David Alan Grier, who currently stars on NBC’s St. Denis Medical, ‘got so angry’ he threw script down

David Alan Grier ‘got so angry’ at delayed TV audition he threw script down: ‘I got the job’

The comedian tells EW he learned a lesson from the experience.

David Alan Grier usually can’t help but make people laugh, but a burst of anger once helped him land a role.

“They kept me waiting so long that I got so angry; it was over an hour and a half,” Grier recalls of a frustrating audition during EW’s Awardist Comedy Actors Roundtable. “By the time I went in there, I threw the script down, and they said, ‘Okay, read.’ I did it with such anger.”

Grier, who currently stars on NBC’s St. Denis Medical, can’t quite recall what the role was, guessing “Miami Vice or something, the TV show.” But he does remember how the audition turned out.

David Alan Grier at the premiere of premiere of ‘Poker Face’ season 2 on May 1, 2025.Maya Dehlin Spach/Getty

Joining his fellow Emmy contenders Uzo Aduba (The Residence), Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear), Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), and Michael Urie (Shrinking) in the discussion, hosted by EW Editorial Director Gerrad Hall, Grier, ever the storyteller, leaves his audience hanging on his words for a moment before breaking into laughter.

“I got the job,” he tells them.

His anger had actually been an asset.

“It was brilliant. We don’t know what he was thinking, but it worked. Thank you,” Grier says, imitating the people casting talking to each other about him.

The whole experience ended up being one that he appreciated.

“It was still a lesson,” Grier says. “See, that’s what I need to do every time. Not be angry, but go in with intention and, you know, do the work.”

David Alan Grier for Entertainment Weekly.Kanya Iwana

The comedian’s long acting career has included projects such as In Living Color, the original Jumanji, Eddie Murphy’s Boomerang, 2023’s The Color Purple movie musical, sitcoms including The Carmichael Show, Life With Bonnie, and DAG, and an illustrious theater career.
He’s now starring as Dr. Ron in St. Denis Medical, a mockumentary-style comedy costarring Wendi McLendon-Covey, Allison Tolman, Josh Lawson, and more as the staff of a struggling hospital lacking funding and staff.

With all his expertise, Grier says he continues to feel excited about his work.

“Every new show. Every day is like the first day of school,” he says. “I love it. I want to act until I can’t. And what a life I chose, but I did not ever envision — I’m 68 — that I would be still working, that I would be still valued. And that I know what I’m doing, finally. All those years of ‘Can I do this?’ As an actor. I don’t know if I can do this. I’m going to try and do this. I come in not with ego, but with self-confidence that I know how to act.”

Watch EW’s full Awardist Comedy Actors Roundtable above.