‘Somebody Somewhere’: Tim Begley enlists hope, faith and sushi in St. Louis to make his role sing

Tim Bagley had no idea what St. Louis Sushi was before he joined”Somebody Somewhere.” The odd snack—a pickled cucumber slathered in cream cheese and wrapped in ham—is a signature dish of his character Brad Schrader and one of the first ways the series’ star duo, Sam (Bridget Everett) and Joel (Jeff Hiller) get to know him. Another comes before they even taste it, during a loud concert where Brad inelegantly recites Francesco Durante’s solfeggio “Danza danza fanciulla gentile.”

As for Brad’s culinary coup, “the day we shot that scene, I Googled it and saw that it was a real thing, and it looked horrible to me, and it is,” he said.

But he also understands why something like this would make sense at a reception desk after a concert in Manhattan, Kansas. “A lot of times in the Midwest, they eat food that’s just disgusting. And I grew up on this food, so I say it with love.”

“At any rate,” added Begley, “I never had it before or since. And it was really fun how they introduced my character: I’m responsible for giving them explosive diarrhea. And how can it even work for someone to be friends with me?”

If you like TV, especially comforting TV, Begley is no stranger. Long before he joined ‘Somebody Somewhere’, he appeared in classic films like ‘Coach’, ‘Wings’ and ‘Seinfeld”, and had a recurring role in “Will and Grace” before stealing the show from under Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda every time he appeared on “Grace and Frankie.”

“Somebody Somewhere” and Brad are closer in temperament to who he really is than many of the giant characters he’s played on other shows. Brad is a gentle, prayerful man who wins Joel’s heart and ours.

In the third and final season of the tender comedy, which premiered Sunday night, Joel and Brad merge their lives and homes, creating some of the sweetest premiere scenes of the season, in which they barely clash over how to arrange the kitchen items . Elsewhere, Sam’s sister Trisha (Mary Catherine Harrison) returns to her life as a divorced, successful entrepreneur whose curmudgeon pillows became an Etsy hit.

This inadvertently leaves Sam, still reeling from their sister’s death, on his own to figure out how to move on in life, and the first glimpse of her overcoming this unexpected bout of loneliness is heartbreaking.

But “Somebody Somewhere” sees that grief as a part of life that Bagley appreciates. “This show is very hopeful about humanity and people, and it’s very much about kindness.” That makes it unusual TV fare, Bagley adds, citing that HBO has also been home to “Succession.”

“People usually like just horrible people who misbehave, and it’s a very sweet, tender, friendly show that’s all about possibility and hope,” he said. “This is what we collectively need in our culture.”

In our conversation about season three, Bagley talked about the show’s loving portrayal of Brad’s faith, how his stories reflect the theme of growth, and what it was like to sing again.

This interview transcript has been slightly edited for length and clarity.

Were you a fan of Somebody Somewhere before the script came to you?

I watched the series and I liked it. It’s totally my sensibility — it’s funny and it’s very hearty, all the things I love about comedy. So I loved it instantly. And then I got a call… I didn’t have to audition. It was a direct offer. They wanted to use me and I think it was only three episodes at first and then they just kept writing them.

People know you from many shows. I think it will be an interesting juxtaposition for those who remember all the scene-stealing things you did on Grace and Frankie and your work on Perfect Couple. There is such a dynamism and difference between these roles and this one. And I wonder what you wanted to find in Brad that resonated with you.

Oh, that’s a good question. I think of myself as someone who climbed her own mountain, figured things out on her own, with some of the same obstacles as Brad. I just quietly walked this path for a very long time by myself and had relationships and such.

But what I responded to (is) that I noticed that Brad was a person who was climbing his own mountain—doing these vocal lessons, knowing that he wasn’t a great singer, but it made him do it well. I love it. Then also having a religious part. Back when churches were really open and welcoming to LGBTQ people—before LGBTQ was just gay or lesbian, that’s what it was—I left the church when they started talking about gays and homosexuals and murderers . and pedophiles don’t care.

I ended up leaving maybe six different churches, and I couldn’t find one that supported gays. And so I thought, OK, I’m going to do institutional religion, I’m going to have a private relationship with God. And it’s still a part of my life. And so I really identified with that part of Brad. He has a spiritual side that will be steadfast no matter what the Church says or does.

