For three decades, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan has worked hard for the funny. But a string of dramatic movie roles are taking his career down a different path.
He plays a despairing widower in two movies this year: “Light From Light,” currently on the indie festival circuit, and “Above the Shadows,” which makes its world premiere Friday at the Brooklyn Film Festival (it’s out in theaters July 19).
He also portrays a devotee of a religious cult that uses rattlesnakes to ferret out disbelieving heathens in “Them That Follow,” out Aug. 2. And in “American Dreamer” (Sept. 20), Gaffigan turns out a deeply disturbing portrayal of a down-on-his-luck ride-share driver whose life takes a violent turn when he picks up a murderous drug dealer.
The parts are a noticeable shift in tone for Gaffigan, best known for family-friendly humor that skewers relatable subjects such as food — most famously Hot Pockets — and his life as a befuddled father of five, as portrayed in his 2015-16 TV Land sitcom “The Jim Gaffigan Show.”
“The negative of that is people assume, ‘Oh, he’s a comedian, he shouldn’t be doing drama,'” says Gaffigan, 52, who made Forbes’ 2018 list of the 10 highest-paid comics. “Hollywood kind of puts people in buckets, you know?”
He says he enjoys diving into darker material.
“In this world, even the most happy-go-lucky person has to deal with grief, poor decisions and character flaws. The more dramatic, the more fun,” he says. “It’s taking a break from the chaos of your life.”
Gaffigan knows a lot about chaos. He lives in the Bowery with his wife of 16 years, Jeannie, and their five kids, ages 6 to 15. In April 2017, Jeannie underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor the size of a pear. She’s doing well, says Gaffigan. Jeannie’s written about the experience in a memoir, “When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People,” available Oct. 1 from Grand Central Publishing.
Despite his love of dramatic roles, Gaffigan isn’t giving up entirely on laughs: He’ll play a bigamist in the comedy “Being Frank,” out June 14, and in March he taped his seventh stand-up special, “Jim Gaffigan’s Quality Time,” which will air on Amazon Prime.
And, no, he doesn’t really mind that fans still love his Hot Pockets routine, in which he pokes fun at the “white trash” microwaveable food and its sing-song jingle.
“I’ve had such a mixed relationship with Hot Pockets,” he says. “Look, I did a series of jokes that changed my life. Do I need more drunks yelling ‘Hot Pockets!’ at me? No. But I’m also grateful that the joke is still relevant today, which maybe is more a criticism of Hot Pockets than anything.”
Brooklyn Film Festival runs Friday through June 9. “Above the Shadows” world premiere screening is at 8 p.m. Friday at the Wythe Hotel, 80 Wythe Ave., with an encore screening at 4 p.m. Sunday at Windmill Studios, 300 Kingsland Ave. Tickets, $12-$200; Brooklynfilmfestival.org