A member for almost 30 years, Colin Mochrie is a staple of Whose Line is it Anyway?’s success. Even with three different hosts, two countries and various networks broadcasting the show, Mochrie stayed strong and continues to be a hallmark of its continued success.
Now on The CW, he, alongside Wayne Brady and Ryan Stiles, come back on April 10 for their third season on The CW. Hosted by Aisha Tyler, it’s sure to be another wild, outrageous season and now he’s hear to talk about it.
Colin sits down with TheCelebrityCafe.com to discuss the magic behind Whose Line, the Richard Simmons episode, working with Brad Sherwood and Ryan Stiles, whether or not he hears from Drew Carey about the new episodes, Robin Williams’ passing, his son Luke’s success on the Internet and more. Check out our full interview below.
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Well first, I gotta just say that it’s a huge honor as a longtime fan of the show to talk to you today.
Colin Mochrie: Oh, well thank you.
TCC: Yeah, I sincerely mean that. Now, in your own words, what do you think is the key to Whose Line’s success for all these years?
CM: I think that there’s a few things. Part of it is the excitement of improv. You know with a lot of sitcoms, there’s sort of a rhythm that goes with it. You can sort of see where the joke comes. But with our show you have no idea where it is going to come, because we don’t know what the set up is. We don’t know what the punchline is going to be.
But there’s always that sort of unknown quality as to where we’re going to go. And I think because we’re having so much fun, it becomes contagious. The audience really gets into it. Also, it’s a bit of a magic trick where they want to see how we use the suggestions we get and somehow make an entertaining scene out of it.
TCC: And by this point, do you basically see Whose Line as kind of an unstoppable machine?
CM: It does seem that way. I mean, my first Whose Line was in 1990, and I can’t believe that 26, no 25 years later, we’re still doing it. It’s an incredibly cheap show to produce. So as long as producers want to save money, we’ll always be around.
Because the shooting schedule’s short, we only do two weekends out of the year. It’s fast and furious, and in most of those weekends we can get 30 shows. So yeah, I think it can keep going as long as our hips hold up.
TCC: Yeah, so on that topic, if you could go back to 1990 Colin and give him any advice, what would you give him? As a performer?
CM: Just have fun. It’s really hard to sometimes remember that when you’re going for an audience with a show and you don’t have one. I know my first show in Whose Line, I sort of set myself up to fail. We were in England, I didn’t think they’d get my references, and I sort of sucked. And it wasn’t until I realize what I do and get up there and do what I do what got me onto the show, it would have worked out.
So basically it’s just sticking to the rules of improv. You have to make sure to have fun. You have to make sure the person you’re working with is having fun. It really isn’t a secret.
TCC: Alright, and is there any one thing in particular that helps keep you motivated while you do Whose Line?
CM: Mortgage, I guess?
TCC: Okay. * laughs *
CM: You know what? It’s just always fun. It’s a nice group to work with. We always have a good time filming the shows. The audiences are always great. It’s great every time we do it. So we never get in a rut, and because of our short shooting schedule, we don’t get the chance to get on each other’s nerves. So when we do get together, it’s just having fun again. It’s just going back for a couple days, making us laugh and making the audiences laugh.
TCC: And I kind of figure you may or may not have one of these, but do you have a favorite or least favorite game on the show?
CM: I think my favorite would consistently be “Greatest Hits.” It gives a chance for Ryan and I to sit down, for one thing. And we get the chance to start to riff with each other before we hand it off to Wayne or Brad or Wayne and Brad or whoever the singers are. Part of it is having fun, you know, for riffing with Ryan and then to getting to sit back and watch those musical guys do what they do best.
TCC: And if you happened to meet someone who never watched the show, or even saw any of your stage performances, how would you describe your working relationships with Ryan or Brad?
CM: Oh geez. It’s almost a kitchen party where, you know, you’re the two clowns at the party just riffing stuff. It’s just with Ryan, you know, I’ve known him for over 30 years, and the same with Brad. I’ve known him for 20 years. And in both of those cases, we’re really good friends and we sort of have a brother dynamic where we try to bug each other and do it for laughs.
