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Merchant Marine, Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer, Writer, and a genuinely all-around nice guy… Meet Matt Knudsen. Chances are you’ve seen him in something you love. I say chances are because his entertainment career started in the 90s and is still going strong. He has been Jesus on Malcolm in the Middle, acting in a “two-hander” with Brian Cranston’s Hal; he has appeared in our favorite shows from Boston Legal and Big Love to The Mindy Project, The League, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Big Bang Theory, & Shrinking, and currently as Dr. Mark Kramer on General Hospital… not to mention Workaholics, Key and Peele, and so many more it’s easier to direct you to his IMDB page than try to list them all out.

Along with his work in some of the best TV shows of the past 20 years, Matt is also a touring stand-up comic, and if that wasn’t enough, has recently published his first book: 

Have I Seen You In Anything?: True Hollywood Stories from a Guy that Seems Familiar

Matt sat down with us to discuss his book and career and share insights on his creative process and journey thus far.

YL: Thank you for speaking with me today, Matt! I wanted to kick things off by asking about your time as a merchant marine. How did that lead you to Hollywood and the entertainment industry?

Matt: I had never, like, been to Los Angeles or done stand-up comedy, or I wasn’t an actor. I never did any of those, like traditional, like theater kid, or even, like, NYU Tisch film school, that stuff. I just moved to Los Angeles after doing that, because I had always wanted to do stand up and act and perform. And I just thought, well, I could. And also, it was like, I was in my mid 20s when I moved to LA so I was like, well, I could go to, like Chicago for five years, and then I could do second city and kind of come up through that. But then, by the time I hit my “career”, I might be 30 or 35, so I just decided to move to Los Angeles, even with no experience in like super green, because I thought, if you’re going to be a fish in any pool, you may as well just have it be the biggest pool possible. Because even if you’re not where you’re hoping to be in your career, you can see other people who are killing it. And sometimes, you know the education you get is not necessarily what you pick up on your own, but you see others doing it, you’re inspired by the work that you see. And so it was, it was, it was daunting, but I’m really glad I did it. And even when I first moved here, I was a production assistant that was like, my first, like, foot in the door job, you know, emptying trash cans and grabbing people’s lunches, because when you’re at that entry level, you’re not expected to know a whole lot. So, it was a great education.

YL:  Sounds like it was a great education! I found it fascinating that you were a Merchant Marine, then a boom operator, and you took a Forest Gump-like path to where you are now, but it seems like you took an unconventional path.

Matt:  Well, thank you. Yeah, I actually got into sound. I was working as a PA on a job, and I met one of the sound guys who was who’s working on the film, and he introduced me to a  sound mixer. And I got the job. So, it was a way to stay on set and stay in the mix. But then I also was departmentalized. You know, when you’re when you’re starting out and you’re doing a production assistant work, it’s like, “hey, we need you to do A, B, C, D, E, F, G”. Once you get into sound and you’re like, Well, I’m in the sound department. So you go from a jack of all trades to a little more specified role. And it was just honestly, it was just luck. I just, I’ve I was fortunate enough to meet someone at the right time. I was working on a movie that went from a non-union contract to a union contract, and I was able to join the international Alliance of Theatrical and stage employees, local 695. I was still able to be on the set, but as a boom operator. I was right near the actors. I was literally standing next to them as they were doing their thing. And I had a poll over my head and was capturing their dialog and performances as they were delivering it. So again, in the same way as like being able to see stand-up comics, any night of the week, or sketch improv shows, any night of the week. I was literally on set with these professionals in the environment that made them stars. So you get to see not only how they prepare for their work, but how they handle themselves when the cameras aren’t rolling. The people that they are offset and what they care about and you see them as people more than, you know, just these like Robert Wagner. It personalized it a lot more, and it also made it feel attainable for me. There was also a time when I would be booming. I’d work like, 60 hours a week, five days a week, 12 hour days, but then I’d get off work, and then go do a show at night and be taking classes on the weekends and performing and going out. Since I was so green when I moved to Los Angeles, I knew I, just I knew it wasn’t good enough to be a viable option when it came to picking you for acting or stand up, I just needed more experience. So being a boom guy allowed me to be on set, to be around, to learn, and then also it was my survival job while I was working towards my ultimate goal of just, you know, being an entertainer.

