Everything About ‘The Chair Company’ has Been a Surreal Experience, says Joseph Tudisco

For 40 years, Brooklyn native Joseph Tudisco has played bit parts in stuff like The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and various Law & Order shows, often cast as blue-collar and neighborhood guys like truck drivers and cabbies. But now, at age 76, he’s realized a longtime goal by becoming a series regular. HBO’s Tim Robinson comedy, The Chair Company,features Tudisco outside his normal milieu. He plays a bizarre tough guy who steals nearly every scene he’s in — which is no small feat as he shares most with the often-screaming Tim Robinson.

The Chair Company is equal parts comedy and mystery. After Robinson’s character Ron Trosper breaks a chair and falls flat on his can at a big company presentation, he decides to investigate the manufacturers, uncovering a web of conspiracy. 

Tudisco plays Mike Santini, who’s introduced in the first episode and knocks Ron out with a pipe to the head, warning him to stop looking into the chair company. When Ron tracks down Mike in Episode Two, however, the two join forces to unearth the truth.

Soon we learn that, in addition to being muscle for hire, Mike Santini is a lonely guy who quickly sees Ron as something approaching family. And that leads to a confrontation. In last night’s episode, Mike begs Ron to invite him to a birthday party for Ron’s son, who doesn’t even know Mike.

By the end of the episode, Ron and Mike aren’t friends anymore, but here’s hoping that’s quickly remedied, as the Ron and Mike buddy comedy aspects of the show have been some of its funniest moments.

In the meantime, I decided to catch up with Joseph Tudisco via Zoom to share what it’s been like landing this role, working with Tim Robinson and what he actually thinks of “Wazey Waynes,” the vulgar radio show that Mike listens to nonstop.

To get started, I’d love to hear what this whole experience with The Chair Company has been like for you.

In a nutshell, crazy. I mean, two years ago, who would've thought I'd be in this position? The character has got so many elements to him and I'm finding the new elements as we were shooting. Originally, all I knew was the pilot. I knew Mike was a scary guy and a tough guy. I didn't know what to expect after. I didn't know where he was going, who he was going to become or how he was involved. I even said to one of the producers, “I'm a little confused. I know we go on a journey together. How do we hook up? I just hit him over the head!” He started to tell me, then (I said), “No, I don't want to know.” In time, I found out a little bit more. It's been a fun development, for sure.

From what I’ve read, landing a series regular role was a big goal for you, correct?

Well, yeah, I mean, it's always a goal. That's what you look for in this business. I don't think I intentionally said “I want to do this” or had it on my bucket list or anything like that, but you work to get up the ladder and that’s something you want to achieve, not knowing if you would ever get there. But auditioning was the same process as usual, but when I got it, it became a little bit scary.

How so?

Well, you do the co-star thing and you drop into the middle of a plot. You have half a page or one page of dialogue, a quick scene, and you're gone. Now, as a regular, you are the plot and there's a lot of work behind it. I wasn't scared in the sense like I'm afraid to do it. I just didn't know what to expect. It was a very smooth process, though. I'm just so grateful that they trusted me and we got through it.

Take me through that first scene of yours in episode one, where you hit Tim Robinson with a pipe and then run away from him.

They ran me ragged! It's funny, I told Andrew DeYoung, the director, I says, “Look, I'm not a runner, okay? I got bad knees!” He was very nice. He said, “Joe, whenever you need to stop or we need to get your double in there, just let us know.” Everything was short sprints, and you do it 20 times, those short sprints were really wearing on me. I have a knee replacement in one leg and the other one probably needs one also. So, it was very physical for me to get through that, but I was enjoying every minute of it.

Also, taking that shirt off didn’t go all smooth. Sometimes these fingers weren’t so adept at unbuttoning! I’d get stuck on a button and they say “Don’t pull it! You’ll rip everything!” It was a lot of fun though. Tim was wonderful to work with. 

What was Tim Robinson like to work with?

I think we grew on each other. He's very generous in allowing you to do what your instincts are. Also, being a producer and the writer, it was very generous of him to give you that freedom. It's been a wonderful journey with him and I think we became very close towards the end. We definitely laughed a lot.

Is he someone who will improvise much or stick to the script?

He does improvise, but not a lot. He stays close to the script but occasionally, especially towards the end of the scene he might do a little something and we'll kind of get into it, but he pretty much stays to the script.

Still, he was very loose, at least when I was working with him. We tried some different things and he was very helpful in certain situations with a bit of suggestions and notes, which I love. I had a little bit of freedom to do a few things. And, every once in a while, I must admit I would get from Andrew, “Uh, Joe, nah, don't do that.” It was all just a wonderful collaboration. And the crew! The crew was absolutely fabulous. Fantastic crew. Couldn't have been more blessed with that crew. They were terrific up from top to bottom.

In Episode Two, there’s that great fight scene with the two of you throwing garbage at each other. Might there be anything to say about that?

That just happened. It certainly wasn't in the script. They needed something and that's what they came up with. It was a lot of fun.

I’m curious how you feel about “Wazey Waynes,” that crazy show Mike listens to.

Absolutely the funniest time Tim and I had was in the car listening to it and trying to get through it — we just kept laughing. And Mike takes those guys seriously, those are his guys. They come up later on and I kind of lip-sync to them. I had to learn those lines and it was like, really?

Is there anything you’d like to say about Mike’s surprising sensitive side?

As we advance the episodes, Mike shows his loneliness. I realized that Mike Santini is a very lonely person and I tried to use that at times. I didn't know that going in or even in the first two or three episodes, but he's lonely and doesn't have much going on in his life except being tough. It's a great blend to play as an actor. 

Finally, tell me something you have in common with Mike and something very different about the two of you.

Something different, we'll take that one first. I'm not him, in any way, okay? I think a lot of his elements, subconsciously, come from people who I knew who were like that. Their mannerisms, their speech patterns. I knew people being tough. I knew people like that as I was growing up, whether it was in the neighborhood or where I worked. Sometimes, I look back at a scene and go, “I remember so-and-so was like this,” or “Did I do that because this guy did that?” I'm from Brooklyn, born, raised, and soon to be gone. So a lot of that past was just there subconsciously. 

I do relate to Mike. I love Mike. For me, I have to absorb him as who he is. And, looking from the outside, you can feel a lot for him. At least I do. And, at this point, when the season ends, I don't know where he is going, but I certainly want to be part of him.