Two Acting Alumni Appear in AMC's 'Kevin Can F*ck Himself'

By
Nicole Saldarriaga
June 08, 2021

Acting alumni Bari Robinson '10 and Grayson Powell '11 are featured in episode four of AMC's new series, Kevin Can F*ck Himself. The eight-episode series will premiere early on AMC+ on June 13, 2021 and will air on television on June 20, 2021. 

Starring Emmy Award winning Annie Murphy (Schitt's Creek), this new series is being described as a meta-comedy. The official summary for Kevin Can F*uck Himself, created by Valerie Armstrong (Lodge 49), states that the show "probes the secret life of a type of woman we all grew up believing we knew: the sitcom wife. Kevin Can F*ck Himself looks to break television convention and ask what the world looks like through her eyes. Alternating between single-camera realism and multi-camera comedy, the formats will inform one another as we imagine what happens when the sitcom wife escapes her confines and takes the lead in her own life." And in this case, the typical-sitcom wife taking the lead in her own life looks like murdering her oaf of a husband. See the trailer for a look at this show's unique style. 

Robinson and Powell both co-star in episode four, with Robinson playing Deputy Rodrigues and Powell playing a character named James. 

Portrait of a white man with curly hair

When asked about his time filming the show, Powell shared, "My first day on set, Annie Murphy was super cool and welcoming in the makeup trailer. There were real positive vibes all around considering we were filming during the height of COVID before vaccinations were available. It was a surreal experience because there were big mobile COVID testing units set up outside our sound stage. Everyone got tested twice a day. The crew and creatives were all masked up except for the few of us who were on stage. Also since the show is half sitcom and half single camera drama there was an additional surreal layer to the process. When I'd get back to my hotel room every day I'd kind of have to ask myself ‘What just happened?’"

Robinson also shared words of advice for aspiring actors: "One of the biggest reasons I got those opportunities is because of the relationships I built up over the years with casting offices. Auditioning for tiny things, medium things, and big things built up a lot of trust over time with the casting director, and it pays off with fun and exciting opportunities like this." 

Man with facial hair and a blue button up shirt

Grayson Powell is an actor & writer in film, television, theatre, commercials and sketch comedy. He has performed in New York City and regional theaters such as Capital Repertory Theatre, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, New London Barn Playhouse, Flat Rock Playhouse, Chopin Theatre, Barnstormers Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Gulfshore Playhouse. In 2016, he played the iconic bartender, Sam Malone, in the National Tour of Cheers Live on Stage. He has also appeared in the award winning feature films Sundown, ik8,Hedgehog and The Sympathy Card and also on television in Made in Jersey (CBS), Madam Secretary (CBS), Modern Love (Amazon) and Kevin Can F*uck Himself (AMC). He co-wrote the feature films As He Believes and SWELL with 3 Worker Films which are slated to begin shooting 2021. 

Bari Robinson is a classically trained stage and film actor based in New York. He attended Columbia University's MFA acting program, and since has performed in San Francisco, Berkeley, Boston, Portland, Maine, and New York. He is also a graduate of the Public Theater Shakespeare Lab under the tutelage of Barry Edelstein, current artistic director of the Old Globe in San Diego.