Luke Barnett

Last updated
Luke Barnett
BornFebruary 13, 1983 (1983-02-13) (age 41)
Clinton, Maryland, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
  • producer
Known for Funny or Die

Luke Barnett (born February 13, 1983) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for his comedic acting and writing on Funny or Die films.

Contents

Early life

Barnett was born in 1983 in Clinton, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Having pursued acting since 2000, [1] and with an interest in promoting social change, he moved to Los Angeles by 2005. [2] [3] His father is a pastor. [4] [5]

Career

In Los Angeles, Barnett landed a role in a play about homeless youth called The Playground. [6] According to Barnett, the production opened doors for him both as an actor and as an advocate for social justice. [2] By 2007, he began to get credited screen roles, including three episodes of MANswers . In 2011 he was in three television series and six films, including Sedona , Coffin , and The Amityville Haunting . In 2012 he appeared in Static. Barnett's films also include a 2013 short called The Newest Testament (a Biblical parody which he produced, co-wrote, and stars in as Jesus), The Scribbler (2014), and The Treehouse (2015). [7]

For his theatre work, in 2011 Barnett was praised by Backstage for his "facile array of increasingly outrageous cameo roles" in Bayside High School Musical, a musical parody of the 1990s teen sitcom Saved by the Bell . [8] In the musical, Barnett played 10 different characters, and was credited as "Everyone Else" in the playbill. [8] [9]

Funny or Die

Barnett's Funny or Die films have garnered national and international attention. In his first major project for Funny or Die, Barnett starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced Growing Up With Gosling (2012), in which Barnett plays the childhood best friend of actor Ryan Gosling, who has tried to cast him as his co-star in all of his movies, including The Notebook , Ides of March , Crazy, Stupid, Love , Lars and the Real Girl , and Drive . Barnett always gets replaced at the last minute by the studio, which nearly always wants a female co-star. [1] [10] The short screened at several festivals including the LA Comedy Festival, [11] the Los Angeles Film, Television and New Media Festival, [1] the Playhouse West Film Festival, [12] and the Laugh Track Comedy Festival. [13] [14] It won the Best Comedy Short award at the 2012 Los Angeles Film, Television and New Media Festival. [15]

Barnett next starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced Kickstarter to help Luke & Tanner do COOL STUFF!, which premiered in April 2013. The film spoofs several Kickstarter crowdfunding campaigns by already successful, wealthy celebrities to finance new projects such as the Veronica Mars film and the Garden State sequel. Barnett and Tanner Thomason appeal to celebrities to donate money to regular folks like them, so they can watch the celebrities' films and do other cool stuff – in exchange for rewards like "verbal confirmation, to a stranger, of how rad the Veronica Mars movie was". [16] [17] In reviewing the spoof, Mashable noted that "... Hollywood stars have recently come under fire for using Kickstarter because, as the argument goes, they may deflect attention from lesser-known filmmakers who rely solely on crowdfunding to support their projects." [17] Barnett was interviewed by Mashable regarding the Kickstarter spoof, and he and Thomason were interviewed about it on Southern California Public Radio. [18] The film was also featured on news sites including News Hour 24 [19] and France 24 [20] and other political and international sites. [21] [22]

In September 2013 Barnett co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in A Message to Aaron Sorkin, which spoofs the opening scene of Sorkin's show The Newsroom . [23] Barnett plays the lead character, Will McAvoy, played in the series by Jeff Daniels. Of the Newsroom spoof, Huffington Post said it "nails everything that's wrong with Aaron Sorkin's show". [24] Entertainment Weekly noted that "Mirroring the opening scene of the series nearly shot-for-shot, ... Funny or Die seamlessly parodies the show by asking bizarro Will McAvoy, 'Can you say why The Newsroom is the greatest show on television?'" [25] Perez Hilton opined that "As smart as the show tries to be, a new parody video from Funny or Die may be even SMARTER!" [26] The spoof was also featured on ESPN's Grantland , [27] The New York Observer , [28] and international sites such as 56.com . [29] [30]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2002 Orange County Bon-Fire FriendUncredited
2007 Mama's Boy Cool Guy SkaterUncredited
2008SafehouseMitchell
2010Weeding OutGlenn
2010You, Only Better...
2011 Sedona Nicholas
2011 Coffin Pete
2014 The Scribbler Orderly
2014Making the RulesMexican Restaurant Waiter
2015 400 Days Reporter
2016 Pandemic Desperate Infected
2016 Aaron's Blood Officer Vaughn
2020 Faith Based LukeAlso writer and producer
2023 Dark Obsession Clark

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2003 Grounded for Life NickEpisode: "Tonight's the Night"
2007 Manswers Stoner Joe3 episodes
2021 List of a Lifetime FrancesoTV movie

Related Research Articles

<i>French and Saunders</i> Television series

French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act. The show was given one of the highest budgets in BBC history to create detailed spoofs and satires of popular culture, movies, celebrities, and art. French and Saunders continued to film holiday specials for the BBC, and both have been individually successful starring in other shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Sorkin</span> American filmmaker (born 1961)

Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues, complemented by frequent use of the storytelling technique called the "walk and talk". Sorkin has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globes.

