Ed Helms.Photo: Paul Morigi/GettyEd Helmsis recalling the “tornado of fame” he experienced after the success ofThe Hangover.Speaking withConan O’Brienon Monday’s episode of theNeeds a Friendpodcast, the 48-year-old actor and musician said “it was very overwhelming” to get the recognition he received after starring in the hit 2009 film with costars Bradley Cooper andZach Galifianakis.About his time beforeThe Hangover, “My public persona had risen gradually,” said Helms, who began starring onThe Officeduring the series' third season in 2006 and also previously served as a correspondent onThe Daily Showfrom 2002 to 2009.Helms admitted to O’Brien, 59, that he “really was reeling a lot of the time … in the aftermath ofThe Hangover,” and “getting scripts for all these different kinds of projects.“At the time, he thought, " ‘What do I do? I dunno,’ " he said. “I was kind ofspinning out and panicking about different things. Like, ‘Well, what kind of a career do you want?’ “Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Ed Helms inThe Hangover(2009).Frank Masi/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett CollectionHelms said he was at a similar “level” of fame at the time as costars Cooper, 47, and Galifianakis, 53, and that they were “going through it together.““If it wasn’t for those guys, I don’t think I would’ve stayed sane,” he said. “But we all had each other to kind of commiserate and measure ourselves … and I think we kept each other [from] drifting too far, and being too unprofessional.“Helms admitted he “definitely felt a lot of anxiety” and “turmoil” around that time in his career, and said he wishes he could “go through it again with what I know now.““One of the craziest things abouta massive jump into fame like that— and what I think people who have never dealt with that or been close to it just can’t understand — is the just total loss of control of your environment,” he said.RELATED VIDEO: Ed Helms Says He Gets Recognized as Andy the Most:The OfficeHas “Ridiculous Staying Power"Helms played Stu inThe Hangover, which became a box-office hit and spawned two sequels: one in 2011 and another in 2013. Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis all reprised their roles as Stu, Phil and Alan, respectively, in both follow-ups.But despite his popularity from the film franchise, the role Helms still gets recognized for most is probably that ofAndy “Nard Dog” BernardfromThe Office, he told PEOPLE last year.“That show hashad such ridiculous staying power,” the actor said of the hit comedy, which ran from 2005 to 2013 on NBC and has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity on streaming. “So many more young people are watching it, people that weren’t even born when that show was on the air. It just seems to always be bubbling up.”
Ed Helms.Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty
Ed Helmsis recalling the “tornado of fame” he experienced after the success ofThe Hangover.Speaking withConan O’Brienon Monday’s episode of theNeeds a Friendpodcast, the 48-year-old actor and musician said “it was very overwhelming” to get the recognition he received after starring in the hit 2009 film with costars Bradley Cooper andZach Galifianakis.About his time beforeThe Hangover, “My public persona had risen gradually,” said Helms, who began starring onThe Officeduring the series' third season in 2006 and also previously served as a correspondent onThe Daily Showfrom 2002 to 2009.Helms admitted to O’Brien, 59, that he “really was reeling a lot of the time … in the aftermath ofThe Hangover,” and “getting scripts for all these different kinds of projects.“At the time, he thought, " ‘What do I do? I dunno,’ " he said. “I was kind ofspinning out and panicking about different things. Like, ‘Well, what kind of a career do you want?’ “Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Ed Helms inThe Hangover(2009).Frank Masi/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett CollectionHelms said he was at a similar “level” of fame at the time as costars Cooper, 47, and Galifianakis, 53, and that they were “going through it together.““If it wasn’t for those guys, I don’t think I would’ve stayed sane,” he said. “But we all had each other to kind of commiserate and measure ourselves … and I think we kept each other [from] drifting too far, and being too unprofessional.“Helms admitted he “definitely felt a lot of anxiety” and “turmoil” around that time in his career, and said he wishes he could “go through it again with what I know now.““One of the craziest things abouta massive jump into fame like that— and what I think people who have never dealt with that or been close to it just can’t understand — is the just total loss of control of your environment,” he said.RELATED VIDEO: Ed Helms Says He Gets Recognized as Andy the Most:The OfficeHas “Ridiculous Staying Power"Helms played Stu inThe Hangover, which became a box-office hit and spawned two sequels: one in 2011 and another in 2013. Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis all reprised their roles as Stu, Phil and Alan, respectively, in both follow-ups.But despite his popularity from the film franchise, the role Helms still gets recognized for most is probably that ofAndy “Nard Dog” BernardfromThe Office, he told PEOPLE last year.“That show hashad such ridiculous staying power,” the actor said of the hit comedy, which ran from 2005 to 2013 on NBC and has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity on streaming. “So many more young people are watching it, people that weren’t even born when that show was on the air. It just seems to always be bubbling up.”
Ed Helmsis recalling the “tornado of fame” he experienced after the success ofThe Hangover.
Speaking withConan O’Brienon Monday’s episode of theNeeds a Friendpodcast, the 48-year-old actor and musician said “it was very overwhelming” to get the recognition he received after starring in the hit 2009 film with costars Bradley Cooper andZach Galifianakis.
About his time beforeThe Hangover, “My public persona had risen gradually,” said Helms, who began starring onThe Officeduring the series' third season in 2006 and also previously served as a correspondent onThe Daily Showfrom 2002 to 2009.
Helms admitted to O’Brien, 59, that he “really was reeling a lot of the time … in the aftermath ofThe Hangover,” and “getting scripts for all these different kinds of projects.”
At the time, he thought, " ‘What do I do? I dunno,’ " he said. “I was kind ofspinning out and panicking about different things. Like, ‘Well, what kind of a career do you want?’ "
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Ed Helms inThe Hangover(2009).Frank Masi/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Helms said he was at a similar “level” of fame at the time as costars Cooper, 47, and Galifianakis, 53, and that they were “going through it together.”
“If it wasn’t for those guys, I don’t think I would’ve stayed sane,” he said. “But we all had each other to kind of commiserate and measure ourselves … and I think we kept each other [from] drifting too far, and being too unprofessional.”
Helms admitted he “definitely felt a lot of anxiety” and “turmoil” around that time in his career, and said he wishes he could “go through it again with what I know now.”
“One of the craziest things abouta massive jump into fame like that— and what I think people who have never dealt with that or been close to it just can’t understand — is the just total loss of control of your environment,” he said.
RELATED VIDEO: Ed Helms Says He Gets Recognized as Andy the Most:The OfficeHas “Ridiculous Staying Power”
Helms played Stu inThe Hangover, which became a box-office hit and spawned two sequels: one in 2011 and another in 2013. Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis all reprised their roles as Stu, Phil and Alan, respectively, in both follow-ups.
But despite his popularity from the film franchise, the role Helms still gets recognized for most is probably that ofAndy “Nard Dog” BernardfromThe Office, he told PEOPLE last year.
“That show hashad such ridiculous staying power,” the actor said of the hit comedy, which ran from 2005 to 2013 on NBC and has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity on streaming. “So many more young people are watching it, people that weren’t even born when that show was on the air. It just seems to always be bubbling up.”
source: people.com
