Adam Devine Went Full-on Fitness Cult Leader for 'Righteous Gemstones'

The following story contains light spoilers for The Righteous Gemstones Season 2.

For some reason that he does not quite understand, Adam Devine keeps finding himself surrounded by gigantic, muscular men. A 2012 episode of Workaholics, the show that vaulted him to comedy fame and that he co-created (and wrote, and starred in), featured a group of macho Christian men called "The Lord's Force." It was only a one-off plot, but was something Devine saw lots of comedic potential in. "I always thought, Oh, that’s such an interesting world. I would love to dive deeper," he says with a laugh.

Good news: Danny McBride had the same thought (Namely, that it was "wild."). McBride, now the creator, showrunner, and star of HBO's Succession-but-somehow-wilder satirical dark comedy The Righteous Gemstones, had memories from his youth of a similar traveling group of massive, utterly-jacked Christian Warrior Macho Men showing up in town and performing feats of strength, like ripping phone books in half. And when it came time to mine that memory for ideas for the second season of Gemstones, a show about the power dynamics of a rich and powerful televangelist family, he figured it would be a perfect fit for Devine's character, youngest brother Kelvin Gemstone.

Enter Season 2 of Gemstones, where Devine's main story arc finds him leading the Kelvin Gemstone God Squad; he, along with his trusty friend/partner/we don't really know Keefe (Tony Cavalero), lead a group of enormous, oiled up muscle men, performing ridiculous feats of strength in the name of faith. McBride sees the humor in pairing these groupings together. "Adam and Tony are both pretty ripped, but then you get them on set with these dudes that are like 6'5'', and suddenly they just look tiny," he says, chuckling. "But they all took it in stride."

This time, Devine isn't just an observer of "The Lord's Force," like he was in Workaholics—he's actually part of the group. And he thinks the developing trope—where he's surrounded by truly giant men with even bigger muscles—is baffling. "I don’t know why," he says mid-laugh. "But I like it!"

And in the latest episode, "As to How They Might Destroy Him," family patriarch Eli Gemstone (John Goodman) has had enough of whatever it is Kelvin is doing. The two have a confrontation that leads to an all-out fight (keeping with a running story that reveals Eli to be not quite the saint he presents himself as; a signature move of his violent youth? Breaking both of someone's thumbs). And fighting John Goodman is something anyone would want to know about. So we got into it with Devine, talking the makings of the Kelvin Gemstone God Squad, some of the wildest Season 2 stunts, and the key to spending so much time with a group of giant, giant men.

Men's Health: Let’s dive right into it: what was it like having a slap fight with John Goodman?

Adam Devine: The man has meaty hands. And he does not hold back.

I remember he slapped me once in Season 1. In one of the first episodes he smacks me in the face. And he just smacked me in the face. There was no, sort of Here, let's talk about the stunt. It was just, John Goodman smacked me with his big bear paws in the face. But this time it was more of a choreographed fight. And we had planned it out a little better.

But, admittedly, pretty terrifying: looking up at John Goodman, and having him stand over top of you with a clenched fist. Because I think if he wanted to, John Goodman could break both of my thumbs.

Was that a difficult stunt to do?

I remember they wanted me to dive through this table. And, I'm like, I could dive through a table. Look at me, I'm a fucking athlete, dude. And they were like, no, we’ll just have a stunt double, we don’t want you to get hurt, and then we'll have to shut down production, blah, blah, blah. And then, one of the last takes, they were like… you want to dive through that table? And I'm like I do. And then I dove through the table. And that ended up being the take they used, because I was able to angle my head back and get on camera.

I'm a fairly athletic guy. I work out quite a bit so I can do stuff like this. I'm getting to the age where—sure, it's also so, like, I don't have a jawline that touches my titties. But I'm getting to the age where I'm like, I want to be able to do stuff when I get older. So that's how I'm working out now.

Is it harder to do a stunt where something doesn't pan out (like the Human Pyramid scene earlier in the season) than a stunt that’s supposed to be, like, a cool action scene?

Yeah. I feel like it's more natural for me if it doesn’t pan out. I feel like if I just did a cool action scene, the audience would just be like This doesn’t seem real…he should have fallen and hurt himself. Just his whole aura seems like a guy who should injure himself.

It was a little scary. I was hit by a cement truck as a kid, so I have bad knees, and bad ankles, and all that kind of stuff. Falling any amount of distance, even jumping off, like, three stairs, my knees are like, hey buddy—chill with all this jumping.

I remember hearing you tell the story about the cement truck on Marc Maron’s podcast a few years ago. I think it’s interesting because so much of your comedy is willingness to do physical stuff, like we’ve been talking about. Does having a traumatic event like that in your past have anything to do with how you think about this kind of humor today?