It’s a hard thing to explain to people that this is what we do. We got out to an audience with no show and make one by the end of the taping.
TCC: Do you ever revisit any of your appearances on Whose Line, or do you try to avoid that altogether?
CM: Yeah, I tend not to. I mean, there’ll be times where I’ll be flipping through channels and see a Whose Line. I always have to stop and watch it because I never remember the scenes. That’s one of the great things about improv. I’m just as surprised as the audience as to where it’s going to go.
And there’s also those times where you’re watching it and you go, “Oh, I just missed a great joke there.” Or “I could have done that better.” So I tend to not watch and build it up in my mind as something spectacular.
TCC: And is there ever any particular moment or line from the show that fans bring up to you the most?
CM: I guess the most common one is the Richard Simmons show. That’s got to be one of the funniest things we’ve ever did. And it’s always the scene that people recommend to their friends who haven’t seen the show, because it sort of encapsulates the entire Whose Line experience.
So yeah, definitely that one. And there’s catchphrases from the show people throw, which most of them I don’t know. People will come up and shout something at me and I’ll be like, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
TCC: * laughs * Yeah, I actually, while I was preparing for this interview, rewatched the Richard Simmons appearance and I was so taken aback by how crazy the audience was in that moment. There were people literally up in their seats, clapping and applauding.
CM: Yeah, I think they actually edited it, because at one point, the laughs went on forever. So they had to cut it down to fit it into a network broadcasting. I mean, God bless him. He was very committed and he was a good sport and he gave us, what I think is, one of the funniest scenes ever on television.
TCC: Especially since you brought it up, how much of the show is ever edited down?
CM: There’s actually not much. You know, we never shoot retakes or anything. So whatever happens, they keep in. They just cut (a) scene out, because it wasn’t as funny as the other ones, but during the actual scenes they don’t edit anything. They pretty much keep everything in.
TCC: And do you ever get any feedback from Drew Carey about the new seasons?
CM: No, I haven’t seen or heard from Drew in a while. We kind of speak to each other in emails, but I know he’s actually on tour a lot. So I don’t know if he’s actually seen the show. I know when we did the first one with Aisha, he sent everyone flowers and a good luck message. It was very classy. I hope he watches it. I know he loves to laugh, so hopefully he enjoys it.
TCC: Yeah I was just curious. And do you think there are ever any chances of Improvaganza coming back?
CM: Probably not. But then again, I never thought Whose Line would come back. So you just never know.
TCC: Do you think with YouTube, that is really what made the show come back?
CM: Absolutely. When Brad and I were on tour about five years ago, we started to notice our audiences were getting younger. And we realized it’s because they’re catching up on the show on YouTube. Most of them who are watching it on the Internet weren’t even born when it first came on. So YouTube played a big factor in keeping Whose Line in people’s minds and making it popular again.
TCC: Yeah I know there’s definitely a very big online community for the show, especially for the ‘90s/’00s version.
CM: Oh yeah, pretty much since the beginning of the Internet. I know it’s always had a strong following online, and it kept growing over the years and God bless them. It was really good for all of our careers.
TCC: Yeah, and speaking of the Internet, what has been your response to your son’s success, both musically and with reviews through YouTube and Channel Awesome and stuff like that?
CM: It’s great. Of course, I think he’s very talented because he’s my son. But I’m very happy for him. I think it could have been intimidating (for him) because both my wife and I are in the business. We’ve had a lot of success in Canada and the U.S. So it could have been intimidating, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He’s doing his own thing. And he’s so different from the both of us. He’s actually just starting out. He’s actually working in Second City in Toronto in an improv class.
TCC: Oh really?
CM: Yeah. So he’s very talented. He has too many talents. I mean, with me, this was the only thing I could do. I had nothing else to fall back on. But he’s got a lot of stuff going for him. It’s good, ‘cause I probably have ten years left and then he has to start looking after me.
TCC: And how did you actually get into improv?
CM: When I was in theater school, I saw a demonstration of it and it intrigued me. It looked like a lot of fun, and being sort of a lazy person I thought it would be great to perform without having to learn anything. And there’s a thing called “theatresports” that was started by a British guy named * beat * Keith Johnstone, and it became this big, propelled thing. It got very popular and it was the start of my improv. And then I went to Second City…..
