Richard Kind - Why He's This Generation's Bambi's Mother

Through Mad About You, to Spin City, to Curb Your Enthusiasm, Richard Kind has brought his comic genius in to our homes since the mid-80s. The New Jersey native is back with the new mockumentary, The Social Ones, a film about the stressful lives of today's social media influencers. Richard spent some time with Mike McKelly and Stefani Bishop on the Rocker Morning Show to talk about his latest project, his surprise cameo in Argo, and an animated film he feels will be his legacy.

"It's such a wonderfully written scene that exposes Hollywood, what a producer can be like, what business is all about, America wheeling and dealing," Kind says about his cameo in the 2012 film Argo, wherein he plays opposite of Alan Arkin. It's a surprisingly humorous scene which was a welcome departure from the unceasing tension and gravity in the rest of the film. "There's about a minute and a half that came before the scene which is equally hilarious, but Ben thought it was too much, too funny, so he excised it. But it's a very funny scene. Alan Arkin, of course, a hero."

Pixar fans will recognize Kind's iconic voice as Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend in 2015's Inside Out. Spoiler alert, Bing Bong sacrifices himself so see that Joy makes it out of the trench and can continue her journey back to the control room. "I'm sort of this generation's Bambi's mother," Kind admits about Bing Bong's death. "I am blessed. I believe that is my legacy."

The Social Ones, out now on various streaming platforms is, admittedly, a topic out of Kind's league. "I don't understand social media like I should. The nickname for my teenage kids is 'Tech Support'." The movie follows several people yearning to be successful social media influencers, one of whom seeks out a kind of Mark Zuckerberg-type character, a man who invented the film's version of social media, played by Kind. but instead of meeting a Zuckerberg, the influencer meets "more of a Howard Hughes" character.

Even though he hasn't had much experience in social media, Kind was able to get in the minds of some of these people when he was the Senior Youth Reporter for Stephen Colbert. "I went to a YouTube convention and interviewed dozens of these influencers, and these people work really hard to keep their profile as large as it is. They work easily 14-hour days, and that's quite something. So if anybody wants to be an influencer, don't think it just comes with stardom, it takes a lot of hard work.

"But this movie makes fun of them."

Check out The Social Ones on Amazon, YouTube, Google Play, and more right now, and click below to hear the exclusive Rocker Morning Show interview.

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