Photography: Robyn Von Swank
Werewolf, lizard man, mermaid, gay pirate… Our Flag Means Death has earned Rhys Darby a devoted following. Now he’s headed back to the stage for a stand-up tour.
DNA: You have a very impressive list of credits: Flight Of The Conchords, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Night Court, The X-Files, Hot In Cleveland, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Jumanji… Does one experience stand out?
Rhys Darby: Luckily, and weirdly, at the beginning of my career, I got to work with Jim Carrey in Yes Man. It was the first movie I ever did and, being into comedy, he was an inspiration to me. Working with the best straightaway throws you in the deep end, and I was like, “Wow! I can take on anything now”. The next movie I did was The Boat That Rocked starring Philip Seymour Hoffman. I worked with amazing craftspeople right from those early days. Believe me, I’m still pinching myself. I wonder how that little boy from Pakuranga, New Zealand gets to do this! It feels like I’ve won some sort of competition.
You’ve even been in The Simpsons.
Yes! I do know I’ve got the voice and a weird vibe about me that’s fun for cartoons. One role that stands out would be The X-Files. Being into the paranormal myself, I couldn’t believe I got a part on that show. It was so perfect playing a lizard who becomes human. It felt like it was written for me.
You also played a werewolf in What We Do In The Shadows – that’s a werewolf, not a “swear-wolf”!
[Laughs] That was fun. I do a lot of work with Taika Waititi, who’s a friend of mine. He and Jemaine Clement wrote, directed and starred in that film, which was all improvised. There was a script, but we weren’t allowed to look at it. For that “swear wolf” scene, we were told we were the werewolf gang, the others were the vampire gang, and we were going to meet in the middle, like a West Side Story situation, and see what goes down.
Our Flag Means Death is a massive gay favourite. You’ve said that playing Stede Bonnet was one of the most challenging roles of your career.
Stede is not a two-dimensional comedy character. This guy has a meaningful background that brought him to this ridiculous adventure. It’s not just about him finding himself, but also finding what love truly is. I knew there would be pirate ships, and I got excited about the dress-ups, but I also knew I was playing someone from history. I read about the character to find as much as I could, and I even did a sailing course to make sure I knew how to sail – even though he didn’t. Once we got into it, I knew there was going to be a relationship between Blackbeard and Stede. It wasn’t divulged just how deep it would go.
How did you prepare?
I read up on what really happened and then threw all that out because even that is just hearsay. There isn’t a hell of a lot written about what went on on those ships – but there were certainly a lot of men! I was elegantly shoved into some beautiful garments, and once I put those heeled shoes on I was like, “Wow, okay, now I feel like Stede. I know who Stede is!”
He is an actual historic figure; a wealthy land owner who decided to become a pirate!
Yes, Stede made a major decision, a midlife crisis if you will. It doesn’t matter what age you are; at some point, you get the balls to say, “I’m going to now be my true self”. That, along with the beautiful love representation in the show, made it so wonderful for people, especially the queer community. It unfolded organically. It wasn’t like, “Oh, this guy’s gay or this person is non-binary”. They just were, and no one cared – all wrapped up in a beautiful, silly pirate show for the world to see our point of love being love.
Have you played other gay roles?
I felt my character in A Series Of Unfortunate Events was gay. I was Don Johnson’s special guy. It was fun, and Don’s a great dude.
When it comes to music, do you have a diva?
Kylie. I love Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. I had her first album on a cassette, and it had the classics – The Loco-Motion and I Should Be So Lucky. I had a special thing for Kylie back then.
What song gets you on the dancefloor?
Anything from Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gees. Also Murder On The Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Thanks to Saltburn?
I love it when an artist gets a relaunch because their song is big in a movie or on TV, like Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill on Stranger Things. Every time I hear Fleetwood Mac’s Chains, it takes me back to Our Flag Means Death and the pirate ship!
Is it true that before becoming an entertainer, you were a soldier?
I was in the Royal New Zealand Signals Corps for four years and I was a regular force cadet before that. I became a radio operator, driving Land Rovers, putting up antennas and generally having a great time with the boys.
Do you have a favourite quote?
I was on The Queen Mary, which is like a haunted ocean liner now, docked permanently at Long Beach, Los Angeles, and there’s a quote on the boat from Winston Churchill: “I am easily satisfied with the very best.” A quote from myself would be, “Just be true to yourself”. A part of that led the character of Stede Bonnet to come out and be who he wanted to be.
What’s been your best on-set wardrobe malfunction?
Not a malfunction, but I played a mermaid in one scene in Our Flag Means Death and I had to be sewn into my fins. I couldn’t walk so they put me in a wheelchair, lifted it up and launched me into a giant pool. I did feel very malfunctioned as a half-human but once I was in the water, my fishy half came to life. I could swim with it!
Now you’re heading out on a stand-up tour.
Yes. I’ve been concentrating on film and television acting, which all began as a stand-up comedy adventure; seeing how I could contribute with my wayward New Zealand humour. I enjoyed touring as a younger man, but once I got to Hollywood and into TV roles, I was happy to stay put.
What has brought about your new tour, The Legend Returns?
Thanks to Our Flag Means Death, I’ve now got a broader audience, including young people who have taken an interest! So, I wanted to say, “Hey, let’s get out there and show you guys what my stand-up is like,” and they came in their droves. It was fantastic and I realised I’ve still got it. So, I put this tour together.
What can we expect from the show?
It’s new material. I tell stories and act out characters. A lot of people are scared of stand-up; they think it’s a guy behind a microphone spitting about politics, but I couldn’t be more opposite. My show is silly, physical comedy, and I use my vocal range to embody sound effects. It’s uplifting. The story is about humanity dealing with artificial intelligence and asks, “Where are we going?” It’s a trek we didn’t sign up for but we’re on it and it’s moving fast. I don’t want to lose the joy of what it means to be human, and I feel that’s slowly being taken from us. I hope that one day robots cannot do what I do on stage!
Boxers, briefs or freeballing?
Tight, fitted boxers, but not too tight. I need to be comfortable down there, especially with all my movement on stage!
Rhys Darby: The Legend Returns is part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Go to: comedyfestival.com.au and rhysdarby.com
Follow Rhys on Instagram @rhysiedarby
Photography: Robyn Von Swank.
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