It’s always amazes me that I’m doing this thing that wasn’t a job when I was growing up. No one every said “Oh, I’m going to be an improviser when I grow up.” So I’ve been really fortunate that it took off and made me a career.
TCC: So have you already filmed the episodes for this season of Whose Line?
CM: No, we’re reaching….next week will be our last episodes. We filmed some in January, so we’ll be finished by the first of April.
TCC: Oh ok, and is there anything you can say right now about what fans can expect to see in this new season?
CM: There’s some wacky guest stars. I’m trying to think…no, it’s pretty much us dicking around and fooling people into watching it year after year.
TCC: And speaking of guest stars, if you could have anyone, living or dead, on the show who would it be?
CM: Oh…I would have loved to have Jonathan Winters on the show. I never got to meet him. Greg Proops knew him and said he was brilliant. I would have loved to have had him. I mean, it was great when we had Robin Williams on the show. But yeah, Jonathan Winters would have been great.
TCC: Yeah, and especially since you brought it up, what was your response to Robin’s passing last year?
CM: It was very sad. When he was on Whose Line, it was one of the highlights of my career. Not only did we get the chance to work with this amazing comedian, but he was also one of the sweetest guys I had ever met. You know, he was an Oscar winner, he came on our show, and he was just one of the guys. One of the guys on the podium.
He treated us all with respect. He treated the crew with respect. The crew loved him. He was entertaining the audience between shots. It sure was a sad day when he passed.
TCC: Definitely, and kinda to jump gears, are you working on any other books at the moment?
CM: Oh God no. I don’t know how people do it. I was sort of tricked into writing a book. You know, I was very proud when I finished with it, but I can’t imagine writing another one. But it could be like childbirth: I’ll just forget and do another one day. But no plans in the immediate future.
TCC: And especially because you work in a field that’s so depend so much on off-the-cuff, in-the-moment action, what’s your writing process like? You know, since writing is almost the opposite of improv.
CM: Yeah, that’s why I decided to write my book in an sort of improv kind of way. So I’m sure I did it wrong. I know most writers have an outline of where they’re going to go, and I didn’t. I just wrote, and then went back and edited.
So I had no idea which.. I know what I was shooting for, because I was using the first and last lines of famous novels. So I knew I was going in a certain direction, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. So it was an interesting way to do it. But as I said, I don’t think I’ll do it again.
TCC: Ok, and just before I forget, what’s it’s like working with Aisha Tyler on this new version of the show?
CM: She’s great. She’s the busiest woman I know. I mean, she’s doing The Talk, she’s doing our show, she’s does a lot of guest star (appearances), she’s written books. She’s been writing screenplays and TV series. She always has something going. She hates down time. It’s really been great getting to know her.
She’s funny and sweet, and it’s been nice that all three of our hosts have really been so different and unique and bring their own personalities to the show. It’s taken us a little while to figure out how to make fun of her, because she’s a beautiful, successful woman. But we’re slowly starting to find our way.
TCC: Yeah and in addition to her, Wayne obviously has Let’s Make a Deal and you are always busy with Brad with your shows. So how’ve you guys kept the balance and make sure you do those things in addition to the show?
CM: Well luckily Whose Line doesn’t take a lot of time. So it really does keep us free for things like the tour. And we’re all aware of trying to keep a balance. Brad and I, we tour but we mostly tour on weekends so we still have time to spend with our families during the week, which is really important to all of us.
So it is hard finding time for making movies and television because our tour takes up so much time, it would be hard to fit us into a shooting schedule. But usually the summer is when I tend to do things like that.
Friends are now in the position of power where they can just hire me for something, and I get to do great parts that I would probably not get cast in your regular, mainstream film or television. So it’s sort of my time to do all the unusual things that I don’t get to do for the rest of the year.
TCC: Great, and what’s it been like seeing Wayne have so much success recently with Let’s Make a Deal?
CM: I don’t like Wayne. I don’t get him * beat * You know, it’s great. We knew when he was first on Whose Line he would do real well for himself. Again, he’s always, on our show, been very driven and loves working, loves performing for people. There’s so much talent, he can pretty much do anything. So it’s fun to see all that hard work pay off.
