John Oliver isn’t planning to book any more acting roles.
During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, the Last Week Tonight host was asked whether he would consider doing any more acting.
“Not really. I haven’t done a lot of acting, and I think, when I have done it, I’m not sure I would call it acting,” John told the hosts. “I did the NBC sitcom, Community, and I remember Jonathan Banks – legitimate actor – came up to me before a scene and said, ‘I just wanted to talk about what our characters are doing before this.’ And I had to tell him, ‘Oh, Jonathan, I’m just gonna say these words, in an as funny as possible way.'”
He joked, “You know when actors act opposite a tennis ball? I will be that ball for you.”
The British comedian played Dr Ian Duncan in 18 episodes of Community, which ran from 2009 to 2015. He has also been a busy voice actor over the years, making appearances in The Smurfs films, The Lion King remake and Wonder Park, and TV shows like Bob’s Burgers and Big Mouth.