Adam DeVine on life after "Workaholics"
Comedian and actor Adam DeVine has bid farewell to his Comedy Central show, "Workaholics," but he has his hands full with new projects -- including his commercials with Best Buy, during which he advises his cousin "Andy" on the best back-to-school technology.
DeVine talked to CBS News about his campaign, saying goodbye to "Workaholics" and what advice he has for kids who want to fit in.
Tell me more about your campaign with Best Buy.
I'm working with them on their Tech to Impress campaign, getting it out there that Best Buy is here to help the kids. I'm showing kids the ropes -- showing them how to join different clubs, perhaps the glee club. Maybe we have another singer in the family.
My "cousin" might star in "Pitch Perfect 4" -- that's yet to be decided, but I'm getting him involved in college and giving him the best tech to succeed. Also with the ladies -- kids these days, they're using tech to get members of the opposite sex, and I want members of my family to be very successful in that field.
What are some of your tips in wooing the ladies?
Well in the campaign there's this Lenovo 2-in-1 laptop where you're actually able to write on the screen and write handwritten notes to each other and send them from across campus or across the country. When I was a kid, you'd have to write actual notes to each other, and I think it's kind of a cool way to write notes. We can finally get back to the circles: "Yes, no, maybe -- will you go out with me?"
Do you remember any school notes you sent?
Yeah. I just had like, a bucket of them. When i went to my parents' house recently, there was actually a shoebox full of them and I read some. I was friend-zoned so hard. I was completely, 100 percent in the friend zone at all times.
"Hey Lisa, you were looking really great in your volleyball uniform" -- I'm really throwing it out there. "You were looking really great in your volleyball uniform"? What? So thirsty. She wrote back, "Hi friend. Good to hear from you. Is there anyone you like? Not me." So I'm really hopeful that with this cool technology, kids can get out of the friend zone.
How does it feel saying goodbye to "Workaholics"?
It feels good. People are so nice to your face and everyone kept saying, "You guys look so young still, you could have done it for 10 more seasons," and I'm drinking the Kool-Aid: "I am looking great! I haven't lost a single strand of hair! I'm not gray. I'm looking good." And I recently went back and watched an episode from Season 2, and I've aged dramatically. I'm much older, so I think it was kind of good we moved on from chugging beers on the roof. Now we're moving onto movies. We're working on "Game Over, Man."
Tell me more about "Game Over, Man."
It's an action comedy. It's basically "Die Hard" with three idiot John McClanes who are totally inept. We're housekeepers at a hotel taken over by terrorists, and basically we quit being losers and fight back and then it's the craziest movie. It's absolutely insane. We got to do every insane thing imaginable, and we're so pumped Netflix allowed us to do it. We couldn't believe it. They loved the script. We were like, "Are you sure? We're actually going to shoot this," and they're like, "Go for it."
Do you play the same characters you play in "Workaholics"?
No. Different characters but we are three friends that work together, just not in a call center. Basically, if you like "Workaholics," you're going to like "Game Over, Man."
Obviously you and your co-stars, Blake Anderson and Anders Holm, must be very close. What role does each of you play in your friendship? Who's the more responsible one? The wild card?
Those dynamics are always changing constantly, but I'm obviously the looker of the group -- and the talent. I don't know what the other guys are bringing, actually. This is weird for them.
No, I mean we've known each other for so long, we're like brothers. So if one is slacking, we definitely aren't shy to tell them to step up to the plate, and that goes for all of us. But if one of us is going through something, the rest of us step up and try to fill in their shoes the best we can. It is a give-and-take, and we do try to help each other as much as possible because it's hard when you're working so hard for so long with a group of people.
I hope the movie turns out great and we're kind of allowed to make funny movies with each other forever because I had the best time shooting it. We're kind of new-age Three Stooges. I just want to make 100 movies with these guys and keep it going. It's so much fun and we have such a great rapport and it's so easy to improvise with someone you've known for 15 years. We've been working as a group for over 10 years now really hard so we kind of want to keep the streak going.
You had a big role on "Modern Family." Was it weird for you to have such a big job that was also really wholesome?
Yeah, working between the two was weird because we had Mondays off on "Workaholics" to prepare for shoot week, and that's when "Modern Family" would shoot so it was kind of weird to go from sweet, innocent Andy [on "Modern Family"] who was doe-eyed to go to total maniac party animal Adam DeMamp.
It was a gear shift, but I think it was perfect for me because I am a little bit like Andy and I'm a little bit like Adam from "Workaholics," too, and so I got to play extremes of personalities. I'm not as crazy as Adam DeMamp, or I would be dead. The guy's a lunatic.
I've seen your stand-up and you joke a lot about not quite fitting in when you were younger. Any advice to kids going through the same thing?
Yeah, I think just be yourself and you're gonna find your place no matter what. I did a lot of drama because I liked it and thought it was cool, but at my high school it wasn't cool at all, so I remember I kinda had to hide that I was going to rehearsal for a play. But once the play would come out and it was funny and everyone liked it, I was like, "Why was I so embarrassed by this anyway?" If you're good at something, people will appreciate your talent. And if they don't, they're not friends anyway and they're going to have horrible, miserable lives and your life is going to rule.