TCC: And this is going to be a long shot, but do you ever see yourself being on Let’s Make a Deal?
CM: Never say never, that’s what I always say. But right now I don’t see it, but who knows? If things go bad, I may be encouraged.
TCC: Great, and I’m curious, besides the plugs and stuff like that, are there any differences between the CW format and the ABC one?
CM: It is pretty much the same. It’s all the same producers, a lot of the same crew. So, you know, the producers have been doing this for 26 years, so they know how to keep it going. There may be a little more freedom from censorship, I guess? But you know, there’s still things that we can’t do. But it pretty much feels like what we were doing with Drew.
TCC: Is there anything else, besides your shows and this one, that you’re working on at the moment?
CM: No, that’s pretty much it right now. The tour and Whose Line has pretty much taken up all my time at this point.
TCC: Where are you coming up recently on your tour?
CM: We just got back from Grand Rapids on the weekend. We’ve been all over the States, even Australia and India. Yeah, we go all over the place. I don’t even know what my schedule is. But we do a lot in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Hopefully the ice storms will hold off until we finish our tour.
TCC: Oh yeah. And how was Grand Rapids?
CM: It was great. We were really lucky in that we’re playing a lot of small towns, so the audiences are very happy to see someone whose been on television. And the shows have been just great. The audience responses are wonderful. We’ve been hearing great suggestions from them. So I think that’s part of the reason we’ve been going after 12 years. We’re still having a lot of fun doing it.
TCC: And you have a couple films coming up pretty soon. Can you tell me a little bit about those?
CM: Yes. The first one is called The Anniversary. Again, it was a friend who wrote it and directed it and she also happens to be in it. And we shot it 11 days in her house. You know, it was a great cast. I got to play this bitter, disillusioned man, which was a lot of fun, a lot of nice scenes, very different from what I’ve gotten to do before. Which I always find exciting.
And then I think I did another movie, which I think was called Night Cries. Which was, again, friends casted me. They always cast me as really evil people, and it’s a husband and wife team. He wrote and directed it. He also stars in it, she also stars in it. And there was a scene where he directed me to anally rape her, which was just bizarre. And they are just the sweetest people. It was weird, but it was just so much fun. Again, something I would not regularly get cast as.
TCC: Yeah, and I know I heard a couple interviews with Ryan where he was talking about how he doesn’t really like the scripted or directed format and that’s why he comes into improve. Do you feel the same way, or do you just enjoy both?
CM: Yeah I just enjoy both. I mean it works out different muscles. When I do a scripted thing, I think people are a little weary that I’ll go off-script and make it my own. But I’m always aware of trying to get what the writers’ want to get across. So I’ll never change anything, unless I’m asked by a director to try something different.
I still can use improv in a way, even in the scripted things. You know, you can say a line a hundred different ways, using different emotions, using different backstories. You can use both those skills, either in scripted or in improv.
TCC: Yeah, and especially with the Judd Apatow-method where improv comes more into scripted films, what do you look for or like to see when you watch comedic actors or performers?
CM: I just like to see a constant reality to the comedy. I mean, you know, there are big comedies out there with big faces. But if it’s in the reality of that world, I can really enjoy it. I find it weird when there’s different comedic styles which don’t mesh because it sort of takes you out of the movie.
It’s really hard, for me, to be taken out of a movie. Because I love watching movies and I watch them as an audience member. I’m rarely taking them apart, in the comedy or whatever. And I just like sheer funny. It doesn’t have to be extremely witty; I like low-brow humor. I guess a sense of fun is what I’m always looking for.
TCC: And are there any comedy play, movie, group that you’ve enjoyed recently?
CM: Good question. I can’t remember anything. I’m a big Monty Python fan, so those movies I’ve always loved. I’m trying to think. God..no, I can’t think of any. I’m trying to think of the last movie I watched where I laughed a lot.
TCC
CM: Yeah. That’ll be interesting. I know they were doing a tour, I think, last year that went really well. So I like to watch them. They’ve been doing it longer than us.
Whose Line returns April 10 at 8/7c on The CW.
Image courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com