Craig Robinson has been stealing scenes for years on TV shows like The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as well as in movies such as Hot Tub Time Machine. Now he's taking the lead in the new Peacock series Killing It. This show follows his character, Craig, as he finds himself in the most improbable of careers: hunting invasive pythons in the Everglades of Florida.
Speaking with CBR, Craig talked about what motivates his character and what made him want to get involved with this project. He also dove into where he hopes the series takes his character -- not just to the swamps of Florida but also alongside his newfound friend and partner-in-crime, Jillian.
CBR: So, first and foremost, how did Craig end up where he is at the start of this series?
Craig Robinson: Oh, well, I mean, you gotta watch that. You know what I'm saying? Are you talking about that very first scene?
No. No, not that very first scene where he's monologing, which is a fantastic way to open up, but where he is when he's making this huge life choice. When he's trying to get the loan, when he's trying to do all this stuff and nothing's quite working out for him.
Right, right. Well, he's powered by his father, you know. His father taught him, early on, to go after what you want but work hard -- make sure you put that work in. So, he falls on some hard times, and then he finds himself... He wants to start this saw palmetto farm to grow some saw palmetto berries. He finds himself going around trying to achieve the American dream. That's what it is. He's trying to achieve the American dream. Then we find out he'll stop at nothing to get that dream.
That's outstanding. What was it about this story that drew you into it?
Well, we were meeting... When I say we, I mean Mark Schulman, my manager / producing partner, Dan Goor, and Luke Del Tredici, the creators of Brooklyn [Nine-Nine]. We were meeting to talk about ideas, working together, trying to figure out where we were [and] what we would meet. Then Dan and Luke came back with these three ideas, two of which were fantastic, but this one just rolled in and snatched us all.
There was some truth to it because there's this whole thing in the Everglades in Florida where they have to pay people to corral snakes because the snake population is out of control. So, there's some story there. There's some weirdness. It's interesting. I haven't seen it. Then the hilarity can come out of being grounded in all of that.
Yeah, it's obvious when you watch that first episode that Craig's life is quite changed by meeting Jillian. What is this relationship like between Craig and Jillian?
It turns into brother and sister, really. They both have things that the other kind of needs for them, for their lives. She's eternally positive with this bleak life situation. He sees somebody he could -- he should -- care for. He has a big heart, and he's focused. He also needs her on his journey to hunt these pythons.
Of all the ways to make money... Obviously, it's presented to him in that first episode, but why do you think Craig settles on bounty hunting snakes?
Well, he saw how much the prize was, and he was getting turned down everywhere else. It just felt like it was heaven-sent, almost. It was just right. Everything seemed to connect when he was just about to give up on it. Boom, there was this moment of clarity.
Everything came together in it, and it was just, "This is what I'm going to do."
Yeah, and he almost joined... I don't want to give a spoiler, but he almost joined his brother to do something not on the up-and-up, let's say.
An almost "got into the business with him" kind of thing.
The business. Not a good idea.
Obviously no spoilers or anything like that, but how do you see Craig's life progressing as the series continues?
Hopefully, he can start that saw palmetto farm he's trying to start. With the characters around him, though, is this continuous opportunity to grow and learn and fail just as a human being. I see him figuring things out. He's not always going to figure things out, but some things he figures out. He figures out the big things. The little things hold him back.