Shirt seller is an actor for the first time

SPOILER ALERT: The following article discusses plot details from Season 1, Episode 2 of “The Chair Company,” now streaming on HBO Max.

It’s not easy to beat Tim Robinson. The comedian’s signature character is a man whose social discomfort leads him to speak out in big, loud and obnoxious ways — like the hot dog man from the sketch series “I Think You Should Leave” or Marvel enthusiast Craig Waterman in the movie “Friendship.” Ron Trosper, the protagonist of Robinson’s HBO conspiracy comedy “The Chair Company,” is no exception to this rule. But in Ron’s quest to find out what’s going on with Tecca, the eponymous manufacturer of a defective chair that causes the mall developer to take an embarrassing fall in front of his colleagues, he encounters many characters who more than match his eccentricities. People like a certain shirt seller that Ron suggests for his membership program.

In the second episode of “The Chair Company,” Ron visits the men’s clothing store Tamblay’s in an attempt to identify his assailant from the series premiere, who warned Ron not to look at Tecca again before running away, leaving a piece of clothing behind as a clue. The owner of the Tamblay agrees to help him and confirms that the shirt is theirs. The owner even models the wear and tear on the item using a ball he happens to have on hand: “It’s like a big belly and one’s belly is push the buttons, the man explains. “He’s approx at its limit. I happen to know someone who is at its limit.” The emphasis, cadence, and delivery of this seemingly mundane dialogue combine to make the viewer sit up and wonder: who is That?

It turns out the actor didn’t have to do much to get into character. Jared Lindner is the real co-owner of Get it mana small business located in the suburb of Mount Vernon, New York, Westchester County. Lindner’s father founded the store nearly twenty years ago, and the two still run Suit Man as a family business. (More information about the store can be found in this video on the small town’s official YouTube channel.) Robinson himself noticed Lindner as he walked past the store to scout the location. Lindner didn’t recognize the “Saturday Night Live” alum, but bonded with the crew: “They started chuckling, because I’m a pretty easy-going, somewhat young guy,” Lindner says. Variety. The next thing he knew, production called to offer him the role.

Lindner comes to our interview straight from Suit Man, where the racks of shirts, ties and socks appear exactly as they do in ‘The Chair Company’. (During our conversation, Lindner walks through the store, iPhone in hand; at one point, a pair of hands appeared off-screen to adjust his collar for the Zoom camera.) Lindner’s distinctive voice, a Christopher Walken-esque blend of New York accent, long vowels and soft tone, is also identical to the one in the show. The only real difference is that the actual Lindner is wearing a baseball cap – and instead of helping Robinson’s protagonist with a mystery, he sings the real Robinson’s praises to a reporter.

“It’s unbelievable how good they are,” Lindner says of Robinson, his creative partner Zach Kanin and their collaborators. “They took someone who had no idea what to do and made me feel so comfortable that I didn’t get nervous,” despite the dozens of crew members crowding into the Suit Man room. Lindner had never read a script before making his acting debut on HBO, but he says Robinson and his team put him at ease.

“I see it as a sport,” says Lindner. “If a good team has a really good manager and head coach, they don’t have to shout. They don’t have to tell you what to do. They are so respected that everyone has the common goal of getting it done and making them happy.”

Director Andrew DeYoung first worked with Robinson on “Friendship” before coming on board “The Chair Company” as executive producer. Although the idea to cast Lindner came from Robinson, DeYoung didn’t need much persuading. (HBO asked Lindner to at least read for the network before greenlighting, but he quickly came on board.) “I was chatting with Jared and said, ‘This guy is so unique and interesting,’” DeYoung recalls. “There’s something about him and his way of being that is rare and captivating in the sweetest way possible. Nobody’s making fun of anybody at all, and I hope that’s clear.”

While a total newcomer like Lindner is an extreme example of its casting strategy, “The Chair Company” generally avoided big names and recognizable faces when populating its strange, extreme world. Besides Robinson, Lake Bell and Sophia Lillis – who play Ron’s wife and daughter, respectively – are probably the series’ best-known regulars. Everyone else is much less likely to come before the public with pre-existing associations, and that’s exactly the point.

“It’s exciting when you don’t have the baggage of someone you know,” DeYoung explains. “There are so many brilliant people trying to be artists – or, in Jared’s case, not – who show up and electrify the screen because they bring something special and unique.” That’s what appeals to him, Robinson and Kanin, about figures like Lindner, who can make such an impact in such a short time. “What is beautiful about Tim and Zach [is]Even if a character only has one line, he or she feels incredibly rich,” says DeYoung. “That’s what’s so exciting to me. When you have those specific characteristics, a character appears and you think, “I’d like to follow them.” It feels like we live in a world that goes beyond the screen.” As “The Chair Company” works to build a fully immersive universe in which Ron’s paranoid logic has some meaning, it’s helpful to cast figures like Lindner who carry with them a deep-seated sense of authenticity.

Suit Man may not have a membership program like Tamblay’s, or an associated group chat with five separate guys named Ron. But Lindner emphasizes that he always strives for repeat business. “I always say that when a gentleman walks through my door, I don’t want to sell him one sweater and never see him again,” he says. “I’d rather sell them a sweater for their wedding, and then their son’s baptism, and their other daughter’s baptism, or whatever it is. We’ve made lifelong friends. They’re not even customers.” Although Lindner says he is open to acting again after such a good experience with “The Chair Company,” he is not giving up his day job.

When we spoke, Lindner had not yet gotten a chance to see his own performance, although he has gone back and watched Robinson’s Comedy Central series “Detroiters” to get an idea of ​​what to expect from the final product. The prospect of introducing himself to a large audience marks the first time in our conversation that even a hint of actorly self-consciousness emerges. “I hope I don’t make a fool of myself in front of my wife,” says Lindner. “Everyone told me I was doing well, but I guess I’ll have to see for myself on Sunday.”