Humor in heartbreak & Mixology star Andrew Santino

MANILA, Philippines - Of course, we all know better than to believe everything we read. That lesson was certainly hammered home recently while interviewing Chicago native Andrew Santino, actor in the cutting-edge sitcom Mixology on the Lifetime channel.

An article had mentioned that the bearded Santino, who calls to mind Zach Galifianakis and his loopy character Alan Garner in Hangover, is into the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association). When asked if watching the men’s tour bored him, Santino replied with a laugh: “I was kidding! I don’t really follow the LPGA. I was just very bored while doing an interview, and I was watching golf. But I do think there are very talented young women that are on tour.”

Oh, okay, Andrew.

Then again, Santino is a comedian — a very successful one who started his career writing and starring in the final season of MTV’s Punk’d in 2007 (it was subsequently revived in 2012). Also on his professional resume are guestings in Family Tree, Children’s Hospital, Arrested Development and The Office. The stand-up comic also made it to Comedy Central’s list of Top 10 Comics to Watch.

Created by the same minds behind, yes, Hangover, Mixology is a riotous, character- and dialog-driven show on the adventures of 10 single people in the Union, a high-end bar in Manhattan. The entire first season, unlikely as it seems, revolves around the happenings of just a single night as viewers are systematically introduced to characters and their interactions. Lifetime tempts us thus with this morsel: “Recently dumped by his fiancé, Tom hasn’t been out on the town in a decade. His best friends, handsome, confident Cal and fast-talking Bruce, are throwing Tom back into the dating pool — whether he likes it or not.”

Santino plays the crass, rude and broke Bruce, who nonetheless is best friend to Tom (played by Blake Lee). Bruce is also smart, funny and brutally honest — qualities that serve him with mixed results in the world of dating. And, oh, not to forget: Bruce split with his girlfriend when he caught her with his two brothers.

Santino talked about landing his Mixology gig, cheering for the Chicago Bulls, going to the Philippines and more during an exclusive phone interview with The STAR. Excerpts:

The Philippine STAR: Did you have to audition for the show, or was it offered to you?

“I auditioned. Everybody on our show had to audition because they really wanted to see if we could mesh together well. They also made us do chemistry reads — that’s when you read with another character on the show to make sure there’s a good rhythm, and vibe between people, and to make sure it was believable. It was a fun process. It was very easy and fantastic, I felt like it was the right show for me and I’m happy that I went for it. It was awesome! I went out for Bruce and landed Bruce.”

What were your thoughts while you were going through the lines? What do you think about the material?

“I think the material is great! I won’t really audition for a show if I don’t like it, and this was no exception. It was a very, very funny script. It was well put together. People behind it are extremely talented and I have a lot of experience in this business. I was more than happy and lucky to be considered for this part. Not a lot of people get to be able to go out for this kind of thing. It was wonderful. The material is wonderful.  I really responded to it really well. I think it’s really funny.”

Your co-actor Vanessa (Lengies, who plays cocktail waitress Kacey) said that she gets spasms from laughing so hard on the set. Can you give us an idea of how your typical shooting day would go?

“We start usually around 7 or 8 a.m., and go until 7 or 9 p.m. All day we just have a good time and prank each other. We would read the lines or make stuff up. It’s like we’re a little fun family, where you goof around with your brothers and sisters. It’s wonderful, and a great show to be a part of. We’re always breaking up the time with jokes and having a good time. It was very, very fun.”

Your character obviously went through a terrible heartbreak of seeing his girlfriend in bed with his two brothers. What do you think motivates him to push Tom to go out there again when Bruce has sort of made a vow to not let love get in the way again? What was the motivation there?

“I think the motivation was what you just said. I think he saw that women have not been so nice to him by hooking up with both of his brothers. And I think he wanted to get back at women and never let them use them again. He wanted to be a big player and never feel like a girl can take hold of him and hurt him again.”

Do you think deep inside Bruce is a hopeless romantic or a hopelessly scarred romantic?