YL: A moment ago, you said that it was a lot of luck, which I’m sure played into it a bit. But it also sounds like you really put yourself in the middle of everything.

Matt: I think there’s something to be said about being in the mix. You can’t underestimate the power of just being around, you know? And having a good attitude. More than anything, I’m grateful for my sense of curiosity, because my sense of curiosity has led me into so many different directions. If I was just kind of like, Yeah, I’m going to go to work and then I’m going to go home and I’m going to watch TV for a couple hours, and I’m going to go to bed and I’m going to get up the next day, you know? I’m sure you’ve heard the expression like, the harder you work, the luckier you get. Yes, absolutely. So I really believe there’s something to that as well.

YL: One of the general themes in your book is a genuinly positive outlook on the industry and the people you’re meeting. And, you know, as somebody read the book, I found it refreshing. It’s a celebrity, not tell all, but tell some. What gave you the idea to write the opposite of everybody’s celebrity book out there? 

Matt: to be honest, the that has been my ride for the most part. I’ve had a handful of experiences where you’re like, well, this person wasn’t very nice, but for the most part, some of the biggest names that I’ve met have been the coolest, you know. Some of the biggest people have the least amount to prove so they can just be gracious and genuine and cool. And those are the stories that I like to hear about, people. I don’t want to hear about, this guy was a jerk. You’re like, yeah, you know it. It’s kind of cliche. I just wanted to give people their flowers for being decent and funny and kind. Also, if you’re a fan of these people, you’re like, hey, you know Bryan Cranston, he’s the best. Wouldn’t you like to hear something positive and uplifting about someone you already, like, you know, I do. So you can take your fandom up just a little bit more by knowing that, like, hey, you know what? Gary Busey, he’s a, he is a man unto himself. He’s a good dude, you know? So it’s also just from entertainment industry sense. I would never go out and, like, torch these bridges, you know, and like, you don’t want the reputation of someone who’s backstabbing. And I didn’t even think about doing something like that for a second. And so, I sleep good every night. I’m proud to share these people being cool. And, you know, I think that’ll just kind of generate that the positive energy that I’d like to be around with other people.

YL: As you were putting these together as an actor and comedian, you have a great grasp of the elements of narrative and story,  what to you, makes a good story?

Matt: I think a good story, maybe you can kind of like in much of my Stand Up Show, there’s two words that I want people to experience before the show. I want them to be intrigued, and when the show is over, I want them to be delighted. So if there’s a level of intrigue and you’re like, Oh, I’d like to know a little bit more about Gene Simmons, you know, then you hear the story afterwards, like, all right, you know. I think for me in this book, the hook is celebrity, but at the same time, realizing that I’m not a celebrity. So, if you pick up the book and you just flip through the table of contents, and you’re just like, oh, you know, Rachel bloom, I’d like to know more about her. You get a 5 page story, but it’s not told from a fellow Star. It’s told from number eight on the call sheet, who’s just happy to like, you know, be there as a guest star for the week. So I’m not the crazy ex girlfriend. I’m Stonebrough, the owner of the country club. So I guess celebrity and realizing that I’m not famous enough to try and sell a book on my own.

YL: I think you might be selling yourself short there. I would consider a celebrity. 

Matt: Oh, thanks, Michael. Come on. 

YL: And you know you mentioned Rachel Bloom and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, that was one of my wife’s favorite shows.

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Matt: Rachel’s the best. She’s just the best. Also, it’s a reminder to anyone with artistic aspirations that as long as you create art that’s meaningful to you, you never know where it’s going to connect. Because she started out with like, doing her songs and music videos and things online, and then suddenly they’re like, “Oh, who is that woman that sang ‘F Me, Ray Bradbury’? So, they just as long as you’re creating and doing things that you’re proud of, the sky’s the limit. I always encourage any artist to just make what resonates with you, and then the rest of it’s up in the air.