A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by critics, parody films are commonly profitable at the box office. Parody is related to satire, except that "parody is more often a representation of appreciation, while a satire is more often...pointing ...out the major flaws of an object through ridicule." J.M. Maher notes that the "difference is not always clear" and points out that "some films employ both techniques". Parody is found in a range of art and culture, including literature, music, theater, television, animation, and gaming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carr</span> British-Irish comedian and television presenter

James Anthony Patrick Carr is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of one-liners which have been known to offend some people. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regularly appeared on television as the host of Channel 4 panel shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

Sarah Alexander is an English actress. She has appeared in British series including Armstrong and Miller, Smack the Pony, Coupling, The Worst Week of My Life, Green Wing, Marley's Ghosts and Jonathan Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Richmond (illustrator)</span> American cartoonist

Tom Richmond is an American freelance humorous illustrator, cartoonist and caricaturist whose work has appeared in many national and international publications since 1990. He was chosen as the 2011 "Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year", also known as "The Reuben Award", winner by the National Cartoonists Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cross</span> American stand-up comedian and actor (born 1964)

David Ian Cross is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and director. Cross is best known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom Arrested Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funny or Die</span> Comedy website/film/TV production company

Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staff of in-house writers, producers and directors, and occasionally from a number of famous contributors including Judd Apatow, James Franco and Norm Macdonald. The associated production company continues to make TV shows including truTV's Billy on the Street, Comedy Central's @midnight and Zach Galifianakis' web series Between Two Ferns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival</span>

The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival (LACS) is an annual film festival held in the spring in Los Angeles, California. LACS programs short films exclusively in the comedy genre, and is the largest festival of its kind in the United States. During the four-day event, between 60-90 comedy short films from around the world are screened at the festival's main venue in Downtown Los Angeles, with additional industry panels and parties taking place at various locations around the city. The festival culminates on the final night with a red carpet awards ceremony, where winning filmmakers and screenwriters are honored and the "Commie" award is presented to a comedy industry notable for career achievement and "excelling in achieving outstanding comedical achievements in the field of comedy excellence."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Being Tom Cruise</span> 2nd episode of the 2nd series of Star Stories

"The Church of Scientology Presents: Being Tom Cruise, Why Scientology Isn't In Any Way Mental" is a satirical spoof documentary from the series Star Stories, parodying the life of Tom Cruise and his relationship with the Church of Scientology. It is episode 2 of the second series of Star Stories, and first aired on Channel 4 on 2 August 2007. The show recounts Cruise's time with a group of some of his early acting friends. After filming Top Gun, Cruise is introduced to Scientology by John Travolta, who convinces him to join the organization by smashing Cruise over the head with a shovel. He meets Nicole Kidman and they start a relationship. After dating Penélope Cruz, Cruise is introduced to Katie Holmes by Travolta. Holmes agrees to marry Cruise, and the program ends with a voiceover asking the viewer to visit a Scientology website and purchase expensive products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kickstarter</span> US-based crowdfunding platform

Kickstarter, PBC is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of February 2023, Kickstarter has received US$7 billion in pledges from 21.7 million backers to fund 233,626 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, board games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Hawkins</span> American Christian comedian, songwriter, and singer (born 1968)

Timothy Aaron Hawkins is an American Christian comedian, songwriter, and singer, best known for song parodies.

The Ballad of G.I. Joe is a musical comedy parody short film released in 2009 on the website Funny or Die. Written by Daniel Strange and Kevin Umbricht, it spoofs several characters from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero by showing what they do in their spare time.

<i>The Newsroom</i> (American TV series) American political drama television series (2012-2014)

The Newsroom is an American political drama television series created and principally written by Aaron Sorkin that premiered on HBO on June 24, 2012, and concluded on December 14, 2014, consisting of 25 episodes over three seasons.

Israel Luna is an American filmmaker, best known for his movies Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives, Kicking Zombie Ass for Jesus, and Fright Flick. He currently resides in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Beckett</span> English comedian

Robert Anthony Beckett is an English comedian, narrator, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain on the E4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats and the narrator of the reality series Celebs Go Dating. He presents BBC One entertainment series Wedding Day Winners and All Together Now.

<i>Wish I Was Here</i> 2014 American comedy-drama film

Wish I Was Here is a 2014 American comedy-drama film directed by Zach Braff and co-written with his brother Adam Braff. The film stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Josh Gad, Pierce Gagnon, Ashley Greene, Kate Hudson, Joey King, Jim Parsons, and Mandy Patinkin. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014 and was given a limited release on July 18, 2014 by Focus Features. This marked the final film appearances for James Avery and Allan Rich before their deaths on December 31, 2013 and August 22, 2020 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazeem Hussain</span> Australian comedian

Nazeem Hussain is an Australian comedian, actor, television and radio presenter.

<i>Dying to Do Letterman</i> 2011 American film

Dying to do Letterman is a 2011 documentary film, directed by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina, and produced under their Joke Productions banner. The documentary follows the journey of Steve Mazan, a stand up comedian with the lifelong dream of performing a comedy routine on the Late Show with David Letterman.