I’m used to using my body in different ways through years of physical therapy. When you do have an injury like that…like, I learned how to fall and not hurt myself. When I was recovering from the accident, it was like a two-year period where I couldn’t walk. So, I would be in a wheelchair, and then my walker, and then crutches, and then I’d need another surgery, then back to the wheelchair. Then the walker, then crutches again.

So, I’m still a kid. I was in 6th or 7th grade, and I’m trying to make my friends laugh, and still to this day, watching people fall down stairs: really funny. So I would act like I’m walking with my crutches down the stairs, and then would just eat it. And I learned how to fall really well. And I think that's why I continue to use my body for comedy purposes [LAUGHS].

As someone who a) watches a lot of documentaries and b) watches a lot of horror movies, I have also been getting cult leader vibes from Kelvin.

Totally. I think for Kelvin, he just has a sense of… he doesn’t get a lot of respect in his family, and he wants that respect, and he’s gonna find it any way he can. I think he’s trying to get it from these men who are obviously lost, who just want help and some guidance. And he is fully taking advantage of these guys—much like a cult leader would.

You have a bunch of shirtless scenes with the Kelvin Gemstone God Squad guys. Did you do any sort of special prep?

Me and Tony Cavalero worked out every day. And there’s a lot of downtime when you’re on a big ensemble show like that, because there’s like five different storylines happening in every episode. So, you might work two days, then you have the rest of the week kind of off. So, I rode a bike a lot, and then Tony and I did a bunch of HIIT-type stuff in my backyard like a bunch of psychopaths.

I didn’t take it that seriously. I definitely didn’t keep my diet in check, because the food in Charleston [Where Gemstones films] is so damn good. And it is funnier if Kelvin... it looks like he works out, for sure, but he doesn’t look like Torsten, or any of the guys who are actually in fantastic shape. It’s like Yeah, look at that little guy, he’s trying!

Danny mentioned that you and Tony both work out and are in great shape, but when you’re standing next to some of the God Squad guys, it’s... an interesting contrast.

It’s hilarious. It’s like, disappointing. You’re like, I work out every day. Like, I will never look like that, no matter what. They say your body builds in the kitchen, and that is absolutely true. I’m in my mid-to-late 30s now, and the things that I used to be able to do in my early 30s, and my 20s... I could bounce back from a weekend where I just drink beer and eat cheeseburgers, and then by Tuesday, I’m like Oh, I look great, I look just like myself.

Now, I’m like [MONSTER GURGLING SOUND], just sloshing into the next week, and it’s not until, like, a week and a half later that I get my old body back. I’m seeing the difference.

Kelvin, it seems sometimes even more than Jesse or Judy, is seeking his father’s approval. This storyline is like an over-the-top take on the Alpha Male path to his father’s affection, in the form of having these macho men following him around.

Absolutely. That’s for sure what it is. Everything Kelvin is doing right now is to show his dad that he is a tough, badass dude, just like him, and that he should be respected. Obviously, that is a very misguided way to go about getting your father’s affection; to surround yourself with 30 oiled-up muscular men who build huts in your front yard for them to live in and work out with. But that’s Kelvin—he’s pretty misguided. Even when his intentions are pure, he finds a way to fuck it up.

Where do you see Kelvin Gemstone in 10 years?

I think Kelvin’s gonna figure it out. To me, he’s the one—even though he has these flights of fancy. Like in Season 1, when he was like Am I god? I could be. And then this season, he’s like, a cult leader, because he’s trying to get his father’s respect.

Jesse, I think, wants to be powerful so badly that it will hurt him. Judy, you know, is a hilarious mess. But Kelvin has his feet on the ground enough that I really hope for his sake, that he figures it out. But, my god, it’ll be funny watching him try.

He and Keefe can keep each other grounded.

That’s right. Well, I also think it’ll be like…Kelvin is married. But Keefe is still around. And you’re like wait, Are they…? Are they not…? I don’t know what’s going on here.

You have a fearless approach to comedy. What's something you'd push back on?

I have my opinions. If I don’t think something’s funny, I’ll push back on it. But as far as being too edgy, or too far out there… the funny is the baseline. If it’s too far out there, but it’s really funny? Then, hell yeah, let’s do it. And I’m lucky that I’m working with Danny Fuckin’ McBride, so when he pitches me something, even if it doesn’t click with me immediately, I sit with it for a minute, and then I go Oh. Yeah, no, that is hilarious—because my comedy god told me so.

Even if it means getting slapped by John Goodman in the face.

I wonder if I would have pushed back, if he was like You’re going to get your ass kicked by John Goodman, literally. No stunt guy. He’s just going to beat the fuck out of you.

I wonder if I’d have pushed back then? Probably not. I’d be like, all right. If it’s funny.

You Might Also Like

• This Workout Torches Fat in Under 10 Minutes

• How to Cool Down After Your Hardest Workouts

• What’s the Deal With Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss?