'I wanted our cast to feel free': Dan Levy shares insight into directing 'Good Grief' on 'Today with Hoda & Jenna'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Dan Levy recently appeared on ‘Today’ show and opened up about directing his new feature Netflix film ‘Good Grief’ with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.

Levy is a Canadian actor, writer, and producer, widely recognized for his exceptional contributions to the acclaimed television series ‘Schitt's Creek.’

While he was the co-creator and co-showrunner of the sitcom, his latest movie ‘Good Grief’ brings in a new facet of acting to his character.

Netflix’s ‘Good Grief’ delves into the aftermath of a tragic loss, unraveling the lives of three friends in the enchanting backdrop of Paris.

Levy, known for comedic prowess, makes his feature film debut, navigating poignant themes with a dramatic touch as the writer and director, as well as the main protagonist of the movie.

Dan Levy opens up about new Netflix film ‘Good Grief’

Dan Levy has been known for his comedic talent, and unique character portrayal, and is acclaimed for his humor.

Once again, Levy has garnered immense love as he directed his first feature film, ‘Good Grief’ and talked about his experience with ‘Today’ hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.

Hager asked Levy, “You have taken on this whole new role. You are a director of a feature film that you are starring in. You directed yourself, how do you direct yourself?”

Levy responded, “That’s a great question,” he continued, “You hire a wonderful team of people to surround yourself with and you work really hard and you prepare so that by the time you actually have to go in front of the camera, you kind of know what the scene looks like, how you want it to feel.”

“You have done the homework, “Levy added.

Kotb chimed in adding, “This is a little bit of unchartered territory for you,” referring to his comedic talent.

She continued, “You worked with a ton of directors obviously, so what was your style or who did you emulate to get where you wanted to be?”

Levy said, “At the end of the day, as an actor who is naturally quite nervous, feeling comfortable on set is the most important thing.”

“If you are nervous, I don’t think you give the performances that you want to give, at least in my case, like a lot of anxiety inhibits the freedom of performance.”

He continued, “On ‘Schitt’s Creek’ we had a wonderfully open set, it was people could experiment, could try things that’s what I wanted to bring on to this as well because it’s a very different story.”

“It’s dramatic and about loss, there is some humor in it, but more than anything, I wanted our cast to feel free to try things and to come to set excited and not nervous in any way.”

“So, that was kind of the biggest thing, was just setting a calm and creatively collaborative environment and hoping that that had a ripple effect on everything,” Levy explained.

Dan Levy shares his experience with ‘Schitt’s Creek’

Jenna Bush Hager went on to ask Dan Levy about his role in ‘Schitt’s Creek’ adding, “You had this role, a pivotal show in our culture, part of the fabric of our culture and got people through hard times, it was moving on from it was tricky for you?”

Levy said, “At the end of the day when you have done something like 80 episodes of a television show, you kind of have the impulse in my case to do something totally different and explore something in unchartered territory.”

He continued, “That’s the exciting part of being an actor and a writer is just saying, ‘Okay, I have done that, now I want to go in a completely different direction.’”

“Do I feel like Netflix might have been expecting a comedy, maybe, but they green-lit a drama for me? I think that’s a huge thing to support.”