You may not know him by name — or at least by his real name — but Aaron Branch’s career in comedy has become a lot more stable lately. Thanks to his character “Malcolm” on the Netflix show “Unstable,” starring Rob Lowe as eccentric biotech entrepreneur Ellis Dragon, Branch’s unique appearance and quirky, deadpan delivery are beamed into households across the country. On the show, his role as Dragon’s assistant and best friend to Lowe’s co-star and real-life son, John Owen Lowe (who plays Jackson Dragon), is a less funny version of many real-life assistant jobs that helped him pay the bills. Now, in its recently premiered second season, Branch says he’s at a point in his career where his opportunities in Hollywood — both on-screen and on the comedy stage — have given him more drive to see where things can go by pursuing his dream of being funny on stage and screen full-time.
Having emerged from the Chicago comedy scene in 2019, the Kansas City native has made a habit of jumping around and making crowds laugh across the country before landing in Los Angeles. At every stop he’s made along the way, he’s got a story to tell. He’ll be giving audiences a unique chance to hear his story Tuesday night at 8 p.m., performing at the Roosevelt Hotel as part of Can’t Even Comedy’s interview series, which includes a live stand-up set and a Q&A with the audience. Branch recently spoke with us about what drew him to his role in “Unstable,” his journey through the Chicago comedy scene, and how things are finally looking up for him in Los Angeles.
Having developed your career in stand-up comedy for years and now being on a big Netflix show like “Unstable,” do you feel like more people recognize you in public or at your comedy shows?
It's interesting because I realized the other day that I think this happens a lot more often, but a lot of people don't say anything. I often see people staring at me, which sometimes feels a little weird. The most significant moment was in San Diego, after a show I did at the Laugh Factory and I went across the street to get some tacos and a whole group of people started yelling “Malcolm! Malcolm!” And I was like, “Oh, this is different.”
Was there anything about Malcolm's role in “Unstable”?“ Did you really feel like it was something you wanted to audition for?
I wanted to do it because I felt like I had lived that life before, like I had been a couple's assistant. The moment I read the pilot, I was like, “Oh, this role, this role is so great, I want it so much.” I don't know, there's something about the comedic element that made me know I could make this really funny. And then obviously the cast was great.
I love that there are a lot of comics on the show..
They did a great job with the cast this season, adding Iris Apatow, who I thought was really good, and Lamorne Morris, who was on New Girl and is absolutely hilarious. I learned a lot from him on set, but the comedic talent goes crazy, especially with the addition of Lamorne. I feel like it somehow added a really funny element to the show that wasn't there before.
Part of balancing acting and comedy is also the ability to find mentors in your field. Are there people like that in your life who have helped you navigate your path in comedy?
One of the first people was Dave [Coulier] From Full House, who's an actress and a comedian and she was a crucial mentor to me when I was younger. And then when I got a little bit older, I had a very smart, kind, sweet Chicago legend; her name is Mary Lindsey. She gave me a lot of guidance when I was in my early 20s. And she's been, you know, a part of Bernie Mac's and Deon Cole's careers. She found me at this comedy venue on the South Side of Chicago near the University of Chicago campus called Revival, and she took me under her wing. I gained a lot of experience and connections and opportunities literally just by being a part of her circle. There are a lot of Chicago comedians in L.A. that are floating around and we all call ourselves “Mary's kids,” but she just gave us a lot of opportunities.
Throughout my life, my mother has been very supportive, and my cousin Kristen, who worked in show business for a long time (and since I was about 15), has been like a mentor, but also like a very good older sister.
What are the main differences between the Chicago comedy scene and the Los Angeles comedy scene?
I would say the main difference is that there are more places to perform. I feel like nothing beats Chicago, which is like a training camp. You can get up two, three, four times, if not more, a night in Chicago and have a pretty decent crowd, and by the end of the week, you have three or five new minutes. I feel like in Chicago, the emphasis is not so much on making it, or being seen. In Chicago, it's more about how can I tell a good story or how can I put on a good performance. And it seems like a better training camp. In L.A., the feeling is more like, “Okay, I've done all the training, and let me show you what I'm capable of.”
What is a typical night of the week like for you in terms of balancing acting and comedy?
I think it’s a balance that I’m still trying to find. For example, when we shot Season 1 of “Unstable,” we were still in the middle of the pandemic, just slowly coming out of it. So I wasn’t able to get on set at all. So it really wasn’t until last season that I started to get into a little bit more of a routine. Our director, Claire Scanlon, also did a really good job of getting us out early every day. She was able to maintain quality, while also being able to get both the cast and crew out at a pretty decent time, most days. So I was able to wrap up most of the time, like 5 or 6 p.m., even if I had to get in super early, and I could still go to the Laugh Factory and do a quick set, and then right when my set was done, come home, go to sleep, and then be able to get up and do it again. It didn’t really feel like a challenge, they just fit together perfectly.
Are there any groups of comedians that you hang out with that you feel represent the LA comedy scene right now?
Being a part of the Kevin Langue show has been a really good foundation, like a brotherhood that I have here in Los Angeles. I had it in Chicago, and that's how Denny and I connected. [Love] We became friends. I was in a group called Martin Luther Kings of Comedy, so it was like a solid group of cool young black guys that stuck together and really tried to conquer the Chicago comedy scene. So when I moved to L.A., I still had some of that, like my friend Joel Boyd and Denny and I was with them pretty much all this time, but now with this YouTube show in the mix, I have Kevin Langue, Herman Wrice, and obviously my best friend Denny, and we just stick together.
Is there a highlight in your career that you feel somehow helps reinforce your continued development in the world of comedy and stand-up?
I moved to Los Angeles in 2019, and at the time I was barely able to get in one show a night. At the time I was working three jobs, seven days a week when I first moved here, and then the pandemic kind of screwed me over and I wasn’t really able to get in a lot of comedy shows. So shows in general were very sparse. From that 2019-2020 era until now, and I feel really lucky to be able to, for the most part, treat Los Angeles like New York, like there are times where I get to get in multiple sets a night, and there are a lot of comedians that don’t necessarily get that opportunity. So I feel really lucky in that sense, where I’ve been able to grow and build a place where I know enough people, they know my work ethic, and enough people really vibe with me and invite me to perform at their shows.
Do you get a lot of advice from people on the show like Rob Lowe, where they get a chance to talk about their career or things they want to do in comedy?
Working on the Hollywood side, yeah, I would definitely say Lamorne, Rob and Fred. [Armisen] I've been given a lot of great advice this past season. I think I was able to take a lot from all the veterans on the show. There's a humility that I don't think you necessarily expect to see that's really refreshing, and knowing that you're surrounded by these people that you praise and they're so great. So kind that you feel comfortable enough to be able to ask questions. For example, the amount of things I can ask Lamorne, like, for example, “What do you think about this? How did you handle this kind of situation?” Fred is also very down to earth. He has a really cool show at the Largo and one time after we were done for the day, I was able to contact him and he got us tickets to his show. I was able to go see him. In addition to acting, he still gets to do a lot of live performances and he does DJ sets as well. You just see what the entertainment economy is like: people literally having fun and doing what they love on a consistent basis, and that's absolutely my thing.
