Jake Johnson didn't think he was handsome or talented, so he pursued comedic acting instead

Q36:44Jake Johnson on Self Reliance, getting fired, and New Girl

As a kid growing up just outside of Chicago, Jake Johnson looked up to comedic actors like John Belushi and Bill Murray.

"The Second City is king in Chicago," he says in a conversation with Q's Tom Power. "And The Second City — obviously, it's big in Toronto, too, and in Detroit — but it breeds a certain type of actor, and that is a comedic actor, a character actor, somebody who plays it very real, someone whose tone is very grounded, but somebody who can generate a lot of laughs."

From a young age, Johnson, who's best known for his role as the charming slacker Nick Miller on New Girl, says he knew he wasn't good-looking or especially talented, but he had a natural ability to make people laugh.

According to him, there are three types of actors.

"Some actors moved to Los Angeles, like a Brad Pitt, because they are so good looking," he explains. "And everywhere they go, from the time they were nine, people go, 'That is the best looking person I've ever met!' Margot Robbie probably had it. Ryan Gosling has it."

Then, there's the talent, Johnson says. "And the talent is like your John Malkovichs, right? They're just actors … They drip with talent, and they could go from Hamlet in the park to SNL that evening, and we cheer for that."

The third type of actors are the funny ones. Even as a kid, Johnson was able to determine through a process of elimination that that's where he belonged. "With my face, I'm not the first type. And with my brain, I'm not the second type. But I can make everybody in the classroom laugh, and I get great joy from that."

WATCH | Jake Johnson's interview with Tom Power:

Self Reliance

Now, Johnson has written his own dream role with his directorial debut, Self Reliance, which he stars in alongside acclaimed performers like Anna Kendrick, Christopher Lloyd, Andy Samberg and Emily Hampshire.

Self Reliance is a weird dark comedy about a disillusioned man named Tommy, who receives an invitation to play a reality television game on the dark web for the chance to win $1 million. The catch is that he can never be alone, not even for a minute, and if he is, he'll be hunted down and murdered.

So exactly how weird is this movie? "[It's] Jacob's Ladder mixed with Bottle Rocket," says Johnson.

"Jacob's Ladder is about a guy who gets home from Vietnam and starts seeing things like demons. It's a psychological thriller, and these demons are very scary and everywhere. And he's trying to figure out what the hell is going on … Bottle Rocket is an indie comedy about a guy who believes himself to be greater than he is and wants to be extraordinary, but he's very below ordinary. He has these huge aspirations about being in a gang and being in a group and taking over. And it doesn't work out for him, but his group is really funny."

WATCH | Official trailer for Self Reliance:

You can watch Self Reliance now on Paramount+ in Canada and Hulu in the United States.

The full interview with Jake Johnson is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. He also talks about New Girl and getting fired from his day jobs more times than he can count. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Jake Johnson produced by Mitch Pollock.