At most awards shows, hosts have earned a reputation for being thinly veiled roast emcees. Cameras pan to A-listers hiding behind their co-stars or opera gloves, and all manner of jabs are fired off liberally. But the Film Independent Spirit Awards demand a different touch. The annual event has cemented itself over the past four decades as a highly anticipated and refreshingly light-hearted celebration of rising and indie filmmakers. That crowd-pleasing reputation has drawn a roster of buzzy hosts, including two of Hollywood’s most affable celebrities: Aidy Bryant and Nick Kroll.
Bryant will return on Feb. 22 for her second run on the Spirit Awards stage, while Kroll has helmed the festivities twice himself—alongside his sometime comedy partner John Mulaney—in the late 2010s. Ahead of the show, Bryant and Kroll took a break between rehearsals at New York’s Hudson Theatre (where the pair were among the cast of the live comedy reading series All In: All About Love) for a run-through of her forthcoming hosting appearance, where she’ll celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Spirit Awards and entertain the creators and fans of 2024 favorites Anora, Sing Sing, The Substance, and more.
Nick Kroll: We have a lot in common—and not just hosting the Spirit Awards. We also share a love of big cups.
Aidy Bryant: I love drinking from my big cup.
Kroll: Mine is an Erewhon mason jar. No big deal. I am in constant fear of being dehydrated, so I drink out of these. Anytime I drink out of a regular glass, I’m embarrassed—like for the cup.
Bryant: Agree. If it’s not big, I don’t rock it. I also want to say I’ve never been to Erewhon.
Kroll: It is so funny how expensive it is. And we can find that funny because we’re America’s two biggest celebrities, and because we get paid the big bucks to host things like the Spirit Awards.
Bryant: How and when did we first meet? I don’t remember. Feels like I’ve just known you for a long time now, maybe 10 years.
Kroll: My instinct is that I met you when you got on SNL. Until you’re on SNL, you’re invisible to me.
Bryant: And since I’ve left, I’ve been invisible to you. I’m so grateful for this time together.
Kroll: Until you hosted the [Spirit Awards] last year. Then you became a central voice on Human Resources, my animated show.
Bryant: It was the honor of my life to be your employee.
Kroll: Thank you, as it was written in the contract for you to say so in any future engagements.
Bryant: You hosted the Spirit Awards with John [Mulaney] both times, right?
Kroll: Yeah, and he was later offered the chance to host the Oscars without me. I think that’s for the best.
Bryant: I wouldn’t want to do those. Would you?
Kroll: That was the fun of doing the Spirit Awards. I felt quite free, like we could kind of do whatever we wanted. Everyone is happy to be there; it’s a little more relaxed. The first year we hosted was 2017. The second time was in 2018, right after #MeToo.
Bryant: They said, “We need to put a voice to this. Who should host? Nick and John.”
Kroll: “Let’s get those two white guys back up there.” Both experiences were equally fun, but it felt more complicated the second year. How do you feel going into the second year?
Bryant: I had so much fun the first time that I guess that’s my only goal this time: to have fun again. The reputation of an award show host is that you gotta come in there and blow those fuckers away with your bazooka of hot takes and satirical burns. But I’m really thrilled to be there. I also really believe in the ethos of Film Independent.
Kroll: In that room, you really do feel a shared value system. Our job is to make lots of jokes but also, in this particular case, you’re not like, “I’m gonna fucking shred these people and their movies.” It’s such a big day for people—these are independent filmmakers who have spent years toiling to get their very niche films in front of people. Diminishing what they’ve done doesn’t sound like much fun.
Bryant: If you’re hosting the Oscars and the biggest celebrities in the world are there, you want to take them down a peg. I know one of the movies this year was shot in 11 days in the woods for like $10. I don’t need to be swinging a bat at that.
Kroll: We hosted the year that Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was nominated. Frances McDormand was there, who absolutely rocks. Later at the after-party I saw her trying to sneak out with a jacket over her head. Normally, I’d think, Oh my God, that’s Frances McDormand, just leave her be, but since I’d been hosting, I felt a little entitled, like I was part of the scene. I was like, “Franny! Franny!” She stopped, looked at me, and said, “Okay, I will talk to you.” I replied, “Great. I need you to know that you look so much like my therapist.”
Bryant: Do you remember how you prepared to host with John?
Kroll: We ran it a lot. I’m blown away and mystified by people who host these things and don’t run it. For you at SNL or for me with stand-up, you’re like, “I need to hear from an audience what’s working and what’s not working.”
Bryant: I can’t even fathom just looking at a piece of paper and then being like, “Great, this is what I will do.” Even if I’m selling myself out by testing material, it’s worth it to me. I just want them to have a good time. I’ll show hole if I have to.
Kroll: Do you plan to show hole at the show?
Bryant: I’m thinking about it for sure—toying with the idea, toying with which hole.
Kroll: It’s a terrible turn we’ve taken here.
Bryant: Do you have constructive feedback for me based on my last performance?
Kroll: Picture the audience absolutely naked. But no, honestly I loved being in that room with people who spent a lot of their life force to make something that they really believe in. It’s a big day, and you just want to show them a good time. Plus, you can hit the Santa Monica boardwalk immediately afterwards.
Bryant: As soon as I finished hosting the awards last year, I hopped on my skateboard, got a corn dog, and just started cruising the beach for guys. Do you know how to skateboard?
Kroll: I do not. Do you?
Bryant: No.
Kroll: Fuck, next year.
Styling for Bryant by Rebecca Grice
Hair for Bryant by Anthony Campbell
Makeup for Bryant by Cassandra Garcia
Grooming for Kroll by Rheanne White
