IN CONVERSATION WITH WALLY BARAM

interview by JANA LETONJA

Stand-up comedian, writer, and actress Wally Baram made her acting debut as the co-lead of the comedy series ‘Overcompensating’ for A24 and Amazon earlier this month. Previously, she was also a writer on the acclaimed series ‘Shrinking,’ ‘What We Do in the Shadows,’ and ‘English Teacher’.

‘Overcompensating’ marked your acting debut and as a co-lead, no less. How did it feel stepping into such a central role?

It was nuts. Having worked in writers’ rooms previously, I was pretty familiar with the casting process and how competitive it was. Thus, I was pretty doubtful that this would actually come to fruition. So when it did, the whole thing sort of snuck up on me. It felt like I got a call and suddenly I was en route to Toronto learning scripts. It was overwhelming conceptually, but I mostly focused on staying in the moment and trying to rise to the occasion for Benny and my peers.

The show explores identity, college chaos, and queerness with a sharp comedic edge. How much of yourself did you find in Carmen?

Carmen is this awkward little lady who wants to be loved oh-so-very badly. She is constantly contorting herself for validation, and she only knows how to source it sexually. She is deeply earnest and completely vulnerable, yet has this really astute dry sense of humor.

From the go, Carmen and I had a lot in common. At one point in my life, I was nearly everything I just said to describe her. Moreover, in the script she is from New Jersey. My family is from Jersey. She has curly hair that she doesn’t know how to tame. Same. She has larger breasts. Same. So, to answer your question, I rather coincidentally found a lot of myself in Carmen. And then was able to pitch on that in the room.

That said, in many ways, one of the most fulfilling practices was finding where Carmen and I are different. I am definitely not Carmen at this point in my life. I keep to myself more and am far less keen on the type of validation she needs, so it was interesting to put myself back in those shoes, and even invent entirely different shoes for her to wear that were not me at all. 

Your stand-up is known for being biting, honest, and hilarious. How do you balance that tone when writing for TV versus performing live?

I think performing live and writing for TV scratches entirely different itches for me, or exists on different legs. But the itches are symptoms of the same disease. Performing live is entirely me expressing myself and getting loose with it. I often start with a truth that’s important to me and get silly with the dilly. Writing for TV is less about me looking inward and more about me looking outward. Finding the truths in characters outside myself and reverberating creatively from that.

blazer and shorts FRANKIE SHOP 
t-shirt HANES x REDONE 

As someone who’s written on shows like ‘Shrinking’, ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, and ‘Betty’, how do you navigate shifting between different comedic styles?

Writing across voices, styles, and comedic genres is one of my favorite parts of this job. I love translating and curtailing my ideas to speak the creative language of a different show, vision, or showrunner. I think doing it successfully involves a lot of listening to the people around you and the showrunner. You have to pitch to collaborative vision of the show versus what you may want the show to be or exclusively your individual styling.

You’ve performed on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ and were named a Just For Laughs “New Face.” How do you stay grounded amid all this momentum?
I love that question because I think it sheds light on how people perceive the journeys of others. While this is my first role, I have been working in the industry more or less for 10 years now. Maybe “working in the industry” is generous because I started in PA jobs and stand-up open mics. But I have been pounding the pavement for a while. I performed on Colbert four years ago and was a New Face three years ago. I think I have a really good sense of the rhythms of this industry. I know momentum doesn’t last forever, nor does it happen over night. And I know that you just have to keep pounding pavement and stay rooted in the parts of this creative work that you love. And if god forbid none of that kept me grounded, I still book and produce a small weekly standup comedy show in Brooklyn called ‘Park Slop’ in a pizza shop, where you are constantly shouting over a guy ordering pepperoni pizza.

What inspires you creatively outside of comedy—fashion, art, books?

I read a ton. I recently burned through ‘Rejection’ by Tony Tulathimutte and it rocked my world. I also watch a ton of movies. I am presently obsessed with Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife. Fellini and Masina did a movie together called ‘Nights of Cabiria’ and her physical Chaplin-esque comedy is a revelation. I’m a hussy for Criterion and a wench for Letterboxd. And that’s something I’ve just had to accept about myself.

What’s coming up next for you? Any upcoming stand-up dates, scripts, or projects in the works we should be watching for? 

Well, we pray to the gods for season two, that’s for sure. Beyond that, I’m after the whole hog I think. I would love to act more, maybe a character that is perhaps sillier than Carmen. I’m finishing a script now I am so excited about. I should have more stand-up dates. I’ve been writing essays here and there that I’ve been fortunate to get published, so more of that. My dad got a pet chicken and I’ve been dying to figure out how to pick that thing up. A lot of me running around with my arms out. So best case scenario, career advancement, worst case, I hold chicken.

ТEAM CREDITS:

photography BRANDON MICHAEL YOUNG
styling REBECCA GRICE
hair BARB THOMPSON
makeup MELANIE INGLESSIS