Why Big Mike From Irresistible Looks So Familiar

Jon Stewart's 2020 movie Irresistible is the legendary Daily Show host's latest foray into the twisted world of politics, and the Steve Carell-starring political comedy has been making waves on HBO Max. Stewart produced, wrote, and directed the film, and Carell stars as Gary Zimmer, a campaign rainmaker for the Democrats. Zimmer sets his sights on the small town of Deerlaken, Wisconsin, where an ex-Marine called Colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) has been making waves. Hoping to spin Hastings into the Democrat mayor of the town in order to garner support to his party, Zimmer embarks on the campaign trail, only to find out that he's up against his Republican counterpart Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne).  

As the Washington hotshots attempt to navigate the attitudes and politics of rural America, the presence of actors like Carell, Byrne, Cooper, and Mackenzie Davis draws immediate attention. However, an astute viewer soon notes that virtually every significant role in Irresistible features a familiar face. Perhaps the most notable of them all is Big Mike, the large, affable Deerlaken resident who catches Zimmer off guard by helping him despite the fact that they represent opposite sides in the looming election. Let's find out why Big Mike from Irresistible looks so familiar.

Will Sasso is a versatile actor and comedian who's been around since the early 1990s. He's appeared in small parts and one-offs in series and movies ranging from The X-Files and Justified to Happy Gilmore, How I Met Your Mother, and Drunk History. However, you most likely first took notice when he joined the cast of Mad TV in 1997. During his lengthy tenure on the sketch comedy show, Sasso gave us a truly astounding amount of characters and delightful celebrity impersonations, from Kenny Loggins to Tony Soprano. Still, whether he portrays the perennially unfortunate Paul Timberman toiling away in his often-bloody workshop, or an easily provoked Steven Seagal punching his way through a charming mom-and-pop diner on "Steven Seagal's America," he was such a crucial part of Mad TV that some fans on Reddit outright discuss the show after his departure as the "Post-Sasso era." 

In an interview with Long Island Weekly, Sasso said that he thoroughly enjoyed his time on the show, grueling work as it was. "At the end of the day, we were having so much fun," he said. "It was late nights almost every day and every minute of it. There's really no highlights. The whole show was one."

Will Sasso is an expert in comedy, and in 2012, he joined forces with fellow comedy titans, the Farrelly brothers, in their feature-length take on The Three Stooges. Sasso plays the goofy Curly in the slapstick flick, while Chris Diamantopoulos (who played crude investor Russ Hanneman on Silicon Valley) portrays the short-tempered Moe, and Sean Hayes (Jack on Will & Grace) is the shock-haired Larry. 

The Three Stooges pays homage to the original Stooges in many ways, from the characters themselves to the "episodic," three-act structure of the film itself. The movie earned $55 million at the box office, and in 2015, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that a sequel was in the works. While that movie is yet to materialize, Sasso has told Rama's Screen that he's definitely on board when the day comes for the Stooges to ride again. "I think everyone, among the Farrellys, and the three of us, we definitely want to do it because we had so much fun," the comedian stated. "We literally laughed and smacked the snot out of each other every day. It's tough to tell, you never know, I think those decisions are made somewhere else in an office, like up in the sky somewhere. I would definitely do it." 

Will Sasso's profile has risen steadily over the years, and as it's become more and more apparent that he's a marvel in any part he appears in, his roles have become more and more significant. While you can still spot him playing the occasional bit part or one-episode wonder, the last decade has seen him take plenty of recurring and main roles. In 2020 alone, the big man appeared in no less than three TV shows, along with Irresistible and a couple of voice acting stints. There was the ABC family sitcom United We Fall, in which he played the main character Bill Ryan. There was Mom, famed sitcom creator Chuck Lorre's long-running CBS show starring Anna Faris as a single mother trying to maintain sobriety and looking for another lease on life. Sasso joined the cast in Season 6 as Andy, a military veteran and a cop who starts a relationship with the troubled Jill Kendall (Jaime Pressly).

However, Sasso has turned in some of his finest work in recent years on Loudermilk, the rehab comedy starring Ron Livingston as the unpleasant and mean recovering alcoholic and rehab counselor Sam Loudermilk, and Sasso as his sponsor and friend Ben Burns. Peter Farrelly and Bobby Mort's show originally aired on AT&T's Audience Network, and per The Hollywood Reporter, the network renewed the show for a third season, too. However, as Deadline notes, AT&T shut Audience down in 2020, and the third season ultimately made its way to Amazon Prime Video. Incidentally, Loudermilk boasts an excellent 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and as such, it's an excellent chance for Sasso-spotters to appreciate the man's work.