The Ryan and Amy Show is a Vancouver-based Canadian sketch comedy duo composed of Ryan Steele and Amy Goodmurphy. They have toured Canada and the United States including doing Sketch Fest in Montreal and Vancouver as well as Just for Laughs. The group produces sketch comedy shorts that are distributed via YouTube and on their website, but have appeared on other sites as well such as Funny or Die. Goodmurphy and Steele have starred together in on television shows, including: The Funny Pit (2012) with Roman Danylo; The Face of Furry Creek (2013–2014); and a 2011 episode of the series Out For Laughs. Steele appeared on the 2014 season of The Amazing Race Canada, finishing in third place with co-worker Rob Goddard. Goodmurphy has appeared on Super Channel's Too Much Information (2014–2015), as well as the 2019 comedy film 37-Teen. In 2016, the duo was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award in the inaugural presentation of the Best Live Ensemble category. In early 2018 the duo's short film White Wine Boys Club won first prize at the Vancouver Just for Laughs Film Festival, as well as the Grand Prize competing Internationally against other JFL Film Festival winners. The Ryan and Amy Show signed with Hadron Films to produce a 22-minute sketch comedy pilot, produced by Miles Forster & Chris Wilkinson.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wagner, Eric. "Clinton native finds success with comedic short film". Washington Post . April 11, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Luke Barnett". Envision Film Festival: 2010 Festival. EnvisionFilmFestival.com.
  3. ↑ "Luke Barnett has a lot going on these days ...". WorkingActor.com. October 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ "D.C. Native Luke Barnett Talks About His New Film Faith Based". Washington City Paper. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Local man debuts in his new movie "Faith Based"". 17 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-10-21.
  6. ↑ The Playground: Credits Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine . ThePlaygroundLive.com.
  7. ↑ Luke Barnett at the Internet Movie Database
  8. 1 2 O'Neal, Dink. "LA Theater Review: Bayside High School Musical". Backstage . September 21, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Luke Barnett To Experience the Amityville Haunting". Dread Central. August 31, 2011.
  10. ↑ Keegan, Rebecca. "Growing Up With Gosling new addition to the Ryan oeuvre". Los Angeles Times . April 5, 2012.
  11. ↑ "OFFICIAL SELECTIONS OF THE 11TH LA COMEDY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED" Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine . LAComedyFest.com. March 28, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Playhouse West Film Festival: 2012 Official Jury Selections" Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine . PlayhouseWest.net.
  13. ↑ "Shorts spotlight: Growing Up With Gosling" Archived 2013-09-26 at the Wayback Machine . Laugh Track Comedy Fest. LaughTrackComedyFest.com.
  14. ↑ "Growing up With Gosling to Screen in Denver's Laugh Track Comedy Festival August 4, 2012". SB Wire. August 1, 2012.
  15. ↑ "LA FILM, TV & WEBISODE FESTIVAL AWARDS – FALL 2012" Archived 2013-11-03 at the Wayback Machine . LA Film, TV, & Webisode Festival. LAFilmTVNewMediaFestival.com.
  16. ↑ Kickstarter Campaign to help Luke & Tanner do COOL STUFF!. Kickstarter.com .
  17. 1 2 Li, Anita. "Kickstarter Campaign Asks Celebs to Pay Regular Guys to See Their Films". Mashable . April 30, 2013.
  18. ↑ Take Two: "Is it wrong for wealthy celebrities to use Kickstarter to fund projects?". KPCC . May 2, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Kickstarter Campaign Asks Celebs to Pay Regular Guys to See Their Films" Archived 2013-09-15 at archive.today . News Hour 24. May 1, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Deux internautes se moquent des campagnes de crowdfunding". France 24 . May 5, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Kickstarter Campaign Asks Celebs to Pay Regular Guys to See Their Films". Social First. May 1, 2013.
  22. ↑ LaPotin, Katie. "New Funny or Die video spoofs Veronica Mars, Garden State Kickstarter campaigns". Red Alert Politics. May 2, 2013.
  23. ↑ Gilman, Greg. "Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom Gets Eviscerated in Funny or Die Sketch". The Wrap . September 11, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Funny Or Die's Newsroom Spoof Nails Everything That's Wrong With Aaron Sorkin's Show". Huffington Post . September 10, 2013.
  25. ↑ Li, Shirley. "Funny or Die to Aaron Sorkin: Here's how to fix The Newsroom". Entertainment Weekly . September 10, 2013.
  26. ↑ Hilton, Perez. "The Newsroom Isn't The Best Show On TV! But It Can Be In New HIGHlarious Video Parody!". PerezHilton.com . September 11, 2013.
  27. ↑ Lynch, Tess. "Afternoon Links: Is The Newsroom the Greatest Show on Television?". Grantland . September 11, 2013
  28. ↑ Grant, Drew. "Why We Need Shows Like The Newsroom: A Satire". New York Observer . September 13, 2013.
  29. ↑ "A Message to Aaron Sorkin". 56.com .
  30. ↑ "HBO parodiée, une nouvelle tendance". Spin-Off.fr. September 12, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.