Martha Kelly Talks Coyote vs. Acme, Baskets and the Digital Euphoria Bump [INTERVIEW]

For real comedy and acting fans, Martha Kelly is not a recent phenomenon. The actress and stand-up comic first broke through on Zach Galifianakis’ show Baskets before standout roles in Marriage Story, Euphoria, and this week’s Coyote vs. Acme. Her dry delivery has become a unique identifier of the actress, leading many to see her as both incredibly funny and shockingly scary (when the role calls for it). Kelly spoke with FandomWire this week ahead of Coyote vs. Acme‘s release, but we also discuss her wide-ranging career over the past decade.

Martha Kelly Interview for Coyote vs. Acme

FandomWire: Hello, Martha, thank you so much for speaking with us about Coyote vs. Acme. I was so excited to actually see this movie. My first experience with you was back on Baskets, and then shortly afterwards, I watched a lot of your stand-up. Tell us about that transition from being a stand-up to TV, and now you know being in all these shows and movies.

Martha Kelly: I met Zach Galifianakis at an open mic in 1998, and then by the time Baskets happened, we had known each other for a long time. We shot the pilot in 2014, and he left me a voicemail out totally out of the blue in January of 2014 saying, “Hey, I’m doing the show. Maybe you want to have a part on it. I don’t know if you will. Call me back.”

I was like, “What could this possibly be?” But it was the pilot. Louis CK had a deal where he could produce three other pilots, so he asked Zach if he wanted to do one. Zach pitched him the idea of a down-and-out rodeo clown in Bakersfield who has an assistant that he’s really mean to, which was what he wanted me to play. They changed it to an insurance agent because it doesn’t really make sense to have a personal assistant if you’re broke and living in a motel in Bakersfield. But yeah, it was so fun.

I could not have done it with anyone but Zach. I was really scared and didn’t know if I would like freeze up when the cameras were rolling. Be too self-conscious. I couldn’t love him more. He made it so easy and comfortable and fun.

FandomWire: When did you first get approached for Coyote vs. Acme?

Martha Kelly: I got a self tape request, let’s see, it was either the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022. I didn’t hear from them for weeks, and I just was like, “Well, it’s another audition I didn’t get.” Then, out of the blue, it seemed like my agent manager Colin said, “They’re offering you this part. It shoots in Albuquerque for three weeks,” and I was super excited. The script was really funny and also really sweet. Will Forte is known to be just a great person to work with. So was really everybody, like Lana [Condor] and Tone [Bell] and everybody. The director Dave Green just a great time.

FandomWire: Obviously, it became a big news story when Warner Bros. was going to shelve the movie, but at what point did you feel like this movie was definitely coming out? Other movies, like Batgirl, have not but this one did.

Martha Kelly: [There was] a back and forth of getting my hopes up, and then “Oh, and it’s not going to happen.” Last year, we went to Comic-Con and did a panel where they announced that Ketchup Entertainment bought it and they showed clips. But it wasn’t that long before Comic-Con that I found out. I think there was a period they said they would sell it, and the couple streamers were making offers and Warner Brothers said no. I was like okay it’s never gonna happen and then it finally happened.

FandomWire: What was your favorite thing about shooting this movie? You’ve played opposite really big characters in the past. How do you adjust to playing against Looney Tunes?

Martha Kelly: It was fun. They had a puppet and professional puppeteer doing the Coyote scenes. We’re in the law office around the table, and he’s there. They would do a few takes with the puppet, and then they would remove him and replace him with a tennis ball, which is what all hybrids do. We would get to do a few takes with the puppet, and the puppeteer is so gifted. The Coyote puppet had a very expressive face, so it was very cute and fun.

Then there’s another scene where there’s a bunch of Looney Tunes. It was just a lot of people in green screen suits. It was actually people walking around in a full body suits that we would be interacting with because there was a lot of activity in the scene. You couldn’t just go from tennis ball to tennis ball.

FandomWire: The internet really like rallied around, not only the movie, but has rallied around you. You’ve been promoted on TikTok, with all of your line readings on Euphoria, and now this movie gets saved partially because of the internet. How do you feel like your relationship is with the internet? Has it advanced your career?

Martha Kelly: I don’t know that it has advanced my acting career or standup. I think that I have mixed experiences. Like TikTok is definitely the one where I have the biggest audience, and I think 90% of my followers were a result of this season of Euphoria. Every week when a new episode came out, I would get thousands of new followers. Then since it ended, it’s been a slow trickle of people unfollowing.

And I think that that is just common. People on TikTok will follow people for going viral or for having something big come out, and then they see more of your videos, and they’re like, “Well, not my style.” Maybe you’re not exactly like the thing that they followed you for, which is understandable. I love seeing big numbers on TikTok. It’s a very Gen Z app. I think it’s because my niece and nephew are Gen Z, and they’re my favorite people in the world.

FandomWire: Do you feel like with Coyote vs. Acme that there’s going to be an even bigger groundswell over the next six-to-eight months, not only as it comes into theaters, but eventually does hit streaming?

Martha Kelly: I hope so. I think it came out really well. I saw it for the first time at Comic-Con this year. We did a preview screening for Comic-Con people, and I’m really happy with how it came out. Hopefully, it works. It’s one of those movies that is funny and fun for adults, but you can totally bring your kids to it because there’s nothing too intense for kids.

FandomWire: What do you have upcoming next? I saw you in Poetic License, and you’re so funny in that movie. I’m excited to see what else you have on your docket.

Martha Kelly: I’m embarrassed every time I say the name of it, but that I have a podcast, Forehead Corner. It’s called that because I started saying “Welcome to Forehead Corner” at the beginning of my TikTok videos because I have a big forehead. Then honestly, I’m as free as a bird.

It’s a weird time in the industry. A lot of people are in a weird spot. There’s much less production happening. People who are more recognizable and successful than me, I’m competing with them for roles that they didn’t used to compete for. When I say competing, I mean not getting.

But I, you know, in 2023 and 2024, I hardly worked at all. And then I got Poetic License, and then Fallout, and then season regular series regular on Euphoria right in a row. I feel like that’s just how it is at my level of non-famous character actor. I’m not overly worried about it and kind of having fun with my free time.

Coyote vs. Acme is in theaters now. Ketchup Entertainment distributes.