The T-shirt seller is a first-time actor
Spoiler alert: The following article details the story from Season 1, Episode 2 of The Chair Company, now streaming on HBO Max.
It’s not easy to outdo Tim Robinson. The comedian’s titular character is a man whose social anxiety drives him to act in big, loud, and obnoxious ways — like the hot dog man in the animated series “I Think You Should Quit” or Marvel enthusiast Craig Waterman in the movie “Friendship.” Ron Trosper, the protagonist of Robinson’s HBO conspiracy comedy “The Chair Company,” is no exception to this rule. But in Ron’s quest to find out what’s going on with Tecca, the manufacturer of the defective chair of the same name that leads the mall developer on an embarrassing tumble in front of his colleagues, he encounters several characters who match his eccentricities. People love a certain t-shirt seller who offers Ron on his membership program.
In the second episode of “The Chair Company”, Ron visits Tamblay’s men’s clothing store in an attempt to identify his attacker from the series premiere, who warned Ron to stop looking at Tecca before escaping and leaving a piece of clothing behind as evidence. Tamblay’s owner agrees to help him, confirming that the shirt is one of their own. The owner even models the wear of the item using a ball he happens to have on hand: “It’s like… Big belly And someone’s stomach is “Pushing the buttons” The man explains. “It’s about to At his limit. I know the guy who “Within its limits.” The focus, pacing, and delivery of this seemingly ordinary dialogue combine to make the viewer sit up and ask themselves: Who? He is Which?
It turns out the actor didn’t have to do much to get into character. Jared Lindner is the real co-owner of Suit mana small company located in the suburb of Mount Vernon in Westchester County, New York. Lindner’s father founded the store nearly two decades ago, and the two still run Suit Man as a family operation. (You can learn more about the store at This video On the official Small Town YouTube channel.) Lindner was noticed by Robinson himself when he went to the store to scout the location. Lindner didn’t recognize the “Saturday Night Live” star, but he struck up a rapport with the crew: “They started laughing, because I’m a fairly simple guy,” Lindner says. diverse. The next thing he knew, production was calling him to offer him the role.
Lindner joins our interview live from Suit Man, where racks of shirts, ties and socks appear exactly as they appear in “The Chair Company.” (During our conversation, Lindner walks around the store with an iPhone in hand; at one point, two hands appear from off-screen to adjust his collar for the Zoom camera.) Lindner’s distinctive voice, a wonderful blend of a New York accent, long vowels and a smooth tone, is also identical to the one he appears on the show. The only real difference is that the real Lindner wears a baseball cap — and instead of helping Robinson’s protagonist solve a mystery, he praises the real Robinson to a reporter.
“It’s unbelievable how amazing they are,” Lindner says of Robinson, his creative partner Zach Kanin, and their collaborators. “They took someone who had no idea what to do and made me feel comfortable enough not to be nervous,” despite dozens of crew members crowding into the Suit Man space. Lindner had never read the script before making his acting debut on HBO, but he credits Robinson and his team with making him feel comfortable.
“I think of it like sports,” Lindner says. “When a good team has a very good manager and coach, they don’t need to shout. They don’t need to tell you what to do. They are respectful enough that everyone has a common goal of getting things done and making them happy.”
Director Andrew DeYoung initially worked with Robinson on “Friendship” before joining The Chair Company as executive producer. Although the idea to select Lindner came from Robinson, DeYoung didn’t take much convincing. (HBO had at least asked Lindner to read for the network before giving the go-ahead, but he quickly joined.) “I was talking to Jared and I thought, ‘This guy is very unique and interesting,’” de Jong recalls. “There’s something about him and his way of being that is rare and captivating in the best possible way. No one is ever making fun of anyone, and I hope that’s clear.”
Although a completely novice actor like Lindner is an extreme example of this casting strategy, “The Chair Company” generally avoided big names and well-known faces when populating its strange and extreme world. Along with Robinson, Lake Bell and Sophia Lillis — who play Ron’s wife and daughter, respectively — are perhaps the most famous series regulars. No one else is likely to come with pre-existing associations for the audience, and that’s precisely the point.
“You get excited when you don’t have the baggage of someone you know,” De Jong explains. “There are a lot of great people trying to be artists — or, in Jared’s case, not — who show up and excite the screen because they offer something special and unique.” That’s what appeals to him, Robinson and Kanin about characters like Lindner, who can make such an impression in such a short period of time. “What’s beautiful about Tim and Zack [is]“Even if a character has one line, it feels incredibly rich,” DeYoung says. “That, to me, is very exciting. When you have these characteristics, you show a personality and say, “I would like to follow it.” It’s like we live in a world beyond the screen. While “The Chair Company” builds a fully immersive world in which Ron’s paranoid reasoning makes sense, it helps to choose characters like Lindner who carry an inherent sense of authenticity.
Suit Man may not have a membership program like Tamblay’s, or an accompanying group chat with five separate people named Ron in it. But Lindner stresses that he always seeks repeat business. “I always say when a guy comes to see me, I don’t want to sell him one jacket and then never see them again,” he says. “I’d rather sell them a jacket for their wedding, then baptize their son, baptize their other daughter, or whatever. We’ve made lifelong friends. They’re not even customers.” Although Lindner says he’s open to acting again after having a good experience with The Chair Company, he’s not giving up his day job.
When we spoke, Lindner had not yet had a chance to see his performance, although he did go back and watch Robinson’s Comedy Central series “Detroiters” to get a feel for what to expect from the final product. The prospect of presenting himself to a large audience is the first time in our conversation that even a hint of histrionic self-awareness emerges. “I hope I don’t cheat on myself in front of my wife,” Lindner says. “Everyone told me I was fine, but I guess I’ll see for myself on Sunday.”