The Righteous Gemstones’ Tim Baltz talks about fighting a naked man

The Righteous Gems places great emphasis on being a family show and equally strives to be the least family-friendly show on television. Usually that means lots of colorful chatter spiced with some comedic nudity, or an ongoing conspiracy with the Gemstone Department of Youth creating a task force called the “Smut Busters” to raid porn stores and clear out their inventory (and try to steal them expel). business by giving them a lot of business).

Creator Danny McBride takes making up a dick joke about as seriously as Tom Cruise takes about jumping out of planes in “Mission: Impossible.” To extend the Mission: Impossible metaphor even further: the Burj Khalifa of The Righteous Gems Season 3 is an extended frontal combat scene with a pissed off naked man.

In the current season The Righteous Gems finally gives BJ Barnes (Tim Baltz), the shy husband of Judy Gemstone (Edi Patterson), time to shine. Holding his own, he’s enjoying his new job as a tour guide on the campus of the Gemstones’ megachurch and trying to mend his crumbling marriage to Judy. Meanwhile, Judy has an affair with Stephen (Stephen Schneider), a musician on her gospel tour with whom she regularly hangs out.

Photo Credit: Jake Giles Netter/HBO

According to Baltz and Patterson, this is the emotional core The Righteous Gems always takes it seriously, and the reason you can build a brawl between BJ and a naked Stephen that’s both funny and sonorous.

“There’s a lot of emotional turmoil for both of our characters,” says Baltz. “And I think BJ has always looked to Judy and understood her flaws or imperfections and still loves her, and that leads to a point that really tests that love and that commitment and compels both of them to look at the relationship and.” to understand.” Who they are, you know? And like every couple going through this, you ask yourself, real and naked, what do we have to do to get out of this?”

“Ultimately for me it was really important and great that it is like that never “I know Judy doesn’t love BJ,” adds Patterson, who also writes on the show. “She is easy messed up.”

This culminates in this week’s confrontation where, after some coaching and borrowed brass knuckles from Jesse (McBride), BJ goes to Stephen’s house to kick his ass. But in the classic gems Mode turns a moment of toxic catharsis into a parade of humiliation when BJ walks in to find Stephen naked in bed, furiously masturbating. Stephen then beats him to death.

Photo Credit: Jake Giles Netter/HBO

The fight is both full blown sex, making sure Stephen’s genitals are in the picture whenever possible, and a well-choreographed brawl that Baltz really had to work hard to pull off.

“This flying scene was the last two days of work for me this season, so we’re preparing for it all the time,” says Baltz. “I trained and spoke to the director and the stunt coordinator. So I felt really prepared and grateful that it was the last one, but it’s no less intense.”

Baltz and Schneider were backed by a stunt team, and Baltz – a comedian who had never done a fight scene before – was assured that his stuntman would do the most difficult things.

“But you also have to take a lot of those hits!” says Baltz. “And they prepare you for it. But you know, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth – and so do I for sure was hit in the mouth.”

And luckily for him he wasn’t the naked one in the fight.

“I wish it had been a little warmer outside,” says Baltz. “Not only for me, but also for Stephen.”