Comedian, Orlando Leyba, has had an exciting year. With side-splitting stand-up performances on HBO Latino’s Entre Nos Part 3 and on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Leyba is poised for his next feat, as HBO Latino prepares to bring him back for a second act. This time, it’s for his own solo 30-minute special titled Orlando Leyba: Adorable, debuting on November 16.
Fresh off his set on The Tonight Show, the Dominican comedian sat down to chat with ‘LLERO about his upcoming HBO Latino special, his journey to get to this point in his career, and he even offered up key advice for aspiring comedians.
On Starting Out in Comedy…
‘LL: What started you down the path to becoming a comedian?
Orlando Leyba: In every group of friends, there’s always one—either you or one of your other friends—that’s always funny, and I was that guy. First, you can obviously tell that I talk a lot, and in order to talk a lot, you have to be able to throw in some funny stuff, so I became the funny one in my group. I was also not a fighter, so that’s how I combated bullies, with my sense of humor. You’re not going to beat up the funny guy. People are going to get mad at you if you do. So, I became funny by just letting my mouth run and entertaining my crew.
Then, some way, somehow, my wife—I’m blessed to have a great wife—her name is Vanessa Lozano. So, Vanessa says, “You should get on stage, and the stupidness that you bother me with you should do it on stage.” And, that’s what I did. I went to an open mic at the Miami Improv eight years ago, and magic happened. I’m so grateful. I surrounded myself with great comics, like Sebastian Maniscalco, Dave Williamson, Jim Jeffries, Chris D’Elia. All of these guys embraced me. Patton Oswalt, who I tour with now. It’s weird because here’s this Latino, and I’m traveling in these circles. It usually doesn’t happen that way, but I’ve been blessed to travel in those circles.
‘LL: What was it about comedy that made you pursue it further?
Orlando Leyba: It’s like this high that travels between the audience and myself while I’m on stage. It’s this strain of wonderful energy. If there was an example of you being your natural self, then my natural state is to worry about your joy and your happiness. That’s how I natu-rally feel when I’m on stage. I even say a little thing to the universe before I get on stage, and that is, “Let me bring joy when I get on stage to those who need it right now.” And, after shows, I’ve had those interactions with people who say, “Hey, man, after this week, I really needed that laugh.” That’s exactly what I was put on that stage to do, to give you that—and, it’s great.
‘LL: Were there any challenges you faced when you first ventured into comedy?
Orlando Leyba: No challenges. I really didn’t encounter any challenges. I was blessed that when I came out, these veteran comics let me come around their circles. Kind of like if you see Crashing on HBO—there were certain tables that new comics weren’t allowed to sit at. I got welcomed to those tables. They would let me sit there, and I was always smart enough to not open my mouth at those tables and just take everything in. I’m a great listener, and I’m able to bring it back to help me structure my jokes.
On Linking Up with HBO…
‘LL: How did the new special for HBO Latino come about?
Orlando Leyba: The new special came by way of the process that big things come from small begin-nings. The five minutes from Entre Nos Part 3 made that much of an impression that HBO Latino came back and offered me a half hour, which is an amazing blessing.
‘LL: We understand that you’re the first comedian to receive your own solo half hour special on HBO Latino.
Orlando Leyba: On HBO Latino, yes. I’m the first comedian, and I have my fingers crossed because I really want to deliver. I know it means a lot to: a) the culture and b) to those comics that are coming up behind me who I really wish also get the opportunity.
More about what to expect from Adorable and some sage advice for comedians on the come up, after the jump…
On “Adorable”…
‘LL: Tell us a bit about the title, Adorable, and the story behind that.
Orlando Leyba: Adorable is pretty much when I do comedy shows, I get comments like, “Hey, man, you’re so funny” or “Hey, man, you’re so stupid,” but the most common one, which usually comes from women, because no man will tell me this, but usually women of a certain age will say, “You’re so adorable.” For some reason, that tickles me, man. It’s like, “Aw, thank you.” It’s like I’m Winnie the Pooh wearing pants.
‘LL: What kind of topics will you be covering during the special?
Orlando Leyba: I’m going to talk about my newfound love for cats, sunny days and HGTV, because I’m obsessed with HGTV. I’ve let go of sports. I’m heavy into HGTV and marble counter-tops, and the right cabinets for the kitchen. I talk about going to cross-fit and realizing that it was too much testosterone for me—to even checking if my testosterone is low. I’m also talking about evolving and becoming a more sensitive guy.
‘LL: Before hitting the stage with your set, do you screen it with your friends, or your wife, for example?
Orlando Leyba: That’s actually a real good question. This is like inside baseball stuff. Stand-up come-dy is the only art, for me personally, that in order to see if it’s going to work, you have to go in front of people. So, I can’t do it at home. I can go up on stage and think that it’s the funniest thing in the world, and it could just bomb—or, it can work. So, there is no practicing. There is only just the actual work. The work is getting on stage.
‘LL: How did that whole deal with The Tonight Show come about?
Orlando Leyba: It was like the stars aligned. First, the buzz came out that I had a 30-minute special coming out on HBO Latino, so that raised a flag. Then, this amazing booker on The Tonight Show by the name of Michael Cox invited me to showcase for the show in New York. So, I flew from Los Angeles to New York. I went straight from the airport, and I did one practice set at Carolines (on Broadway), and the following night I did another set in New York Comedy Club for this showcase. The day after, I received a call from Michael Cox saying, “We would like to offer you a spot,” and it was magic, man.
On the future and advice for those on the come up
‘LL: What are some upcoming projects that you have lined up after the HBO Latino special that you’d like our readers to know about?
Orlando Leyba: Everything that’s going to be coming up will be posted on the website, heylando.com. Right now, I’m just going on the road, building. Nothing is official yet, but the goal is that next time we have a conversation, we should be doing an hour with HBO.
‘LL: Any advice for any up-and-coming comedians reading this interview?
Orlando Leyba: The first one is do the work. Every day that you get up, do something towards what you want to do. Write a new joke, get up on a mic, try the joke and see if it bombs. Do the work, because it only makes you stronger, and you’re actually doing what you want to do—you’re being a stand-up comedian.
[The] second thing I highly recommend is look around for comedy festivals. It can get really expensive, so pick the right ones. Some of them you have to fly yourself to do them if you get picked. Also, some of them charge you to submit. Do festivals because festivals are like summer camps. You go there, and you’re with a bunch of other comics. For example, Michael Cox, the booker of The Tonight Show, is someone who has seen me grow as a comic. I met him at Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta, GA, and also at Big Sky Comedy Festival in Billings, MT. Those are two festivals that are like camp. You go, you stay in a hotel, you get a roommate, everybody’s together, and you’re doing three or four days of comedy. I’m actually doing another, which is the Moon Tower Festival in Austin, TX, and also SXSW. If you play dollar lotteries, might as well gamble on your career, and gamble on this dream, because you meet more people.
My last [piece of] advice is, especially for comics, don’t be weird, be nice.
Orlando Leyba: Adorable, premieres Friday, November 16th at 9:30pm ET/PT on HBO Latino.
