Years ago, Martha Kelly told one of the most unsettling jokes I’ve ever heard.
It involved her cat dying — and Kelly sobbing while holding her body. Still, the punchline was very funny (she was secretly happy because, when alive, the cat never let Kelly hold her).
“There is a part of me that delights in making people think about dark stuff,” she admitted recently.
In “Euphoria,” Kelly plays a terrifying drug dealer with a deadpan delivery. In real life, she’s a deadpan comedian who cut her teeth in Texas. The California native bounced between Austin and Los Angeles for years, grinding in standup before landing a breakout role in “Baskets.” She’s now an Emmy-nominated series regular on “Euphoria,” starring alongside mega celebrities like Zendaya.
And in a business where everyone is jealous of everyone else, Kelly is one of those rare people who you’re genuinely happy for. Because, unlike her “Euphoria” character, she’s an extremely nice person. (Sadly, she does not own a parrot in real life.)
Kelly’s connection with Austin began in 1999, during an open call audition for a comedy festival. Feeling stifled in Los Angeles, she saw Austin as an accessible path to getting in.
Veteran Austin comedian Matt Bearden also auditioned for the festival with Kelly.
“She completely stood out as the most original act that night, hands down,” he told The Barbed Wire. “I forgot I was even part of an industry clusterfuck. I just watched her and enjoyed myself.”
That trip to Austin, fueled by parties and a burgeoning crush, sealed her decision: She was moving.
In January 2000, Kelly arrived in Texas. And in Austin, she began to thrive as a comedian. “Living in Austin, I got way more stage time,” Kelly recalled, echoing a perk that has drawn many comics here. “I got the chance to do longer sets.”
Later that year, she won the prestigious Funniest Person In Austin competition — which was seen by comics as a foothold into getting a prized spot on television.
Opportunities like performing at Cap City Comedy Club and The Velveeta Room helped her hone her skills. Cap City owner Margie Coyle became Kelly’s first manager.
The two have remained close over the years. “Martha Kelly is one of the best humans in my life,” Coyle told The Barbed Wire.
Kelly did some touring, though not always successfully. “Overwhelmingly, I bombed at every club I did on the road,” Kelly said. The experience was worth it, though. “Bombing that much, it really made me not as scared of rooms.”
But while Austin was a source of friends and creative growth, Kelly was also broke and struggling.
After a period of personal turmoil that led to her leaving Austin in 2003, Kelly returned in 2008, sober and ready to re-engage with the city. This era marked the beginning of connections with newer Austin comedians such as Kerri Lendo, Kath Barbadoro, Mac Blake, and Ramin Nazer. “It was really fun, even after I was sober,” she said.
Kelly fondly remembers the era, saying it was “special because it was people doing all kinds of creative different types of shows.” One particular show at ColdTowne Theater stands out. “It was sold out, and there were a bunch of young people, like, in their 20s hanging out in the parking lot with a boombox, drinking, having a great time because they couldn’t get into the show,” she remembered. “I just felt like, this is fucking magic.”
I’ve seen Kelly perform many times — both as an audience member and another comedian on the show. She can be dark, but politely so. She’s extremely intelligent and would be the last person to admit that about herself. On stage, she seems truly vulnerable, which is rare for a comic, and she makes the audience sit with unpleasant emotions (like the dead cat joke). Which can be a jarring experience at a show where you’re expecting to laugh.
Then, about 10 years ago, the improbable happened: Hollywood came knocking.
Kelly got a call from Zach Galifianakis (the two are old comedy friends from Los Angeles). He had a question: Did she want to be on his new show?
That show was “Baskets,” which provided a turning point not just creatively, but financially. For the first time, Kelly experienced real financial stability — in her words, making six figures for several years in a row.
“I had money for the first time ever,” she said. “And so I could get an apartment and furniture and a car and pay the $35,000 I owed to the IRS. Because I hadn’t filed (during) the years when I was broke.”
This financial freedom had a profound impact. “The money changed my life,” she said. It allowed her to secure credit, which proved essential when she faced periods of unemployment. “I’m very much in favor of giving people money,” Kelly said. “Just not billionaires.”
Moreover, the financial stability allowed Kelly to be fully present for her mother in her final days. “When my mom was dying, I was able to … afford to pay a pet sitter to take care of my pets all day, so I could just spend all day with her,” she said.
With the increased exposure of “Baskets,” another opportunity arose: a bit role in a Spider-Man movie.
While Kelly enjoyed the part in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” she also remembered a moment of insecurity that brought her to tears.
Before going on set, Kelly was upset about the way she looked, particularly after sitting in makeup and coming out with a shade of lipstick that she didn’t think was flattering.
Which sucks, feeling shitty about yourself is never fun. But it’s probably really not fun when you’re about to shoot your part in a Spider-Man movie.
Then, some perspective. She got to the set and saw the families of the background actors. They were all excited.
“I saw all the background people, and it was a bunch of families with kids who were using their summer vacation to let their kids be part of a Spider-Man movie,” she said. “I was like, this is so fucking exciting and awesome and sweet that parents are doing this for their kids. I’m so lucky to be here. Who gives a shit about the lipstick?”
The experience culminated in a stunt where Kelly stood on top of an elevator, secured by a wire, as it dropped from beneath her, a moment she described as “fucking terrifying” and “so fun.”
(Sadly, the stunt was cut.)
Then came her role in “Euphoria,” which presented a different challenge — portraying Laurie, a sinister drug dealer who threatens the life of Rue, played by Zendaya.
Kelly credits the show’s writing, directing, and Zendaya’s powerful performance for her own character’s unsettling effect. “My acting is almost identical to every other role I’ve played,” she said, “But it’s the context of it.”
Still, it’s clear she put some thought into her role, which has been elevated to series regular for the currently-in-production third season. In 2022, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Truly dangerous people, she said, often mask their intentions with charm and manipulation, a strategy that makes her character all the more believable and chilling. “In real life, the majority of harmful people… don’t act like monsters,” she says. “They mostly charm, manipulate, and act like victims, and then they hurt people when they get people to let their guard down by acting nice.”
While Kelly is grateful for her success, she laughed when I asked her if she thinks she’s “made it,” whatever that means.
“I don’t feel like there is any realistic way that I could ever be at the level of actor where you are financially secure,” she said.
Unlike virtually anyone else in her position, Kelly is still (politely) existing outside of the usual Hollywood norms. She hasn’t had a new headshot in almost a decade. Aside from Coyle, she went years without any other representation (although, to be fair, she did hire a manager and agent after “Baskets”).
And as her unlikely career in showbiz rolls on, she’s got more plans: a return to standup and maybe a podcast.
Just like every other Austin comic.
