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Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk Used to do Stand-Up Comedy, Until He Got Death Threats
Before settling in Patience, Colorado, Tudyk was escaping homicidal comedy patrons in Jacksonville, Texas.
If you're an aspiring comedian and you get offered a gig to perform at the Holiday Inn in Jacksonville, Texas, run far away. Very far away.
That was Alan Tudyk's general word of advice during a recent interview with The A.V. Club, in which the always hilarious star of Resident Alien (currently in its third season on SYFY) recalled the moment he swore off stand-up comedy forever.
Why Doesn't Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk Do Stand-Up Comedy Anymore?
"My very brief stint involved me doing 30-minute stand-up sets at the Holiday Inn in Jacksonville, Texas ... It was scary," said the actor, who originally hails from the Lone Star State (El Paso, to be exact). "A guy threatened to kill me while I was onstage in the middle of my set. [That] was the last time I did it because I was like, 'Not doing that again. Nope. Never' ... Anyway, I did improv after that."
While he didn't go into detail on why the audience member suddenly turned homicidal, Tudyk did reveal that his now-retired act involved some kind of musical element. "I used a keyboard because I'd do a song. I always had a song portion."
For More on Resident Alien:
Watch: Alan Tudyk Takes Resident Alien Fans Behind the Scenes of SYFY’s Hit Show
Alan Tudyk Coos About Harry's New Resident Alien Love Interest, Edi Patterson's Blue Avian
Linda Hamilton on Her Resident Alien Role: "I'm Not the Funny Girl, I'm the Straight Man"
Compared to fielding a death threat from an angry Texan, nabbing the role of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle on Resident Alien proved to be a veritable cakewalk. "It was just an audition," Tudyk remembered. "'Hey, read this. Do you like it? Great, go in.' I went in and I was the 116th person to audition for the role. So, it's nice to [know] I was high on that casting director's list of who to call. But they cast me that day."
As for whom he'd like to see guest star on the hit SYFY series, the answer is easy: "Sir Anthony Hopkins." Maybe the Oscar-winner could play Harry's dad? Just throwing it out there for ya, Chris Sheridan.
How to Watch SYFY's Resident Alien TV Show
Resident Alien is currently in the midst of its third season, with new episodes airing Wednesdays at 10/9c on SYFY, and streaming next day on Peacock.
The first two seasons of Resident Alien can be found on Peacock as well. The NBCUniversal platform currently offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($5.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($11.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
Looking for even more SYFY Originals? Chucky, Face Off, and Paranormal Witness are also streaming on Peacock.
