An Interview with H. Jon Benjamin
By Joe Smith

With some comedians, it’s hard to tell whether they’re sincere or messing with you. When I talked with Worcester native H. Jon Benjamin, it became clear he was managing to do both at the same time. It’s a tricky balance, but the actor/writer/voice-over-talent/comic pulls it off effortlessly. I caught up with him by phone as he was doing laundry.

JS : What does the “H.” stand for?

HJB : Something nasty. And very Jewish.

Benjamin started out with MA-grown animated series Dr. Katz (voicing the title character’s son Ben) and Home Movies. He’s gone on to voice many more characters in alt-comedy vehicles like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Assy McGee, and Family Guy, and you may have seen his everyman mug on Human Giant or Not Another Teen Movie, among many others. He’s also a former staff writer for Conan O’Brien.

JS : There’s a rumor that you turn down more work than you accept. True?

HJB : I don’t know. Offer me something.

His low-key, naturalistic, deadpan style creeps under your radar. It doesn’t sound like a comic telling jokes; just a regular guy talking. He doesn’t ask for the laugh, but trust me, he gets one.

Benjamin spent many of his formative years in Worcester, first at Tatnuck School, then Worcester Academy.

JS : So do you feel out of touch with the common man having gone to a private school?

HJB : I learned a distaste for the poor. They’re always drunk, surly, unhappy, and loud. But we met them. We had assemblies where we learned about them.

See? Tongue firmly in cheek, I guarantee. But somehow he comes across as a truly genuine guy, even when he’s avoiding giving straight answers.

Leaving Worcester in 1984, he moved to the Boston area and did stand-up at the now-defunct Catch A Rising Star. He’s since moved to New York but his work has earned him recognition in Hollywood and around the country. Currently he’s an actor and writer with Comedy Central’s Important Things with Demetri Martin. Keep an eye, and ear, out for him.

JS : If there was a Worcester to LA exchange program – what would you have each one do?

HJB : The Worcester guy in LA ; visit a porn set. LA guy in Worcester ; the same. They’re harder to find there, but I guarantee there is one.