Want to carry forward idea that comedy can cure all evils, says Chris O'Dowd

New Delhi: Popular Irish actor-comedian Chris O'Dowd, known for films such as "Bridesmaids" and "This Is 40", believes comedy has the power to cure all evils, an idea he tries to popularise through his work.

O'Dowd is well known for his comedic timing and affable on-screen presence, often playing characters with a mix of charm and awkwardness.

Explaining his current state of relationship with the genre that is widely consumed all over the world, "The It Crowd" and "The Big Door Prize" fame star said it is a pivotal time to be a comedian.

"It's been a great relationship I've had with comedy so far, and it's an interesting time in all of our relationships with comedy because people are making less of it... And like all substances or elements, it's becoming more and more valuable.

"So I feel a profound responsibility to try and carry forward the idea that comedy can cure all evils. That is my relationship with it at the moment," O'Dowd told PTI in an interview.

Amid the geo-political conflicts and anxiety towards technology, comedy can be very "relaxing", the 44-year-old actor said.

"I remember talking to somebody about enjoying walking in a forest and how it made me feel just much more relaxed in these anxious times. And he said it's not just a feeling, it's a physiological change that happens in your body. Every living thing breathes just as we do.

"But older trees, particularly like an oak, it takes around eight minutes for it to take a single breath. So if you walk in an oak forest, you will just marginally change your breathing pattern," he said.

Similar is the case with comedy, O'Dowd said.

"If you watch a comedy for an hour or two of an evening, it brings you to laughter, you're going to just irredeemably change your breathing pattern. And all of these things can be a very helpful relaxant in these times," he added.

O'Dowd currently stars in Apple TV+ comedy show "The Big Door Prize", which recently returned with its second season.

Created by David West Read, the series is based on the book of the same name by author M O Walsh.

In the show, O'Dowd plays the role of a school teacher named Dusty, whose life is upended after a mysterious destiny-predicting machine, called Morpho, is discovered in the grocery store of his town.

The actor said the experiences of Dusty felt completely relatable to him.

"You feel like you're plodding along quite nicely and then life brings you in a completely different direction. But I think as an artist, you kind of welcome that most of the time because being driven by life events is why we make art, to make those life events explainable," he said.

"The Big Door Prize" also features Josh Segarra, a former NHL star and the owner of a local restaurant.

According to the actor, it is precious to be able to make people laugh through a show like "The Big Door Prize".

"It's smart and funny and talks about big life questions within this construct and within our little show... It gives people a chance to breathe a little bit. It's a reprieve and an escape. I hope that when people watch the show or when they watch any comedy, it gives them a chance to kind of turn off the noise," he added.

To play a character like Giorgio has been a ball, said co-star Segarra.

"It's been a ball to play Giorgio, just to play a New York Ranger alone to play a former hockey player has been incredible. And then the evolution. I think, in the first season, you see that Giorgio is a lot more about himself.

"We can call him narcissistic at times. And then he meets the love of his life. Now he can put out the love that he's had inside the whole time. He's got somebody giving him confidence. He's got somebody telling him that he's enough. And that changes his whole trajectory," the actor said.

Season two of "The Big Door Prize" also stars Gabrielle Dennis, Damon Gupton, Sammy Fourlas, Djouliet Amara, Ally Maki, Crystal R. Fox and Jim Meskimen. It is produced by Skydance Television and CJ ENM/Studio Dragon.