‘Archer’ Star Amber Nash Starts Kickstarter For New Hilarious Holiday Movie
Amber Nash knows funny. The actress and comedian best known for her work as the iconic Pam Poovey on the Emmy Award-winning animated comedy Archer, the hilarious star is breaking into the film world in a unique and powerful way that lets the fans in on the ground floor — by launching a Kickstarter to crowdfund her next project, a holiday film co-starring comedy legend Colin Mochrie and Luke Davis titled How To Ruin The Holidays .
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Diply had the pleasure of sitting down with Amber to talk about the film, how important representation is for those with special needs, and how much she’s loved playing Pam over the years.
‘Archer’ has been a beloved comedy series since it began in 2009, and Amber’s character Pam quickly became a fan favorite.
“I don’t think anybody knew in the beginning what a totally awesome character she was going to become,” Amber told us. “At the beginning, I think that she was just kind of there to be the butt of some jokes, but she grew into this amazing badass that can do anything. She’s not afraid of what anyone thinks of her, and she’s so liberated in that way. I love that about her. I love that she’s a big woman and she’s body-positive and sex-positive and like, ‘I can do whatever I want.’”
Having complex characters that can show sides of themselves we don’t often see in the media is something that’s important to Amber, which is part of why her new film, How To Ruin The Holidays , is so special to her.
The film follows a comedian who reluctantly returns home for Christmas and has to navigate dealing with her family.
“Her family is just crazy,” Amber told us with a laugh. “ Her dad is a conspiracy theorist and a doomsday prepper, she’s got a sister that she’s competitive with, she just doesn’t want to be there, and she’s got a brother with special needs. It’s a lot about family and her brother with special needs and how to deal with their dad — it’s kind of like Little Miss Sunshine , it’s got that sense to it.”
A comedy that involves a character with special needs can be nerve-wracking to tackle in a way that’s respectful but still funny. Amber said, “I think all comedians are [nervous about the issue]. If you’re going to keep growing as an artist and as a comedian you have to push boundaries, but also be informed and do it in the right way. For us, dealing with adults with special needs, my husband who wrote the film has a brother with special needs so it’s kind of a love letter in that way.”
“We made a short film [*That Was Awesome*, 2018] with a group of actors with special needs, and it was kind of about how they’re often not allowed to live their own lives and do what they want to do and make mistakes, so we like the idea of pushing those boundaries in a respectful way and open people’s eyes.”
That experience drove home for Amber how important it was to have actors with special needs play characters with special needs. “Representation is so important, and I think it’s important for people to be able to see people who look like them represent them and that’s happening across the board in a lot of ways. [When we were making the short film] we got to know everybody, and there were so many incredible actors, and so many people who were more pro than lots of actors I worked with,” she told us.
“One of the actors, Luke Davis, plays my brother in the new film, was such an incredible actor and such a great person and we really became friends with him. We were like, we’ve got to keep working with Luke, and that’s how the idea for [ How To Ruin The Holidays ] came about,” she revealed.
Amber says that fans of *Archer* will be fans of the new film.
“The humor is kind of raunchy, and people aren’t expecting that when they go into a film that deals with issues related to people with special needs, but that’s what we’re trying to do. Everybody can express all parts of their life. I do think that people from the Archer fan group might really respond well to it,” Amber explained.
Archer fans have always been incredibly passionate about the show, which has led to its cult hit status over the 11 years it’s been on the air. “We had no idea [it would be so popular],” Amber told us. “We didn’t even meet until we were halfway into making season 2 because we all work remotely and work in different states. When it got into season 2/3/4, it really started to pick up steam. That’s why we say we get along so well because we don’t really work together.”
Choosing to fund *How To Ruin The Holidays* through crowdfunding is a unique choice, but Amber is excited about how it means those passionate fans can be even more involved.
“That’s one of the things that we talked about in the beginning. When you’re crowdfunding, you’re not just raising money, you’re creating an audience. That’s really cool, because people are in from the beginning, and it makes it mean more to them. When they get to see the movie, they’re like, ‘I helped make this,’ and that’s really fun for us,” Amber said.
If you’re interested in helping fund How To Ruin The Holidays , you can donate to the Kickstarter right here . Be sure to follow Amber on Instagram to keep up with the film and with her hilarious self.
