Gabriel Iglesias’ 2015 Fluffy Breaks Even tour is making its stop in Buffalo this coming Sunday. The tour follows up his “Fuse” TV series of the same name. Speaking on his tour career success, Iglesias also opened up about what he holds most dear during his interactions with fans and viewers.
Iglesias has almost become synonymous with the word “fluffy,” a term that started out as a joke within family, but would soon take the nation by storm.
In July of 2014, the rise of fluffy culminated into “The Fluffy Movie: Unity Through Laughter,” which released in 400 cities in 23 countries. The movie would be a compilation of his best performances from his Unity Through Laughter tour.
Even with his recent weight loss, Iglesias still refers to himself as “fluffy,” staying true to what he started with. Going on to say that while the diet has changed, his performance hasn’t.
Recently, Iglesias has also started to work on his second TV series, “The Fluffy Shop.”
Making his rounds on the TV circuit, Iglesias admits that he never aspired to lead in a movie role, but mentions that like with his new series, timing is everything.
Staying focused on his tour and ABC pilot, Iglesias finds his joy in performing for fans and hanging out with friends, as well as catching up on sleep on the tour bus.
After everything's said and done, it all comes back to his connections with fans.
Gabriel Iglesias’ show at Buffalo’s Shea’s theater begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $59.
Spectrum: Is there anything in Buffalo that you're looking forward to doing or seeing while you're here?
Gabriel Iglesias: Buffalo wings. Duh.
TS: What's your favorite part about touring?
GI: Performing for the fans and hanging out with my friends. I get some of the best sleep on my tour bus.
TS: Do you feel your weight loss has affected your stage performance or presence? You used to make jokes about the stages of "fluffy," since you're no longer fluffy, has anything changed?
GI: I'm still "fluffy," but thank you for saying that. I eat differently, but nothing has changed for me in my stage performance.
TS: Having a healthy career in standup has opened a lot of doors for you, as of late you've been in the cinema, with your own comedy concert movie “The Fluffy Movie: Unity Through Laughter” and playing Tobias in “Magic Mike,” do you have aspirations of leading in a high-end production film?
GI: Being a lead in a movie was never something I aspired to do. Right now I'm focusing on touring and working on my pilot for ABC. If a movie comes along that is right for me to star in, then I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
TS: As a creator and a comedian, is there something that you want people who see your standup to take away from it?
GI: I think it's important that people take whatever meaning fits them from my standup. I get a lot of fan mail from parents whose kids are “fluffy” and they say I give them self-confidence and that they relate to that struggle. It means a lot, mostly I hope to bring laughter at the end of a rough week and if the audience gets more out of my set than a few laughs, well that’s a bonus.
TS: How did the opportunity to work on your own pilot for “The Fluffy Shop” come about?
GI: I had been approached over the years to do a show and this year the timing was right and I found the right partners to work with and I was ready to tell a version of my story and ABC came to the table with and offer… and here we are.
TS: So is it better to say “fluffy” is more of a state of mind as opposed to physical appearance, what does fluffy mean to you?
GI: I've never heard of “fluffy” being a state of mind, ha! For me it started as a term of endearment from my mom, who would tell me, "you're not fat, you're fluffy." Then that joke started to catch on and at first I was annoyed when fans called me Fluffy, but then I embraced it as a brand. Now, when you Google the word “fluffy” – I come up first, before bunnies or kittens, even!
TS: Is there any particular story that you've received that resonated with you on a deeper level?
IG: I get a lot of fan mail and meet so many people it's hard to pick out just one. I think whenever someone lets me know that my comedy has touched them, made their lives easier, gotten them through a rough time, or just made them smile when nothing else could… Those are all special things and it means a lot to me that through comedy I'm reaching people. Period.
Kenneth Kashif Thomas is an arts desk editor and can be reached at kenneth.thomas@ubspectrum.com. Follow him on Twitter at @KenUBSpec.
