Alex Hutchins
Opinions Editor
While you may have seen this Canadian actor, comedian and television writer in his role as Richard Hendriks on the HBO series “Silicon Valley”, Thomas Middleditch has been around under the radar for quite a while.
Beginning in 2009, Middleditch made his debut appearance on the short-lived TV series called Memoirs of a Manchild as the ridiculously named Danny Nanners. Before making his debut on the silver screen, Middleditch had a long career on the improv stage being involved in groups like ImprovOlympic(iO), Second City, and Upright Citizens Brigade.
So what’s so special about this particular comedian? Well, I’m glad you asked(regardless of whether you actually stared at your computer and uttered these exact words or not is beside the point).
The strongest asset that Middleditch has in his arsenal is his acting and improvisational ability. Whether it be in his various performances on the recently completed web series Jake and Amir, or his more well-known appearances on Silicon Valley, Middleditch never fails to bring his A-game to every set he goes to.
But beyond all else, the reason why Thomas Middleditch is the subject of this blog post is his personality. It seems when celebrities become famous they lose their personality at the cost of promotions, press coverage and various other factors that suck the life and soul out of some of the most interesting people(in some cases).
This is where Thomas Middleditch differs. Amongst all the pressure of becoming a successful actor in Hollywood and fostering a new marriage what does Mr. Middleditch do? He goes and does things like making online video streams of him playing and commentating video games on streaming platform Twitch.tv of course. Not only that, but he takes any profits he gets from his podcast and gives them to various charities.
Additionally, via his connection with CollegeHumor and specifically Jake and Amir, Middleditch has also made several guest appearance on Jake and Amir’s advice podcast, “If I Were You” where he provides advice that’s so insightful and down to earth that you almost feel as if you are in a room with him having a conversation.
So the next time you see a compassionate Canadian on a talk show talking about his obsession with RPG(Role Playing Games) or doing a number of different voices including, of course, Fred Schneider from the B-52’s, you can be pretty sure you’re watching the genius of Thomas Middleditch at work.
