Amanda Brail – News Reporter –
Chris D’Elia sat backstage in the Lyman Center green room. He was dressed in a cotton screen T-shirt, black jeans, and Nike Air Jordans; he looked like what many might picture an average 33 year-old looking like and he even admitted that he still felt average, despite his success.
“I think it is has just been little steps here and there,” he said about his success. “I don’t feel like I made it yet, but I guess in some respects I have.”
Despite his starring role on NBC’s “Whitney” and having just filmed his hour long stand-up special for Comedy Central, D’Elia said people tend to recognize him from his Vine videos.
“It’s so weird that people recognize me from my vine now,” he said. “I think it’s the eyebrow that really caught on.”
In his videos he makes fun of random people on the street and ends each video with his catch phrase “Excuse me sir” and what has become his signature raised eyebrow. He said he has only uploaded about 20 videos to the Instagram-like site, but he is worried people are already getting sick of them.
“I think I might have to find something different or people are going to be over them,” he joked.
Other than from random people on the street, D’Elia said he draws inspiration for his vine videos and most of his stand-up from family and friends.
“I always make fun of people,” he said, “because my family and I made fun of each growing up and it meant that we love each other.”
D’Elia said that for as long as he can remember, he wanted to be a comedian.
“I remember it was the first thing I said I wanted to be when I was little,” he said. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.”
He said he prefers his stand-up shows to acting on his sitcom and that stand-up has always been his “thing.”
“When I did my first stand-up TV set on Showtime and became a paid regular at The Comedy Store and The Laugh Factory — that’s when I really felt accomplished,” said D’Elia when asked what his biggest accomplishments have been as a comedian. “It was so cool to be following in the footsteps of all the big comedians that started there.”
Brent Morin, D’Elia’s opening act, noted that the comedian even got a standing ovation after filming his stand-up special in New Orleans, set to air in the fall. Morin has written for Conan O’Brian, has appeared on Chelsea Lately, and will also be starring in the new NBC sitcom “Undateable” this fall.
Amidst D’Elia’s fast rise to success in the past year and his growing popularity, the comedian said that through his fame he plans to keep his friends closer than ever.
“I want to continue to do stand-up specials, obviously,” he said, “but eventually I want to do movies so that I can have a camp of friends and people I can help. I want to be in funny movies and have the supporting cast just be my friends; I want to be able to give people jobs.”
D’Elia also said another reason why it is best to keep his crew so close.
“Honestly,” he said, “anything I say on stage comes from me hanging out late night at a diner with my friends.”
