VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: David Koechner On Working With Leslie Uggams In ‘Dotty & Soul’

The new film Dotty & Soul sees a tech CEO Ethan Cox (Adam Saunders) face social media backlash after wearing a problematic Halloween costume. In an effort to ameliorate the situation, he hires snack cart vendor Dotty (Leslie Uggams) to act as the company’s figurehead while he still controls the company behind the scenes. However, when Dotty decides to no longer play along as Cox’s puppet, everything changes.

In an exclusive interview with uInterview founder Erik Meers, star David Koechner (Anchorman, The Office) discussed his character and experience working with legendary actress and singer Uggams.

“I think you’d have to agree that [my character] Brannigan turns out to be the villain. If we think thematically, he represents greed… He’ll pretend he’s out for you if it helps him,” he said.

When describing his approach to roles he takes as a comedic actor, Koechner said, “I always think you’re the defense attorney of your character. You have to establish why what he’s doing is okay. You have to establish a defensible argument for this person to exist in this world because your character never thinks he’s wrong or bad.” He said he has a process of developing a backstory in his mind to make sense of his character’s decisions.

Koechner noted that filming started in 2019 and was later halted by the coronavirus pandemic. He complimented writer, director, and co-star Saunders, who was a first-time filmmaker at the time.

Then speaking about Uggams, “It’s an honor. It’s a privilege to work with her. My favorite memories were talking to her about her early days in show business and hearing about her family and where she grew up,” he said. “I knew her from my childhood in [1977 television mini-series] Roots … To have the privilege to share some time with a person like that gives you a sense of peace.”