Known for her gregarious stand-up comedy, Southern drawl, and signature blonde curls, Fortune Feimster is taking Hollywood by storm. The comedian, who started her career on Last Comic Standing, steals the show in the new action-comedy series FUBAR, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The James Bond-esque action series, which debuted on Netflix on May 25, follows Luke Brunner (Schwarzenegger), an undercover CIA agent who hides his job from his family. When he finds out that his daughter Emma (Monica Barbaro) also works for the CIA, Brunner teams up with her to fight crime together. Feimster plays Roo, a sharp-witted CIA agent who scrawls math equations on a chalkboard and has every research tidbit needed for the team on the tip of her tongue.
Originally from North Carolina, Feimster worked as an entertainment journalist before getting her first break in 2010 when she appeared on Last Comic Standing. After competing on the show, she starred in The Mindy Project and reached a wider audience in 2020 with her first Netflix special, Sweet & Salty. Her most recent comedy special, Good Fortune, debuted on Netflix in October last year (and yes, her Southern drawl still comes out). The special — which was taped in Chicago, her wife’s hometown — made the L.A. Times Best of List for 2022 and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award.
Feimster, who is on her Live Laugh Love tour through December in dozens of cities across the country, speaks with Shondaland about her former life as a journalist, the new series, and the reality of being on reality TV.
NADJA SAYEJ: You’re known for your stand-up, and now you’re in an action series. How did that come to be?
FORTUNE FEIMSTER: I was shocked that I was even given that opportunity — I’m not going to lie. Comedy is obviously my wheelhouse. I never thought I would be considered for an action series. When I was asked if I wanted this part, to play a part in a Schwarzenegger action series, I thought, “What? OMG! Yes!” I wanted an opportunity to do something different and learn a new set of skills. I was ready to jump at the opportunity.
NS: There are a lot of adventures in this series. What was the learning curve for you?
FF: I had done my own comedy-related stunts, but I never had explosions going on; even the pace of things [was a learning curve]. One director was always telling me, “Faster, faster!” because I have a Southern accent where we tend to take our time with our words. I would have to practice my lines, saying them over and over really fast, so they were deeply embedded in my mind so I could say them as quickly as possible. I learned from stunt guys during an explosion scene, you need to put your head down. Little things you don’t think about.
NS: You play Roo, who is a quick-witted part of the CIA team. She is smart. What did you like about her?
FF: I love how she was unapologetically herself. She can take the piss out of people but has a heart; she’s the first one to show up for someone if she’s needed. You learn there’s a backstory to her too. She’s fun, different, and you wouldn’t think she is someone who would be in the CIA.
NS: Are you on tour right now?
FF: Yes, [I started touring] a few months ago. Once my comedy special came out, Good Fortune, I had to start from scratch with new material. I did local shows to build this next act. I’ve been sharing new stories.
NS: Stand-up is so hard; you’re great at doing crowd work too. Who first got you into comedy?
FF: I started out watching comedy on TV. I’m from a small town in North Carolina. I didn’t go to stand-up shows; there weren’t any. I started out watching reruns of The Carol Burnett Show with my grandmother. I was obsessed with Saturday Night Live, from sixth grade to college. I would memorize the sketches and recite them in softball practice. That comedy bug was in there. Now, doing it professionally is wild. I still love Carol Burnett. I love Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon. I love the comedians today that are killing it, like Taylor Tomlinson, Leanne Morgan, and Bill Burr. I also love watching old Patrice O’Neal stand-up sets. I miss those kinds of voices, back in the day.
NS: Is comedy more inclusive today?
FF: Oh, yeah. It used to be that you had to tell jokes in one way. I love seeing people as who they are, authentic to themselves. Seeing people embrace that. It’s amazing.
NS: You used to be a journalist! How does it feel being on the other side of the interview now?
FF: I know. It’s funny. I just interviewed my friend Monica Barbaro for this magazine, and she said, “This is what you used to do!” and I said, “Yes.” For seven years, I used to interview actors, writers, and directors. Being on the other side of the press line, I was like a fly on the wall learning about the business.
NS: Was there a trademark to your interview style?
FF: I was lucky that the people I was writing for let me do what I wanted. They gave me free rein. It was during the time “Who are you wearing?” was big, but fashion didn’t interest me. I wanted to uncover the human side of the person I was interviewing. Like, tell me about you. How’s life? I had some neat conversations about people because I got to know them in a 20- or 30-minute conversation.
NS: So, how is your life going?
FF: Ha! That’s the thing about this business. Once you start getting some momentum and success, everything becomes about work. Especially as a stand-up [comic], you have to live. You have to live life so you have things to talk about. I find that balance. I’m a workaholic, and I don’t want everything to be about work, so I try to spend some quality time at home with my wife and my dog and visit my family in North Carolina.
NS: Speaking of home life, remember you were on Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis.
FF: Yeah. I can’t believe how many people watch that show. Everywhere we go, people ask us about how our trees are doing. You never know what is going to capture people’s attention. The trees are 7 feet tall now. They’re great.
NS: I can’t imagine what it’s like inviting reality TV into your home.
FF: We were hesitant at first. I’m not personally one to film my life. To me, not everything has to be on display. Keep some things sacred. I had a lot of opportunities to do reality TV, but it’s not a path I wanted to go down. With this, I thought, “Oh, no, do we want cameras in our house?” My wife does not want to be famous at all. She is one of the rare people in L.A. who says, “Please don’t film me.” It was supposed to be a two-week thing. That’s why we agreed to do it. I love Jeff’s aesthetic, and we wanted to do some updates to the house. It ended up being four months. It was not what we anticipated, but it was a positive experience.
NS: You have a radio show, What a Joke With Papa and Fortune. What sets it apart from the landscape of comedy podcasts?
FF: He [Tom Papa] and I both come from a place of being positive and seeing the good in things. We pick on each other and make fun of each other. We’re not Pollyanna the whole time. We come from a happy place. Rather than focus on the negative or gossiping, we just think about how we can be fun and silly and make people laugh and forget about the stress of their day for two hours.
NS: What advice do you have for young comedians today?
FF: As hard as it is, doing comedy for so many years and you’re not getting paid, you do whatever you can to make ends meet. Your goal is to hopefully make a living at it. I tell people to embrace that time. You’re putting in time and effort, and you’re not seeing results yet. I look back at that time in my life very fondly, I just remember it being a simpler time — it was just about comedy; it was just about making people laugh. You’re not bogged down by the business side of things. It wasn’t a checklist. You’re just showing up to the clubs, having a good time with your friends, and doing stand-up. Enjoy the simplicity of that. Write and perform as much as possible. The more practice you can get, the more it will serve you when the opportunity presents itself.
Nadja Sayej is an arts and culture journalist based in New York City who has written 5 books, including Biennale Bitch and The Celebrity Interview Book.
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