Does that make sense?

It makes perfect sense. When I talked to Jeff (Hiller), he said it was very important to have this story that was not only about a small Midwestern town that you don’t usually see, but also a place that has a religious center in to whom everyone is hospitable, and he is not perceived as an exception. It is a natural part of the community. And what I loved so much about this season is how Brad and Joel have to find a way to reconcile their lives. . . figuring out what they want for their spiritual paths.

right. . . I just feel like it’s a fully developed relationship between two gay men that includes spirituality. People living together at our age and trying to figure out how to bring someone into your life, regardless of your age, can be difficult. And I can’t even begin to tell you what a thrill it is to play a fully realized gay man or a character who happens to be gay.

This season, we take a different look at the main theme of the series – moving forward. At first I thought it was “moving on” but now it isn’t. I mean, the show itself is asking us all to move on as it ends. But I think it’s a show that debuted in the middle of the pandemic, when everyone was retreating, and it opened up another part of the world and showed the sun and the possibilities.

You’re the one who saw it from the beginning and became a part of it midway through the season. How do you think this final season will leave us — and how did it leave you?

Well, not everything is tied up in a bow. It left me feeling like the continuum of life continues. It just keeps going and who knows what will happen to these characters? Unless we get picked up by some other network or something. But it’s just the continuity of life and how Bridget — who plays her part so beautifully and it’s so heartbreaking — (shows) we can all grow. We can all learn and no matter how old you are, you can continue to grow, be interested in life and, as you said, move forward. I hope people are encouraged to maybe take vocal lessons, or maybe not be afraid to date if you’re of a certain age, or whatever. Be open to what life offers you. No matter your age, you can keep learning, being curious, and moving forward.

One of the things that Jeff said is that the music is the other unspoken protagonist of the ensemble that we see in the song that you’re doing this year. I know some things change in the writing and then in the actual performance of the scene, and I’m curious to know how that was for you.

You know, my character in the second episode of the second season sings in front of people, and he’s not very good, but, you know, I did it as best as I could. I knew that way they could see that Brad wasn’t a great singer, but he was very serious about it.

Then Bridget showed me how to sing something personal, which my character had never done. How did I approach this? I learned the song, but at the time I really wanted to get whatever I needed at that moment from Bridget and Jeff.

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And I mean, I don’t know if I should say this, but I was listening to a certain song on my headphones before we shot the scene. It’s a very upbeat song because I wanted it not to be sad for me, but to try to show him how much I love (Joel), you know. And then being with Bridget and looking at that beautiful face, and she’s giving me all this support and love, letting me know that it’s okay, like . . . everything i needed was right there with these two. Does that make sense?

yes And now I want to know what song you were listening to. Unless it’s too personal.

Yes, of course. I hope it doesn’t hurt people. But it was a song from Sounds of Blackness called “Optimistic.” It’s just a beautiful, uplifting song about going through life, about all the troubles, about optimism and about everything we have to be thankful for.

Why do you think that would spoil the surprise for people?

Because it’s like telling people how to make a sausage.

But the sausage is good! We will still eat sausage. Now I’m going to listen to Sounds of Blackness.

They are so good. For me, this is one of my go-to steps when I want to feel really good. Their catalog of music is so powerful and positive and inspiring and I don’t know, it makes me feel connected. I didn’t even tell Bridget Jeff or anyone else. I never told anyone what I was listening to, but it set me up for the moment.

Was it on purpose not to tell them?

No, I just didn’t tell them. Sometimes actors want to have the secrets of how they work. And for me it was, you know, something that I didn’t really want to tell them. I just knew it would be something that would bring me to that moment in a way that I wanted to be present.

I think that’s one of the reasons why this series is so magical, because you can feel all these feelings. This translates very well to visual effects.

You know, for me the main thing in acting is to put yourself in the right circumstances. All you have to do is look into the person’s face and listen to what they are saying and everything will be fine. Like Jeff, you know his face, he’s so sweet and wonderful. And every time I look at his face, I fall in love with him.

New episodes of Somebody Somewhere air every Sunday at 10:30pm on HBO and air on Max.