<\/p>\n
Nearly four decades into their friendship, parallel-named pair Steve Martin and Martin Short practically breathe to the rhythm of each other\u2019s comedic timing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing about comedy is its intention is to be delightful and fun,\u201d Short says of the duo\u2019s lifelong career in the funny business. \u201cSo the premise of being funny is funny and joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin hops in: \u201cAnd that shows how much Marty had to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Onscreen, onstage, and even, it turns out, on Zoom, nary a sentence passes without a well-timed jab or a piggybacked pointer. Fussing under fluorescent hotel lighting, dressed in unintentionally matching outfits, Martin and Short can\u2019t resist poking fun at each other \u2013\u00a0their most earnest moments undercut by a quick retort from the other. The bedrock of such a resilient relationship?<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cEvery case is different, of course, but in our case, it\u2019s mutual respect. And it probably started with making each other laugh a great deal,\u201d says Short.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martin interjects: \u201cI think it\u2019s a hatred that can\u2019t be reconciled. So we just kind of stay with it, hoping for an end.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It all began two years before their first movie together, backstage at Saturday Night Live<\/em>. 1986\u2019s Three Amigos!<\/em> marked their first shared silver screen showing and by the time they were gearing up for their second feature, Father of the Bride<\/em> in 1991, the dynamic duo were fast friends, already getting used to each other\u2019s quirks and pet peeves on joint European travels in the interim.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could be in Yugoslavia with someone for three months and know everything about everybody and then at the end of the movie, you can never see them again for 20 years. But I think that Steve and I made a [conscious] effort not to lose each other,\u201d says Short.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat really sealed the deal was when we did subsequent movies together,\u201d Martin adds. \u201cYou start being around that person more and then it just becomes a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n Years on, whatever natural fit the two found has steadily built into a deep friendship based on humor and loving harassment. From months spent on the road touring stand-up specials, to years on the sets of projects like their ongoing Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building<\/em>, and countless appearances on late-night shows and awards ceremonies, there\u2019s only one thing the pair can\u2019t imagine doing together: retiring.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSteve always does a joke about himself that if his voice got frail, then he\u2019d say that\u2019s enough,\u201d says Short, seamlessly imitating the level of frailty that could sideline his pal. Martin, for his part, has a new consideration to add, delivered with as much bravado as his voice has always held.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest decision in the future, for me, is: Do I want to go onstage with a walker?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Though slowing down just the tiniest bit sounds nice, they admit, neither can imagine abandoning the spotlight. Between their collective endeavors, their lives bustle with individual projects for the banjo-aficionado Martin and the musical-loving Short.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing exactly what we want to do,\u201d Short promises, and, as time goes on, he knows: \u201cThere\u2019s always a role for great-grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n