Larry Wilmore is an Emmy Award-winning television producer, actor, comedian, and writer whose credits include hosting Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, co-creating HBO’s Insecure, and serving as a producer on Hulu’s Reasonable Doubt. He’s also written for The Office, In Living Color, and several other series, and was the creator, writer, and executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show. He can currently be heard as host of Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air on The Ringer Podcast Network. His comments were from a conversation with Vanessa Armstrong.
HOW MAGIC HAS HELPED HIM:
When I’ve been in writers’ rooms, I’ll have cards or coins or that type of thing. It’s always helped me relax when I’m thinking of ideas and has been an accessory with me during pretty much my whole career.
CONSIDERING THE WORLD OF MAGIC:
I was really enthralled by Doug Henning. Everything he did seemed so magical at that time, and he was instantly just a favorite of mine growing up. Nobody’s quite matched that.
WORKING WITH RICKY JAY:
I heard so many stories about how prickly he was and everything, but he was the nicest marshmallow, I have to tell you.
He was so cool. It was an honor. I was hanging out with Ricky Jay, for Christ’s sake! And for me to say, “Ricky, have you tried this?”
It’s like, “Who am I to say that?”