How to become a working actor in Hollywood without losing your sense of humor

Eric Alegria has that look, at once a genial everyman and a chiseled lead, he could be your hotel clerk (as he was, in Marriott’s Fairfield Inn campaign, starring Mr. T), a star soccer player (Budweiser), or, well, the voice of a gecko (for Jeep, not Geico).

He’s also cut his teeth onstage, at comedy clubs across the country, from The Comedy Store and The Ice House, to Saba Sushi (we’ll get to that in the interview). And he’s now actor/producer on Workaholics House Comedy Jam.

Some gigs come easy, some are hard-won, and some never come at all. The ups and downs of an actor’s life are well known. How to keep your chin up through it all is perhaps the special sauce in the Eric Alegria happy meal.

Oh, and let’s not forget the aplomb with which Eric handles hecklers, a mainstay of the many weekly shows he hosts, at venues like The Dime on Fairfax and The Scene in North Hollywood (where I recently did a spot in his Wednesday Funnies).

We talk about all of this, as well as what not to say when you get pulled over in LA, on this very special episode of the YES, BRAND podcast.