BRIDGEPORT – Actor/activist/standup comedian Michael Rapaport is scheduled to headline Vinnie Brand’s Stress Factory with four shows between Thursday and Saturday.
Rapaport has enjoyed a long, eclectic career, from 90s indie actor to comedian to podcaster to political provocateur.
The man has credits.
In the 90s, he was in ‘True Romance’ and ‘Cop Land,’ to name a few. He was Phoebe’s boyfriend on ‘Friends.’
He appears regularly on The Howard Stern Show and its satellite shows.
He directed an episode of the acclaimed ESPN sports documentary ‘30 for 30.’
He starred for four seasons on the critically-acclaimed Netflix show ‘Atypical,” and he was just on the hit Peacock reality show “The Traitors.”
On social media, Rapaport is everywhere – and his political views cause controversy on a regular basis. He is a staunch supporter of Israel — and a gifted trash talker — who regularly gets into Internet battles with those who oppose his views.
He recently had a standup gig canceled in Texas after a pro-Palestine group called him racist, and he was also criticized this month for comments made on the reality show “The Traitors.”
The Valley Indy chatted with Rapaport by phone on Tuesday, as the actor traversed his way around Manhattan.
The interview below is condensed for space.
Valley Independent Sentinel (VIS):
You’re always in some kind of trouble, always on the verge of being ‘canceled.’ Just last week Joe Rogan said you’re a guy just looking for attention.
Michael Rapaport:
I respect Joe Rogan. I respect what he’s done. But for him to say that me speaking out about antisemitism and the atrocities of Oct. 7 for attention is ridiculous.
With him platforming scumbags with three hour, uninterrupted interviews, rest assured I’m going to continue speaking out. I’m going to continue to support Jewish people, and I’m going to continue to stand up against fake intellectuals like Joe Rogan until the cows start singing.
VIS:
Have you been on Rogan’s podcast?
Rapaport:
No. I don’t need to go on his show. There are certain people like him, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Pierce Morgan, that have spread so many false narratives and perpetuated so much anti-Jewishness.
I don’t have the ability nor do I have the impetus to sit in front of them and debate or to argue or to try to convince them.
VIS:
Has anyone in Hollywood or your agents told you to tone it down or to keep quiet?
Rapaport:
No, but I’ve had conversations with my wife. The online hate has been personal and aggressive since I started speaking out about the Oct. 7 massacre. I was surprised by that. I didn’t get as much hate when I was going after Trump during his first regime. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t aware of it. I don’t like it, but online is not real life.
VIS:
Switching gears away from foreign policy and politics: many respected old-school comics, such as Kevin Brennan, hate when actors suddenly think they are standup comics. But you’ve been at it for a while now, and it doesn’t seem that you’re doing it for the money.
But I think it would be tough, as polarized as the country is, for you to walk on stage and not have the audience judge you before you start telling jokes. Doesn’t that hobble you?
Rapaport:
I don’t think so. If I curated my image or thought about things a little more beforehand, I wouldn’t be myself. I started as a standup before I ever acted. I’ve been around standup forever. (Editor’s note: Rapaport’s stepfather was a co-owner of The Improv comedy clubs).
I like doing standup because of the freedom of expression. I like doing standup because of the tightrope element of it.
When I’m performing, it’s a lot more vulnerable than I think people expect. People might expect me to be very brash on stage.There’s moments of that, but it’s definitely personal. Number one, I talk sh** about myself, because I feel that if you’re going to present yourself as a sh** talker you have to make fun of yourself first.
A lot of my act is about my marriage, my divorce, my kids, being a parent. There’s definitely politics too, because politics is so tangible right now. If you can break the tension with laughs, that’s good.
VIS:
Your role as Dick Ritchie in ‘True Romance’ happened very early in your career.
How did you get the part and did you know all those names would be in the movie when you were hired? (Editor’s note: the cast included Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini, Christopher Penn, Gary Oldman, Tom Sizemore, Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer, among others)
Rapaport:
I had auditioned for other parts in the movie before getting Dick Ritchie. All the actors I knew at the time were talking about the script. All the agents were talking about the script. It was Quentin Tarantino’s script, and he was coming off ‘Reservoir Dogs.’ I think ‘Natural Born Killers’ was in production around that time. And it had the late great Tony Scott directing.
Every time I would go back to audition, and I might’ve auditioned like five or six times for various parts, they would have the casting photos in there. First time I went in Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette were attached. I go back in and there’s a picture of Val Kilmer, and I thought ‘what the f***, Val Kilmer’s in this?’ Then next time I go in there’s pictures of Gary Oldman and Christopher Walken.
On the set, yes, I was a fan, but also very professional. I hung out a lot on set because I wanted to see how the other actors worked.
Me and the late great James Gandolfini were kind of in the same point of view. I remember how shy he was and how nervous he was. That was his first big break. It was a very exciting set.
VIS:
‘True Romance’ was released in 1993 and four years later you’re in “Cop Land,” with another stacked cast: Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert Patrick, Annabella Sciorra, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent.
The late Ray Liotta was known for being blunt, as evidenced by his Howard Stern Show appearances and a viral video of him saying Clint Eastwood was an overrated actor.
What was Liotta like on the set?
Rapaport:
He was very nice, very warm, and very quiet. Quieter than I thought he would be. One time it was me, Harvey Keitel, Ray and Robert Patrick in a scene in a car. It was a lot of waiting and he was very quiet. Harvey was like a tough uncle to me.
VIS:
You told Jay Mohr that Harvey Keitel slapped you during filming? (Click here for the interview)
Rapaport:
Yeah, but in the most loving way you can smack an actor who is standing in front of his camera while on the George Washington Bridge and you only have three hours to film.
It wasn’t like he smacked me across the face in a violent way. He smacked me and I was flattered. It was kind of the volume of the scene anyway. His character was pissed off and trying to help my character.
(In real life) he was very supportive of me, very encouraging to me and has been that way every time I’ve seen him since.
See Rapaport perform his standup act 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 29) at Vinnie Brand’s Stress Factory in Bridgeport.
Two shows are scheduled on Friday and Saturday as well.
Click here for other dates to see Rapaport’s comedy.
The video below shows Keitel in action during ‘Cop Land.’ Warning: language at the very end of the clip.