A Q&A with the comedian, his theory on why impressions of NFL coaches work so well, and his Sean McVay impression in particular.
Frank Caliendo is an actor and comedian, but he’s perhaps best known for his impressions. They’re spot on, hilarious and revealing, opening windows into famous (or infamous) characters, art by way of sincerest form of flattery. With Super Bowl LVI fast approaching, Sports Illustrated spoke with Caliendo about one particular sub-genre in his collection of impersonations: football coaches, those clipboard-holding, whistle-blowing, 23-hour-workday creatures of habit who love nothing more than taking themselves, their sports and their teams as seriously as possible.
Sports Illustrated: Why are football coaches so ripe for impersonations?
Frank Caliendo: A big part of it is we see them in emotional situations. O.K., let’s simplify that a little bit. Let's … let's say you got a coach at the podium, right? They’ve won or lost, and they’re either exuberant, they have a ton of energy after a win, or they’re kind of trying to hide the devastation from the loss. So you’re seeing them put on a face after that loss, right? It’s almost like a character, right? It’s clothing they’re wearing in that instance, that they’re putting themselves in.
SI: Right, and they have this character they’re playing during the week, at least publicly. It’s like, in those moments you’re describing, they’re closer to their truer selves.
Caliendo: Or they’re trying to hide behind that character. You watch Belichick in a loss, and he’s Belichick times 1000, right? It’s just brutal. He doesn’t want to be there, and you know he doesn’t want to be there. But he’s got to be there. That’s one aspect of it. We see them in those situations. We see them on the sidelines. We know what their job is. So you already have a set of parameters or criteria for a person. What are they. Who are they? Now? How does that person’s personality fit in there? That’s the basis of most of these things that I do.
SI: You keep it distinct to them?
Caliendo: Yeah, especially with announcers, color analysts, when people ask me to do a play-by-play of someone like John Madden. It’s like, well, John Madden doesn’t do play-by-play; he does color analysis. We know what their jobs are. We already have an idea of what they should be talking like, and then you can kind of mess around with that person’s originality. And that’s what makes it more interesting. I mean, I’ve done a couple sketches where you would be able to see a coach at a restaurant. And he’s ordering. And he’s hiding his face while he’s ordering on the menu. You take what they do and then you put it into the restaurant situation. I’m taking everyday things and breaking it down like an analyst would. [Begins imitation] “You put the toast in the toaster, and you put press the button or press the lever down, pops up, and then oh, we got toast. It’s not even bread anymore. Crap, you know?” It’s that kind of stuff. Coaches always explain things, so it’s fun to watch them break regular things down.
SI: Does how seriously coaches seem to take themselves and the game they’re involved in help at all?
Caliendo: That’s part of it, yes. Football coaches are different than any other kind of coach that I can think of—in that when the players are on the field, it’s almost like their lives are on the line. They have to really trust their coach, right? That’s a big part of why they are taken so seriously and why they take themselves pretty seriously. Because they think their jobs are pretty important. Most people don’t know me. But I’m 5' 6". You can’t even imagine getting hit by somebody, even after being trained to get ready to be hit by somebody. And some people just are the way they are, which is what we see.
SI: How does Sean McVay fit into that?
Caliendo: You know, you look at him. His beard is shaved and perfectly trimmed. It’s manicured incredibly well. His hair is set. He’s in incredible shape. He’s almost military-ish, like, when you look at him, in terms of this guy that [begins pitch-perfect impersonation] “With Point A to Point B to Point C, we didn’t like this mesh.” You can feel that. That’s actually the way he speaks, which is to the point. That’s how you gauge somebody, when they act a certain way consistently. A lot of times their speech pattern and the way they talk and act follows that.
SI: Pretty amazing you can tell all that—it is Sean—through watching him in public. I profiled him a few years back, and rather than hang out, I met him at 5 a.m. to take notes on his workouts. Was his idea.
Caliendo: I mean, that seems exactly like him. [Impersonating McVay again] “Like there’s a time I have set up we can be right here. This is what it’s gonna be. I'll be in the middle of a bench-press. Then squats. Then some bands.”
SI: Have you ever heard from McVay on your impression of him? And does anyone ever get mad at you for an impression?
Caliendo: No, I’ve never talked to him. Sometimes, people are aware; sometimes they’re not. I don’t think they care that much as long as you’re not trying to hurt them. McVay, he’s so young, right? Young hip guy. He gets it. I don’t think he has time to worry about what somebody says. Charles Barkley had the best quote on these. He said [drops into Barkley impression] “You got to keep doing it. Every time you do it, I end up making more money.”
SI: My understanding is McVay loves this stuff, from the impressions to the memes and everything else. My understanding is also that his friends love it even more.
Caliendo: He seems like the kind of guy that would just have a smile and move forward with it and enjoy it. He looks almost like a clothes mannequin, right? He stands straight up and down. He’s fluid; pretty fluid movements and speech patterns. His eyes are like Adam Gase’s eyes. They shoot laser beams. It’s like he’s The Predator. Like he’s got infrared laser vision. Like he’s staring directly into your soul. When I look at him, I go, this guy is into organization. He’s like [back to the impression] “meet me at 5 a.m., I’ll be there, I’ll be ready, left leg curl, right leg curl.” Like he’s the opposite of me, pretty much.
Caliendo [pivoting]: You know, as a kid, this isn’t how I wanted to get in Sports Illustrated.
SI: What were you hoping for?
Caliendo: Anything. My dad was a minor league baseball player, before we were born. We played baseball growing up. My brother used to throw batting practice to [retired Major League player and current Brewers manager] Craig Counsell. It was crazy how hard those guys worked.
SI: Patrick Mahomes’s grandmother asked me a couple weeks ago if I could help get her into the Swimsuit issue. Ever want that?
Caliendo: I think McVay could do it. He’s the perfect swimsuit model. Put that on the cover.