 Fame
& Fortune: Dat Phan
"Last Comic Standing" moves
up, not out
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Dat Phan recently won NBC's "Last
Comic Standing" TV show, giving him a development deal with
NBC and a half-hour special on Comedy Central. But while it's easy
to be jealous of the comedian's recent good fortune, his life until
now would generate little envy.
Phan was born in Vietnam in 1975, several months before
his family escaped from Saigon as the city fell to the Communists.
They came to America and got separated due to circumstance and infighting.
Phan and his non-English speaking mother were homeless for several
years, living off the local Vietnamese community and welfare.
While the family eventually reunited and got back
on its feet, Phan fell in love with stand-up comedy. In the process,
he wound up homeless yet again, often living in his car and washing
himself in the bathrooms of the comedy clubs he performed at.
Phan auditioned for "Last Comic Standing"
and made it to the final 10, living in a house with his fellow comics
while both the comics and the TV audience voted on which contestant
would challenge who and who would be voted off. Phan's earnest naiveté
and, some say, derivative style incurred the wrath of his house
mates, who turned on him with outward derision and cruel pranks.
But Phan won out, defeating two of his house mates in head-to-head
competitions and a third in a performance that was voted on by the
viewing public.
Now, Phan finds his life turned upside down. He's
headlining clubs around the country, and just completed his first
film role, in "Cellular" with Kim Basinger and William
H. Macy. Bankrate spoke to Dat Phan about the glory and security
of being the Last Comic Standing.
Bankrate: How has winning "Last
Comic Standing" changed your life?
Dat Phan: Before the show I
had $35 in my pocket, which wasn't even my money. I owed people
money. And, that's the cash I had on me. I don't think I had enough
money in the bank to pull $20 out. I was living under my desk in
West Hollywood, in a studio apartment I shared with a fellow comic.
You know how some apartments are so small that you either have room
for a desk or a bed? I chose the desk. My roommate had a futon.
Also, before the contest, about six months before, I was living
out of my car.
Bankrate: When you went to gigs,
did people know that you were living out of your car?
Dat Phan: They knew. I would
change my clothes at the gig and shave in the bathroom. I wouldn't
shower for like seven days. My hair was matted down. I had a loaf
of bread in the back. I would do gigs for $35, so I could eat and
drive for another few days. I had creditors chasing after me. My
car was on the verge of being repossessed and my phone was shut
off. I had no money.
Bankrate: None of your fellow
L.A. comics offered you a couch?
Dat Phan: They did, actually.
I slept on couches. Many couches. I slept on floors. My roommate
-- who I ended up living with later on -- I slept on the floor at
his parent's house. I snuck in and out when they were asleep, so
that I wouldn't be in his house all the time. That's pretty normal
for comics in L.A., to be struggling like that. It's an expensive
city to live in.
Bankrate: So now that you've
won, now what?
Dat Phan: I'm not worried about
money anymore. I'm saving up money for a house for my mom. It's
taking me a long time, though. Houses are expensive in San Diego.
Bankrate: Where do you live
now?
Dat Phan: I live in the same
building as when I was living in a studio, but we moved to a one
bedroom. Same roommate. I'm very loyal to friends who are loyal
to me.
Bankrate: Two of you in a one-bedroom.
How does that work?
Dat Phan: They sleep in the
living room. I have two roommates, actually. They share the living
room; I have the bedroom to myself. I pay half the rent; they pay
a quarter of the rent each. We kind of stick to each other. Comics
hang on to a life raft together, except for the ones that have families.
We kind of help each other out, the other single comics.
Bankrate: Have you been able
to save money since you won?
Dat Phan: A lot of it is going
toward mom's house. I bought stuff that I need for business. I bought
a laptop. I have a home video camera, that way I can record my stand-up
act and work on making it better.
Bankrate: Has your attitude
about money changed at all now that you have some?
Dat Phan: I learned that money's
not happiness. The more famous I am and the more money I make, the
closer I stay to my family and friends that I've known since junior
high school. True happiness to me is the connection with fellow
human beings I've known for a long time. Fame, to me, comes and
goes. Money comes and goes. I'm thankful I have money. I'm trying
to save up more. I would like more money. But it's not happiness.
If you're a millionaire and hate your family, hate your friends
and your life, then what is the point? You're just a person with
a lot of money and power who is not happy.
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