Connor Ratliff

After moving to New York, Connor began working at the UCB Theatre East, where he performed weekly Friday nights with the improv troupe The Stepfathers, and performed Sunday nights in the theatre's longest running show, ASSSSCAT 3000.[10] He also wrote and performed on The Chris Gethard Show throughout its run [11] as both a stage show and its many iterations on Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Fusion, and TruTv. During its run, he launched a 2012 Presidential campaign and debated Jimmy McMillan,[12] contributed short films with award-winning artist Maelle Doliveux as The Lone Cornmeal Machine,[13] and served as a warm up comedian and panelist.[14]

In 2014, Connor Ratliff began hosting a live talk show where he appears as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, and he interviews real guests as themselves in a panel format. He is joined by sidekick Star Wars characters: initially Jar Jar Binks, played by comedian Shaun Diston, and in current shows, Watto, played by Griffin Newman. The show was performed monthly live on stage at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and since May 4, 2020, has been performed live on Chris Gethard's Twitch network, Planet Scum Live.[15]

In 2000, Ratliff auditioned for a small role in the Tom Hanks television series Band of Brothers and was set to begin filming when he was subsequently fired because, as Hanks allegedly said, he believed Ratliff had "dead eyes". Two decades later, this event led Ratliff to begin a podcast exploring rejection and the entertainment industry, drawing on many fellow actors to share their own experiences in Hollywood casting.[16]

On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Ratliff appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers and revealed that the season 3 finale would feature his interview with Tom Hanks.[17] The episode received attention in mainstream media and on Twitter, where long-time fans of the podcast expressed excitement over the long-awaited guest's appearance. [18] [19] [20] [21]