Chris Geere Is Nice While I Nervously Flirt With Him: An Interview

A conversation with Chris Geere from “You’re the Worst.”

I recently spoke to handsome and charming man Chris Geere. He was very nice about me not asking him any questions about his TV show “You’re the Worst,” which is a show that I love, and instead asking him about his son and cocktails and me being in love with him and which days of the week are better than other days. You should watch “You’re the Worst.” It’s on FXX on Wednesdays. Thank you, here is the interview. It has been edited and condensed for clarity and to make me look like I was not laughing nervously the entire time, which, who can say, maybe I wasn’t?

Kelly: At the site I write for, The Hairpin, the editor and I recently did a post about how we thought we were in love with you, but realized we were only in love with your character, Jimmy.

Chris: You thought you were in love with me but in fact you’re in love with Jimmy?

Kelly: Allegedly.

Chris: Aw!

Kelly: Do you think that’s fair or do you think that maybe we’re in love with you, too? I was saying that I thought we were in love with you, too, but —

Chris: Ahhh. Yeah, let’s go with that. Let’s go with that. I think Jimmy is a bit of a bad boy, and people are just naturally attracted to bad people. I don’t know why. I think we all go through a phase of, like — I mean you must have been out with some people who weren’t right for you, like everyone has.

Kelly: Yes, definitely.

Chris: And I went out with a succession of girls I knew I never had any future with. But there was something kind of dangerous about them that I liked. Even though they weren’t really “wife material.” And I don’t think Jimmy is really “husband material,” but you’d have a great time with him.

Kelly: I agree.

Chris: Right, but — it’s still me speaking those words! I’ve still got the same face.

Kelly: I know! And that’s a big part of it, I feel like.

Chris: It’s whether you’re attracted to the person or what comes out of their mouth. Because he can say some awful, awful things, but every so often you hear him say something sweet. And I think that’s why people are still on board with these characters. Because if they were completely unlikable, they wouldn’t like the show. We’d be lost. In fact, we’re going through a tricky couple of episodes at the moment because in order to heighten Edgar’s story, I think it’s important that Jimmy and Gretchen are meaner than ever.

Kelly: Yeah, specifically in that last Edgar episode, they really make you feel terrible.

Chris: Yeah, I mean, they’re horrible. I hated them during this week’s episode. And before I would have thought, oh, I hope people don’t hate us, but I think it’s important that they do sometimes. Because, in this case, it highlights how most people in life, not just Jimmy and Gretchen, but most people are ignorant about PTSD. So, just everything they say is so unnecessary. You know, Jimmy’s line that he says to him at breakfast about how PTSD is cowardice, and all these things. It’s just awful. And I keep thinking, “Oh no, people are going to really hate Jimmy.” But I think it’s important that they do. And what happens to Jimmy in the next few episodes will hopefully get people back on board. That’s how clever the writers are, really. I don’t think any of the characters are likable 100% of the time.

Kelly: No, but their glimmers of humanity do keep you hanging on.

Chris: Exactly. So who in the office thinks they do find Jimmy attractive, then?

Kelly: Well, I brought it up and the editor, Silvia, she was like, “I’m in love with him too because I like difficult Brits.”

Chris: Ha-ha! Well give Silvia a big kiss from me and tell her I’m a very difficult Brit. And there are many difficult Brits who would love to meet her one day.

Kelly: I’ll tell her.

Kelly Conaboy: Can you tell me a cute story about your son?

Chris Geere: Well, he’s changing every day at the moment, so when I go away, I come back and he’s a different person. The other day he came back from school and he said they started to give out a green tick if he’s a good boy and a red cross if he’s a bad boy, you know, if he does anything wrong. So anyway, he was like, “So I’m going to get a green tick, I want to get another green tick today,” and — what was it he did? Oh, he drunk someone else’s drink by mistake. This is how trivial a three-year-old’s life is.

Kelly: Oh my god.

Chris: And he came back and he said, “Yeah, I drunk their drink by mistake. I didn’t get a red cross, but I was thinking, daddy…that’s going to be a problem.”

Kelly: Oh my god!

Chris: When three-year-olds talk like grown-ups, it could be anything he says…“So, that’s going to be a problem.”

Kelly: Yeah. That is adorable.

Chris: He’s funny. Just all the conversations at the moment are all so grown up, yet I don’t think he’s exactly sure of what he’s saying. He’s out playing in his treehouse at the moment, which I built for him.

Kelly: Aww. You built him a treehouse?

Chris: I did, just before I left for America I built it. Well, I heavily refurbed it. He’s a happy boy. It’s good. I think he’s showing a bit of a dramatic side, I have no idea where he gets that from.

Kelly: Do you drink? In real life?

Chris: Oh, yeah.

Kelly: What’s the best cocktail you’ve ever had?

Chris: The best cocktail? I went to to this place in LA called Mastro’s, which is a steak place, and they have a couple of chains and one of them is in Malibu, I think, and I took my manager there to say thank you at the end of season two. We went there and they had these incredible cocktails with, what is it? Liquid nitrogen?

Kelly: Yeah, so it’s like a molecular —

Chris: Like the dry ice —

Kelly: Right, right.

Chris: That was amazing. All cocktails should taste good. For me it’s all about presentation with any kind of food or drink. And yeah, I think it was a Manhattan and they lit the orange rind so it had this amazing smell, and then they blew out the fire, pour something in it, and then it bubbled over like a volcano. I mean, that is a cool drink that you can’t have in your house.

Kelly: Yeah, that’s great. I like a showy cocktail.

Chris: It’s all about the fireworks.

Kelly: Another thing we’ve been talking about at the Hairpin, sort of speaking of the upcoming “Sunday Funday” episode, “The Last Sunday Funday,” is how Sunday and Friday are the worst days of the week. Do you agree?

Chris: Sunday and Friday are the worst days of the week?

Kelly: Mmhm. Do you not agree?

Chris: Well Sunday, right, sucks for many reasons. Usually you wake up with a hangover, it starts off a bit shit. Then, you’re just lounging around being lazy, because of the hangover, and you don’t really get much done. And then in the evening — I think it’s akin to that feeling where you have to go to school the next day. So you have to pack your school bag, that kind of thing, whether you are going to school or you’re going to work or whatever, but my worst — I hate Monday mornings. But rather than entire days, I think you have different moments of different days. So my worst moments would be Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon.

Kelly: Yes, Wednesday afternoon, totally.

Chris: Well, because you’re marooned in the middle of the week. And going, well, I’m tired, but I can’t really be tired now. I can’t really drink tonight, because it’s a school night, so I have to wait two days for that. It’s rubbish. But my favorite day is probably Thursday, because that’s when you start winding up for the weekend.

Kelly: Wow, I agree again, Thursday is one of the best days.

Chris: Thank you very much, we’ve got so much in common.

Kelly: I know!