Actress of a Certain Age
by Jeff Hiller

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From the publisher

A humorous collection of autobiographical essays from comedian and Somebody Somewhere actor Jeff Hiller, who shares his journey from growing up “profoundly gay” in 1980s Texas to his experiences as an inept social worker and how he clawed, scraped, and brawled to Hollywood’s lower middle-tier.

While struggling to find success as an actor and pay the bills, something accidentally happened to Jeff he aged. And while it’s one thing to get older and rest on the laurels of success from the blood, sweat, and tears of your youth, it’s quite another to be old and have no laurels. At forty, stuck in a temp job making spreadsheets, the dream of becoming a star seemed out of reach. But after twenty-five years of guest roles on TV and performing improv in a grocery store basement, he finally struck gold with a breakout role on HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, playing Joel—the kind of best friend everyone wishes they had.

In his book, Jeff dives into the grit and grind of climbing the Hollywood ladder. It’s a raw and often hilarious tale of the struggles, triumphs, and humiliations that shaped him into the wonderfully imperfect person he is today. With a mix of awkward charm and heartfelt honesty, Jeff shares his growing up very Lutheran in Texas, navigating bullying as a gay kid, working as a social worker for unhoused youth and HIV prevention, and the endless ups and downs of being a struggling actor. For every one of us who have a dream that we’re chasing—and chasing, and chasing—his is a funny, moving, and utterly relatable story.

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My Review

Jeff Hiller’s memoir and love-letter to improv is funny, meandering and relatable. Under 300 pages in print form, it makes for a quick listen. His stories of bad acting gigs, doing commercials to keep his healthcare, falling in love with improv at UCB, and more actually made me laugh out loud. You can really hear the emotion in his voice and his love for his craft.

I loved hearing his stories of day jobs and side hustles along the way. He really cares about people and that comes through in the writing. He has a real love for his family and his non-traumatic (a miracle!) religious upbringing. His stories from his time working in social work and healthcare are eye opening. Personally, I wish I had saved this listen for after I’d actually watched “Somebody Somewhere” because I feel like knowing where his career takes him in the end would have added to my enjoyment of this memoir.

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