‘It really descends in chaos and madness quite quickly’
Rebel Wilson hopes to shine a light on Aussie comics with new Amazon show LOL: Last One Laughing Australia, writes Gemma Dunn
Queen of comedy Rebel Wilson is back on our screens – but not in her usual Hollywood guise.
The Sydney native is host – and executive producer
– of brand-new Amazon Original, LOL: Last One Laughing Australia; a bizarre six-episode comedic series which sees 10 professional comedians go head to head to see who can keep a straight face while simultaneously trying to make their opponents laugh.
In this first-of-its-kind comedy social experiment, the comedians who laugh will be eliminated one-by-one, until a single one remains at the end of a six-hour period.
As for the rules? There are no rules. Those taking part in the competition can say and do whatever they like, except laugh. Laugh softly, and they’ll receive a yellow card violation; whereas a second offence will earn them a red card elimination and cost them the game.
And it goes without saying that missing out on $100,000 is no laughing matter.
So what more can the Pitch Perfect actress, 40, tell us?
The series certainly sounds like a unique format. Was it everything you expected?
This is the first time it’s been done in an English language (I’m sure they’ll probably do a UK version as well), so I had no idea what to expect and jeez, people really surpassed whatever I thought they would do. It really descends in chaos and madness quite quickly; I was shocked at how quickly the tone degraded.
How did you enjoy your role as host?
I felt a lot of pressure being the referee because the comedians were all wanting to win and as part of that some of them were playing a bit passively. Which meant they weren’t going on the attack and trying to make each other laugh, which is a bit of a no-no and also makes for a boring game. So I had to come in and give them yellow cards or red cards, eventually, because we have to have one winner in the six hours. It (got to the point where) I had to look for the slightest smirk on people’s faces and it’s hard. I love them all.
How did the comedians handle being eliminated?
I loved it as then I could talk to them. But some of the things that happened in the series are a bit bad, some of them did have to have some psychological counselling. I’m not even joking. And there were some things that even I didn’t realise because I was watching so many screens... But we all saw each other the next day and everything was fine, but it was interesting. I liked it when we could chit chat because I’d been away from Australia and based in the US for a decade, so some of them I wasn’t as familiar with.
How long do you think you would have lasted?
It’s hard. I’d have to almost pretend I was a character as when I’m on a film set and playing a character, I’m very good at not laughing. Like, very good. So I think I would have to have that strategy and literally not be Rebel Wilson, because the real Rebel would laugh just to be friendly! Especially because some of these comedians are real crack ups. I know in real life people come up to me and try to say something funny, and I always kind of laugh. Unless I’m in a really bad mood.
Do you hope the show will shine a light on Australian comics?
Yeah. Basically the main reason why I wanted to do the show is because it showcases Australian comedians; it gives them a leg up as this show goes out to over 200 countries. So people will click on their stand-up special or buy tickets when they tour or come to Edinburgh, and that will help these Aussie comedians. And with me being someone in a position of power now, I like to give back.
In the current climate, too, people want the escapism of comedy.
Well this was shot in November last year, so before everything that’s happened in 2020. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve already watched every single show that’s out there because I’ve just been at home, doing nothing. So I am desperate for new shows to come out, so at least this is a total laugh and if you’re a fan of comedy and comedians, you’ll probably enjoy this and find it quite interesting.
How do you think this time will – if at all – have impacted live stand-up comedy when we eventually get back to it?
On the one hand I feel like with stand-up and live performance in general, people will be so desperate for that connection so they’ll come back in droves. But only really when it’s safe to do so. You can’t beat a live performance and when you’re in a stand-up room, that particular night is shared between the comedian and that audience only, so it is something really special. They’ll always be a market for that.
● LOL: Last One Laughing Australia is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now.