Zach Galifianakis gets star-struck in this clip from Don Rickles' final project
Whether he’s appearing in films, doing the talk show circuit, or just grilling people on his own, off-kilter interview show, Zach Galifianakis rarely lets his ironic guard down in public. So it’s kind of amazing to watch the comedian’s episode of the AARP’s upcoming digital series Dinner With Don, in which the Hangover star gets both sincere, and sincerely star-struck, at the prospect of sitting down to eat with comedy legend Don Rickles, who died earlier this year.
And while Galifianakis does get in a few Rickles-esque jabs at the old master, he spends most of the interview clearly nervous at meeting a personal hero, asking Rickles about his career, his approach to divisive issues like race and politics, and his overall outlook on life. Rickles, for his part, mixes polite interest in Galifianakis’ career—and a basic respect between two working comics—with a healthy serving of the eyerolls and zingers that had always been his comedic stock in trade.
Galifianakis is just one of several comics and comedy fans to participate in Dinner With Don; the series—available here—also features appearances from Amy Poehler, Judd Apatow, Snoop Dogg, and a number of other prominent names coming to pay tribute to the master of insult comedy.