Tool Time: Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride on Playing the Jerk You Root For
Kenny Powers had earned our pity by the end of Eastbound & Down's first season. A star in his own mind, and a blatant blowhard, Kenny mostly offended and grossed us out. (While also hilarious, his antics are too crude to enumerate here.)
And yet, we found ourselves sympathizing with the guy. The washed-up baseball player had suffered humiliations — most of his own making — that tugged at our admittedly easily tugged-upon heartstrings. Then he hit a new low in the finale: rejected by Tampa and compelled to drive off into the sunset alone.
But when Eastbound & Down returns Sunday at 10:30/9:30c on HBO, Kenny will be reborn. We talked to executive producer and star Danny McBride about relocating Kenny to Mexico, cockfighting, and finding the heart in a total tool.
