedic roles. I’ll put my dream actor that – Daniel Day-Lewis. We’d love to give Daniel Day-Lewis some psychotic dumb things to say.

Q) He recently quit acting!

A) We’d love to bring him out of retirement. Daniel, if you’re reading this, we’d love to cast you in Season 3 of “Corporate.”

Q) You have great comedic timing. Is it something that’s always been a natural ability for you or is it something you have had to work at?

A) Thank you. I think I developed it out of desperation in middle school when I realized I wasn’t the hottest guy in school, and I needed something else to have a life. So, I guess I developed comedic timing then. I guess I’ve always had it. It’s something that is sort of innate, but you can work at it. I try to do that at least.

Q) You are a part of social media. Do you enjoy the instant fan feedback you receive to episodes?

A) Yeah, it’s cool. What’s interesting is that I came up doing standup comedy and that’s a lot of fun because you get people that react in the moment and there is a real energy in the room. It’s so much different making a narrative TV show where we make it essentially in isolation. We work with the other collaborators that we’re working with, so we don’t get to sit and watch the episodes with fans of the show. So, it’s nice to hear when people respond to it on social media.

Q) What have been some memorable moments from filming the upcoming season of “Corporate?”

A) I’ll try not to spoil it, but in episode five with Kyra Sedgwick we were shooting at like three in the morning at a graveyard scene. It was really surreal standing above a six-foot hole in the ground with Kyra who I’ve watched for years on TV. There is a scene in the episode called “Machiavelli” where John (Adam Lustick) and Kate (Anne Dudek) are describing these new desk sensors that they are putting in the room and they describe them as “like a harmless object, like a rock or a gun.” Then, they improvised like fake shooting us with pretend guns and making noises. They did that for about twenty minutes. We let them just pretend to shoot us and it was maybe the hardest that I’ve ever laughed in my life.

Q) How hard is it to keep a straight face during filming?

A) Yes, it is. We write crazy things for all of our characters to say. Especially around Lance Reddick, because he is such a pro and like trained actor, it’s him taking what we wrote and turning it into this sort of like dramatic gold. It is really hard to stare at that man and not laugh on set.

Q) Is there anything else you want to be sure we share with our readers about the new season of “Corporate?”

A) I just hope people watch and enjoy it. Only tweet nice things at me. I don’t’ want to hear your criticisms. Please keep that to yourself. Thank you. [laughs]

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

A) To my fans that have beards and want to send me beard oil, I have enough beard oil to last me I think a decade at this point. So, I’m no longer in need. I could use some more hairspray. If any fans want to send me hairspray, I’d love to receive some of that in the mail.