Tig Notaro: Zack Snyder’s Zombie Fighting Pinch Hitter

Acting roles are recast all the time, but the circumstances surrounding the recasting of comedian Chris D’Elia in Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder’s latest zombie epic out on Netflix this Friday, were notable. D’Elia was removed due to allegations of sexual harassment and grooming of underage girls, and replaced by another comedian, Tig Notaro. However, because of the pandemic, Notaro’s scenes took place without any other cast members present, and Snyder used digital wizardry to sub her in for D’Elia. GQ spoke with the veteran standup to discuss acting by herself for her role as helicopter pilot Marianne Peters in the zombie action film.

Were you surprised at all when you got the call from Zack to fill in?

My agent called and told me all about it. It was a slow realization of the magnitude of this film. I was concerned about COVID. I was in the middle of the lockdown and I hadn’t left my house much. But then I found out I’d be filming alone, and I definitely was interested in doing it. It was surprising that he wanted me. Not that they wanted a comedian, because I knew the role I was filling in for was a comedian. It was surprising because I am a different type of comedian in every possible way [to Chris D’Elia]. Comedy style, gender, sensibility, it just seemed strange that he wanted me.

Did you find acting by yourself at all similar to performing standup? Or was it different?

It was so completely different. I feel like whenever I’m on set, whether I’m acting or directing a film with my wife or just on set, I feel like the cast and crew are my captive audience. Whether they like it or not. I feel like I’m just playing to them.

The final product is so seamless, it doesn’t look like you were inserted afterward at all. Can you describe what the filming process was like?

It was such an undertaking. [Zack] and his team took such good care of me, and they made me so comfortable in a very, extremely uncomfortable situation. They made it as easy as it possibly could have been to do something so technical. Talking to myself and staring at tennis balls and tabs of tape and acting like it’s a person. Flying a helicopter with zombies all around me. It was above and beyond what I thought I would be doing as a standup comedian. But it was really exciting and fun to do this project with Zack and his whole crew.

Did you feel at any point like you weren’t really a part of the cast?

I just thought I was always going to feel like a total outsider. The cast reached out to me on social media, and they were so inclusive. I always thought I was going to be this weird addition. Like it would be “The Cast…and Tig.” I couldn’t believe the first time I sat down to do Army of the Dead press with the different cast members on Zoom. They were all “oh when we can we all need to go out and celebrate together.” I really felt so oddly connected. And to this day the funny part is I haven’t even met Dave Bautista [the star of the movie] yet! Not even over Zoom or press. He’s the one I’ve never even met. That’s very amusing.

Since this news came out, there’s been a social media frenzy of people thinking of projects for you to be inserted into.

For comedy’s sake, sign me up for anything. But not for real. I really don’t want to be inserted into anything like this ever again. I don’t want to replace anybody ever again.

The film is about zombies, but it also tackles issues like COVID and immigration. Do you think it will resonate with audiences beyond just being an entertaining action movie?

I think it’s going to resonate. We’re all still so connected to those issues. It’s relevant and still so important. The thing that’s mind-blowing is that this film was shot before the pandemic even started. Just on the level of entertainment and shock in certain ways it’s wild how relevant the film is. It’s also wild to think about how relevant the film was even before it was meant to be.

How has the pandemic changed your comedic approach?

I haven’t been doing Zoom standup. I miss standup, but I’ve been happy to take a break from it. . I’m going on tour later this year. But for now I have an outlet through the two podcasts I have.

You had to replace Chris D’Elia in this film. Recently, comic Tony Hinchcliffe came under fire for remarks he made at a show in Austin. Do you feel like there’s a “cancel culture” in comedy? Or is it just people dealing with consequences?

First of all, I really don’t like the term cancel culture. I really do believe there’s a nuanced conversation to be had about all the different issues. When there are extreme examples, it really is [about] consequences, not people being “cancelled.” It’s hard to explain to certain people that with comedy, every topic is on the table. I think the reason it upsets people is that they’re imagining you’re going for the easiest, dumbest, most offensive way of approaching a topic or joke. What’s incredible about comedy is you can disarm people and make them laugh about topics they’re not expecting. That’s what happened when I talked about my battle with cancer. I really think it’s all about intention. I always think in terms of someone making fun of me. Whether it’s about gender, sexuality, or some form of struggle. This is just me: I’m not going to immediately react offended. I’ll likely laugh along, as long as somebody’s intention is good or kind, and not just ruthless.

You’ve tackled the horror genre now with this film, and you’ve been doing comedy for years. Switching gears a bit: Would you be willing to put your hat in the ring and guest host Jeopardy!?

It’s funny that you bring that up. That’s come up a lot. People are asking me “why aren’t you hosting Jeopardy?” I would love to do that. I’m assuming I’m not up for that, because I haven’t heard anything.

There’s a lot of talk now about “the Snyder Cut” ever since that version of Justice League came out. Is there a Snyder Cut of Army of the Dead? Or is what we see what we get?

[laughs] I think we’re in for the Snyder cut. Let’s hope we get a 7-hour unedited version of the movie soon.