“I think he is a hopeless romantic, and deep down somewhere buried beneath that fake, mean, joke-jokey Bruce, he wants to find love. He just hasn’t seen it yet and maybe doesn’t know how it feels like yet.”

Now that Mixology is debuting in Asia, what do you think Asians can latch onto in terms of the show’s message?

“I don’t think that it matters if you’re Asian or not. I think anybody would love this show because everyone has experienced love in some capacity whether it’s with your family or your loved ones. People have experienced heartbreak or gone out to bars as young people. So everyone has experienced this lifestyle, but I think no matter who you are you can relate to some of these characters because they’re all so different. The spectrum is quite broad and I hope that Asian viewers would love our show because of humor. It’s something that all young people go through which is heartbreak and finding love — trying to find the one to go home with at the end of the night. I think that happens all around the world. People want to find someone they’re compatible with.”

Do you follow the Chicago Bulls?

“I do! Do you follow the Bulls? Are you a big Bulls fan?”

Oh, no sorry. I’m actually a Blazers fan. I wanted to ask you what your thoughts are regarding Derrick Rose. I mean, if you were to talk to that guy what would you tell him?

“Oh my God. I don’t know what I can ever tell someone like Derrick Rose. I feel really bad for him that he had to be hurt again. You know, I think the Bulls had have some trouble since Michael Jordan left us. Derrick Rose is like our hometown hero. He is a Chicago-raised kid, and I think it’s sad that he’s been hurt twice. I hope he bounces back and continues to have more success in his career and I hope he does it with the Chicago Bulls.  I hope he stays for a while and we get to keep our team on track. Derrick, get healthy and hopefully lead us to a couple of championships somewhere down the line. I think he’s the man, I’d probably tell him that, D-Rose, that he’s the man. Stop hurting yourself so that we can see your magic happen.”

Your fearless broadcast for the Bulls this year?

“It looks like a little cloudy this year. The Pacers are really good. I think the Pacers can beat the Heat and I would love to see that. But I don’t know how that’s gonna happen because the Heat is so strong. I would love to see the Pacers beat the Heat, and I would love to see them then beat the Clippers or the Thunders or whoever of those guys end up there. Anybody who’s not the Heat. I don’t wanna see the Heat again!”

Did you ever prank your friends when you were younger — or even now?

“Yeah, when I was young, all the time! I mean, we would play jokes on each other constantly. I think a fun joke that happened in our set was when Adam Campbell who plays Ron would steal my socks from my trailer. He thought that’s really funny because at the end of the day, I wouldn’t have socks to wear going home. It’s such a small detail but it’s very, very funny because when you don’t have any socks, it’s really uncomfortable to drive home after a long day at work! We all joke with each other, and have a good time. I think it’s natural to do stuff like that to break up a long day.”

You have an impressive resumé in the comedy genre. A lot of people say that comedy is much, much harder than drama. It’s harder to make people laugh than make them cry. How would you describe yourself? Have you always been a funny person?

“Yes, I’m very funny in person. I’m not very funny in this interview but I’m a fun-loving guy. I’m always fond of having a good time and goofing off. I think that it’s important to not take life too seriously. You know, joke around the things that happen in our lives versus letting them make you sad. I am always a guy in comedy and I will always be a guy in comedy because I think that laughing at sadness is only the way to deal with it. You have to laugh at the things that happen in your life.”

Have you been to Asia or, specifically Manila? Is there a plan for you guys to probably do a tour of the region?

“No, I’ve never been to Asia at all actually. I just got back from Europe, but I’ve never been to Asia. I would love to go. Actually, I just talked about going there with my fiancée. I don’t know when we can go; we’re awfully busy. I hope we can make time. How about you send me a ticket and we’ll be right over.”

We’ll have that arranged.

“Thanks, and tell everyone to watch!”

(Mixology debuts on Lifetime on April 29 at 10:10 p.m., with ensuing episodes in the 13-part series airing at the same time on succeeding Tuesdays.)