YL: Speaking of creating, the way you write these memoirs, there is a lot of creative pattern to it. And I wonder, have you ever considered writing fiction, short stories, novels, or screenplays?

Matt: No. I mean, I do write. I mean, I’ve written movies and pilots and things like that, but I’ve never sat down and wrote it once upon a time, or like a Philip K Dick type of a thing. I like to read them, and it intrigues me, but to sit down and commit the time, I guess, at this, at this age that I’m at right now, and the way my career is trending, I don’t see myself as an author as much as I do a comedian and an actor right now. I’m writing a TED talk, and that’s a goal of mine, to do a TED Talk someday. So, the onus of my TED talk is, don’t have a bucket list, to have things that you want to do, but to say, like, someday before I die, I want to go to Peru. Just like, go to Peru next weekend. You know what I mean? Not this, like, grandiose, when I retire. Just go to the airport, you sit in a long silver tube for nine hours and you’re there. No bucket list, when you can just do it now.

YL: One of the stories in your book that that I loved, I love all of them, but one of the is your chance meeting with Colin Hay over lunch, right? I’m a huge Colin Hay fan.

Matt: Oh, dude, he’s just Colin Hay!  He’s funnier than most comedians. You know what I mean? Like you go and you see his live show, and he’s done this kind of troubadour act. It’s just him and the guitar, and he’ll play his songs and then tell these stories that it’s just like you’re falling out of your chair laughing. And it just so happened, I did a movie with Ray Abruzzo, who played little Carmine in the Sopranos. And at the time, I was doing a podcast, and I invited him and the director of the movie. The three of us went to his health club because it had, like, a little, kind of a breakfast and lunch place at the club. So, while we were sitting there talking and recording the podcast, it was called, Grabbing Lunch with Matt Knutson. Colin came over, I guess he was a member of the club too. They were pals. Colin sat down. I mean, what an artist, what a great guy.

YL: And you’ve worked in for decades in the in the industry. From the stories in your book, and just talking to you now, you’ve been everywhere, on both sides of the camera. The title of your book is “Have I Seen You in Anything?” Reading your stories, you’re everywhere. in prep for this, I was scrolling through your IMDB, yeah, again. And it is an incredibly impressive list.

Matt: Um, somehow, I’m a doctor on general hospital right now.

YL: And you were Jesus on Malcom in the Middle?

Matt: That was the first time for me. It was a seminal moment, because it was the first time I was on a show that I really loved, and, you know, was a good scene. It was just a two-hander with Bryan Cranston, and it really changed my life. It made it feel more accessible than it had before, because you had kind of already been in the arena, even though you were nervous. And you know, you did your best, but you get those timely yeses, and they really put a lot of wind in your sails.

YL: imagine they would! With all the relationships you’ve developed with people over the years in the industry, on both sides of the camera. What do you feel is the most important lesson you’ve learned about your creative process from those you worked with over the years, something you’ve taken with you?

Matt: Sometimes yes is just not right now, you can always be working on something, and you don’t always hear yes to all the yeses that you want, but if you keep working, everything that you’ve created is available anytime people are interested. You know, there’s projects on my hard drive that I’ve haven’t really touched in years. But if I run into someone or, like, maybe I hit this big HBO show where, you know, who knows what, then you’re in this strata with these executives. Hey, have you thought about your you know thing? Like, yeah, I have these things, you know, like the pilot that I would quit acting to make I wrote, it’s called clinical trials, and it is Parks and Recreation meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It’s about a clinical trial facility, but you think that they’re all like, clean and put together and, you know, really professional, but what’s the 99-cent store version of a clinical trials facility, and that’s the prime location. So, I’d love to make that, but I haven’t had that sit down with ‘insert name of person’, but it’s available.

YL: So, that’s a project that you’ve written the pilot for?

