The Falling Guy

Tulsa-born actor and stand-up comedian Josh Fadem knew he wasn’t cast on David Lynch’s final season of “Twin Peaks” “on accident.”

“Krista Husar was familiar with—she paid attention to comedy, and she came to some shows of mine, and they had called me in for a few other things,” recalls Fadem about the “Twin Peaks” season three casting team.

The 45-year-old character actor’s credits include beloved TV shows from the past two decades: “Twin Peaks,” “Better Call Saul,” “American Dad” and “30 Rock,” to name a few. Fadem likely wouldn’t be where he is in his career without having moved to L.A. for film school and taken improv classes at The Groundlings and The Upright Citizens Brigade L.A.

After enrolling in and dropping out of film school, he began performing on stage not just for improv shows, but also for stand-up. While Fadem’s path from improv to stand-up isn’t a unique one, he did originally swear off stand-up after bombing his first time on stage. 

“And I said, ‘Never again,’” says Fadem. “Half a year later, someone was like, ‘Do you want to host?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ And I kind of came up with a silly character to hide behind who thought that his jokes were doing great. I could specifically come up with really dumb jokes and then act like they were all killing. The reaction to the dumb jokes got the laughs. And I was like, ‘That was a blast.’”

Falling With Style 

Fadem’s act has definitely evolved since those early days, as he has gotten more experimental over the years. For example, he will sometimes start a set with pratfalling for two minutes before even addressing the audience. He stumbles, falls, trips over a stool, the microphone cable, a rug, his feet—apparently unable to put the mic in his hand to say a single joke. 

While this may sound like a glossophobic panic dream for some, this is the sweet spot where Fadem thrives, pushing the envelope on the absurd until it verges more on performance art than traditional stand-up. What’s tinged with irony throughout this is that despite Fadem playing characters or even exaggerated versions of himself that are more anxious, neurotic or just plain odd, the “real” Josh Fadem does still get a bit of nerves before getting up to the mic.

“Every time I have shows coming up, I just always get anxiety,” says Fadem about touring. “Especially since in Oklahoma, it is harder to go up regularly to perform and workshop.” 

Fadem, who splits his time between Oklahoma and L.A. after the pandemic, throws himself into other ways to work on his craft when in the Sooner State. His podcast “Here Come the Details” launches him into something better, something weirder. He may not be able to walk down the street and hit a mic, but what he has cultivated instead is another outlet for his creativity.

“I think any kind of art-making process is looking at what you’ve got available to you, and then looking at what’s not available,” says Fadem. “And how can you do it anyway.”

The show’s description reads as follows (the grammatical errors likely intentional): “Josh Fadem hosts the very first Screen Show with a variety of guest, subject and location.” If it wasn’t apparent from the description, the yielded tone is a blend of “comedian interviews other comedians on YouTube” and “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”—a staple of satirical, cringe and anti-comedy sketch humor.

“Some of the pros about doing that podcast are that I can get as strange with it as I want in Oklahoma. I can seemingly get my buddies together and we can film an episode on a sidewalk, you know what I mean?” says Fadem. “And in L.A., if I message with friends, like, ‘We should make a thing!’ It’s like … where could we do it? My backyard, maybe?”

Clearly, Fadem’s time spent in Oklahoma has not been fruitless. He recently guest-starred on Oklahoma director Sterlin Harjo’s newest show “The Lowdown,” which premiered in September on Hulu, but it was Harjo’s first show, “Reservation Dogs,” that eventually opened a new door for Fadem: being the dramatic lead for a feature film. 

"I think any kind of art-making process is looking at what you’ve got available to you, and then looking at what’s not available. And how can you do it anyway.” –Josh Fadem

In an episode of “Reservation Dogs,” Fadem guest stars alongside Mickey Reece, a director, screenwriter and actor who rogerebert.com describes as “Oklahoma’s favorite indie film son.” While shooting their scenes, Fadem and Reece discovered they had an easy chemistry and became friends after the shoot was over. So, when Reece was looking to cast the lead for his next film, he tapped Fadem to star in it. 

“I think I mentioned that I hadn’t done an actual lead role, and then he wrote this script, and he was like, ‘What do you think?’ And then we managed to make it,” says Fadem. The psychological thriller, Every Heavy Thing, premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal earlier this year and continues to tour the festival circuit, receiving positive reviews. 

‘Definitely the Right Casting’

But lead or no, Fadem makes it a point to throw himself (often literally) into a performance. Whether he’s “ace employee” Phil Bisby in “Twin Peaks,” film snobbish and disinterested Marshall (aka Saul Goodman’s camera guy) in “Better Call Saul” or Liz Lemon’s suit-too-big-wearing, bumbling newbie agent Simon Barrons in “30 Rock,” Fadem is ready to harness his comedy chops to bring empathy and depth to even the most over-the-top characters. 

Fadem also admitted that having a “respectable resume” like his definitely gives him a boost in the eyes of casting directors. That resume, packed with great character work, helped earn him a spot in Lynch’s universe, which he still thinks of fondly.

“I don’t want to use the expression of like, ‘I can quit now,’ you know,” says Fadem on working with Lynch, who is one of his creative heroes. “But it was the thing where it felt like it just lent a confidence to me.”

Case in point: Fadem explained a day on set with Lynch where he was doing some physical stretches and doing high kicks in between his scenes. Lynch, who was watching Fadem, commented to a neighbor: “Definitely the right casting.” 

And that’s not the last time that Fadem will hear that.

To check out Josh Fadem’s upcoming tour dates, follow him on Instagram at @joshfadem. You can also find his podcast “Here Come the Details” on YouTube or herecomethedetails.com.