Since 2020 he has had small parts on “Better Call Saul,” “Space Force,” and“Only Murders in the Building,” and he’s now taking the leap to movies with a larger role in “Confess, Fletch” as a detect…
Since 2015, when Roy Wood Jr. became a correspondent for “The Daily Show,” he has made a name for himself with offbeat but sharply observed political and social commentary, both on the show and in his specials, “Father Figure, “No One Loves You” and “Imperfect Messenger.”
He’s also developing a comedy with Denis Leary for Fox about the National Guard, which he’ll star in; and he’s executive producing a medical drama for NBC about a Black woman doctor coming back to Harlem to take over her family’s practice.
Q. How much were you shaped by years on the road doing stand-up in small towns and cities, especially considering the racism you often faced out there? I’m seeking any opportunities that are different than my normal self. That’s what I enjoy. You get offers for roles that are essentially just yourself and you have to be bold enough to say no, which is very difficult because no one wants to say no to opportunity and money. But you wait for the good stuff to come along and that will show you have the ability to do more.
Q. You even turned up in a small part on “Better Call Saul.” Was that because you wanted to try your hand at drama or were you simply a fan of show? [Wood’s riff notes that the anthem is actually lifted from a British song: “You’re telling stolen people in a stolen land that they should stand for a stolen song?!?”Q. Your “Tribulations” shows this summer were very different from the political and social commentary in your stand-up. Is this part of a shift for you?