Matt: I wrote a pilot, and I shot a sizzle real and, you know, has like Kyle Canaan and Edie Patterson and like some of my favorite people, Lynn Stewart, who was Miss Yvonne on Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Yes, they all like, volunteered their time and came out and did this, and it’s, you know, but nothing’s ever dead. There’s no official debt. You can repurpose anything that you make at any time. You know, for the most part, the show that I’m touring right now is called The One-Man Variety. Show, and it’s stand up, it’s music, it’s sketches, there’s short films, there’s a dance number. So, my elevator pitch is the Chappelle Show meets Lawrence Welk with a little TED Talk. So, one of the elements of the show is this movie I wrote and directed like three years ago somewhere, like, half hour into the show, I just show the short while I take a break and get a drink and use the restroom, and like, three, four minutes later, come out. It’s like, it’s, you can fold in and repurpose everything you’ve ever created your entire career.

YL: that’s interesting. I like to touch on that because, this sounds like this is an evolution of your show Rhythm & News.

Matt: Just bringing other stuff in. And there’s also these tentpole things that I have. I call them improvised sketches, wherein you set the parameters for what the scene is, but it’s all improvised in the middle of it, you know, like one of the bits I do is called KTZN, The Zone. I’m like an FM D.J. guy, you know. But what audience members do, as they enter the theater, I have a prompt by the door. It just says, “Write down a made-up event.” To give some examples, like the paperclip convention, cloud Appreciation Day, you know. So as people are going into the theater, they write a suggestion down and put it in a bowl. Then at some point in the show, I have someone who works at the club bring the bull out, and those are the suggestions for the community calendar. You know, yeah, these are events going out of your town this weekend. Get out there, and I just pull the slips of paper out and I read them, and people get to hear their idea. And I kind of riff a service announcement. Don’t miss you know, The Poor Teddy Bear, you know, whatever it is. And I do 3,4,5, of those, and it’s new for me every night, and I get to enjoy it. And it’s kind of that combination of passive crowd work.

YL: A lot of writers have rituals to get themselves in the zone to write, just to fill the pages, what sorts of things do you do, or do you have any rituals that you go through to get in the zone? For writing, for acting, for improv, when you’re creating these, you know, these entertainment experiences. Is there anything that you do to focus your juices?

Matt: No, not really. I mean, outside of allow time and space for them, you know. I think if there’s a something that you really want to do, that burning desire, like I got to do this, you’ll find a way. If things get in your way, like, I just can’t get to writing. Maybe you don’t want to do that thing as much as you think you do, or that you just want to talk about doing it. Like, I’m working on my movie right now and, you know, but I have to go to the bank and work. I try and keep paper around me and to be able to collect ideas when they occur to me. And I thought this was a great thing Hemingway used to do. Leave the writing when you still have an idea. Don’t empty the tank. What you’re going to think of next? Our ideas are valid. They belong somewhere. If they’ve occurred to you, they matter. You know, look for that glimmer that shines behind your eyes. You know, in every work of genius, we recognize our own rejected thoughts.

YL: That’s getting a call out in the article for sure.

YL: Tell me, you named your book “Have I Seen You in Anything?” How often do you get asked that question?

Matt: Have I Seen You in Anything: true Hollywood stories from a guy that seems familiar. I never get recognized. That’s just not a part of my life or lifestyle. But if that ever comes up, that that is the question that people ask for the most part – there’s maybe a familiarity. But I think everyone has a favorite show and movie and, you know, song and book, and everyone has a favorite thing. So, if, if they’re curious, you know, I take it as a compliment, and I really am grateful that I could potentially have a response. Yeah, I think the thing that the most people have seen, that I’ve done recently is shrinking with Harrison Ford and Jason Siegel, if you’re a fan you may remember, I was the guy that spread my ashes at the Rose Bowl.

YL: You’re terrific in Shrinking by the way. And I loved the section in your book where you’re talking about meeting Jason Siegel and what a great person he is.

Matt: He is the best. The best guy, the funniest guy, the nicest guy. And He’s the reason we all have a job. He created the show. So, what a champ. 

YL: Matt, thank you so much for taking the time to talk about your book, and your career in the entertainment industry. 

Matt’s book is available now