Atlanta, GA
David Cross refuses to sit down
Photograph by Timothy M. Schmidt
David Cross was walking home late one Friday night when he got a call with a job opportunity. The Roswell-born actor and comedian was being offered the role of Sy Grossman in the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy, the Netflix smash hit about a family of quirky superhero siblings. There was just one problem.
“I wasn’t familiar with the show,” Cross says. “I knew of it as a cultural thing that people loved, and I’d heard great things. But I’d never watched an episode.”
He spent that weekend addressing the issue, binge-watching and falling in love with the show. That Monday morning, he flew to Toronto to join the ensemble. Cross was such a fan that, during filming, he asked the cast and crew not to reveal spoilers for scenes he wasn’t involved in. “I didn’t want to have the story ruined for me when I watched it,” he says. “I just made sure I knew what I needed to know. Because I was so excited to see the rest of it.”
When he wasn’t on set for The Umbrella Academy, Cross was on the road, touring his stand-up show Worst Daddy in the World. Did you miss it? Not to worry. Cross is so prolific that he’s already on to another tour: The End of the Beginning of the End comes to Atlanta on October 16.
Atlanta is where Cross’s love of comedy first blossomed. Years before he rose to fame with the screwball sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David, and as Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development, Cross was a student at the former Northside High School. He calls its specialist performance arts program, now defunct, “a lifesaver.” He’d spend his nights watching Monty Python and reading National Lampoon, then write his own skits for class.
When he was 17, he worked up the courage to make his debut onstage. “It was at The Punchline on Roswell Road,” Cross says. After that night, he was hooked. At 19, he left for Boston to attend Emerson College, and later honed his skills in that city’s burgeoning comedy scene. He now lives in Brooklyn with his daughter and wife, the actress Amber Tamblyn, though he visits family in Atlanta several times a year.
Since Arrested Development, Cross has stayed busy. He created, wrote, and starred in the show The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, while popping up in Modern Family and the Kung Fu Panda franchise. In 2023, he succumbed to the urging of his manager and joined the herd of comedians hosting podcasts. He admits he’s “having a blast” hosting Senses Working Overtime with David Cross, which featured his Mr. Show collaborator Bob Odenkirk as the first guest.
Looking back at both Mr. Show and Arrested Development, Cross can’t help but feel proud, especially when he compares it to what’s on the air now. “Everything on television now feels familiar,” he says. “The writing, acting, pacing, and editing are all good. But they’re not great. It’s like there’s something missing. Like there’s no soul to it. But those two shows in particular—they were so new and risky.”
Cross continues to split his time between acting and stand-up, but there’s no doubting his true creative passion. “I could stop acting, directing, or producing and I’d miss it, but I need to do stand-up,” he says. “I just crave it. Sometimes I’ll think of an idea or joke and I can’t wait to work it out onstage.” Cross is showing no signs of slowing down: He will take The End of the Beginning of the End to 46 cities this fall, before his next special is released next year.
“Touring gets harder the older I get,” says Cross. “But I love it. I just don’t feel that way about any other thing I do.”
This article appears in our October 2024 issue.
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Atlanta, GA
Philadelphia Phillies lose fifth straight game to end homestand, swept by Atlanta Braves
Michael Harris II homered and had three hits as the streaking Atlanta Braves defeated the slumping Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Sunday night to complete a three-game sweep of their NL East rivals.
Ozzie Albies hit an RBI double and Austin Riley also drove in a run for the Braves, who have won five in a row and nine of 11. It was Atlanta’s first series sweep of at least three games at Philadelphia in 10 years.
Kyle Schwarber went deep for the Phillies, who have lost five straight and 10 of 13. They were outscored 56-33 on a 2-7 homestand against the Diamondbacks, Cubs and Braves, leaving Philadelphia 6 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the division standings.
Raisel Iglesias escaped trouble in the ninth inning for his fifth save. Philadelphia put runners on first and second with one out, but Trea Turner struck out and Schwarber lined out to right field on an excellent running catch by Ronald Acuña Jr.
Tyler Kinley (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win.
Schwarber’s two-run shot in the first gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.
Harris homered leading off the third before the Braves went ahead in the fifth with three runs against rookie starter Andrew Painter (1-1) and lefty reliever Tim Mayza.
Painter was lifted after he opened the inning by allowing singles to Harris and Acuña. Mayza loaded the bases with a walk, and the Braves tied the game on Matt Olson’s groundout. Riley’s dribbler to third went for an RBI infield single, and Albies’ double to the left-field wall made it 4-2.
Riley saved at least one run while ending a Philadelphia threat in the bottom of the fifth with a stellar defensive play at third base.
Braves starter Grant Holmes allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings.
On a chilly night, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto sat out after leaving Saturday’s game with lower back tightness.
Up next
Braves: Begin a four-game series Monday night at Washington. RHP Bryce Elder (2-1, 0.77 ERA) opposes Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (1-2, 6.16).
Phillies: Open seven-game trip Monday night with the first of four games against the Cubs. RHP Aaron Nola (1-4, 4.03 ERA) faces Chicago RHP Colin Rea (2-0, 3.63).
Atlanta Hawks (46-36, sixth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Monday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -5.5; over/under is 216.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference first round with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 113-102 on Saturday, led by 28 points from Jalen Brunson. CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 26.
The Knicks are 35-17 in Eastern Conference games. New York has a 9-4 record in one-possession games.
The Hawks are 27-25 in Eastern Conference play. Atlanta is third in the league scoring 18.1 fast break points per game. McCollum leads the Hawks averaging 5.0.
The Knicks are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points higher than the 47.4% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks are shooting 47.4% from the field, 1.4% higher than the 46.0% the Knicks’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.
Dyson Daniels is scoring 11.9 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds for the Hawks. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 21.3 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 6-4, averaging 110.4 points, 40.7 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.9 points per game.
Hawks: 5-5, averaging 117.2 points, 43.5 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.0 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: Tyler Kolek: day to day (oblique), Mitchell Robinson: day to day (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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