Matt Walsh, NIU psychology alumnus, stars in HBO’s show “Veep” where he plays the character Mike McLintock, the comedic relief of the show.

“Veep” debuted its sixth season April 17 and follows former Senator Selina Meyer as she finds being Vice President of the United States is not what she thought it would be. In later seasons, Meyer is seen running for president and bumping heads with multiple political figures. Walsh said McLintock has been one of his favorite characters to play throughout his career.

“I love roles where I can create the character,” Walsh said. “With Mike, I was able to develop the back story and character over the six seasons.”

Walsh said he and his character share many similarities in personality. In the past season, McLintock found out he would become the father of three newborns. Walsh said he can relate to this as he is also a father of three, but he feels their outlook on parenting is very different.

“Mike feels unfulfilled being a dad,” Walsh said. “He struggles with finances and is overwhelmed with the struggles between personal and professional happiness. I have the opposite of not being burdened with finances, and I really enjoy being a father.”

Before being a father and becoming an actor, Walsh attended NIU and said he was the typical college kid. Walsh lived in a house with nine other people and said he loved to party. A routine fire inspection started one of his many favorable memories about living in DeKalb.

“When the inspector came to our house, he removed something from the ceiling, and a bag of weed fell onto the floor,” Walsh said. “My roommates and I just looked at each other. We told the inspector it wasn’t ours. I assume it was from the people who lived there before us.”

This young actor never seems to take a break though; Walsh has not struggled with finding an acting job or performance for over 30 years, according to IMDb. While working on “Veep”, Walsh also guest starred on three episodes of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and the 2016 film, “Ghostbusters.” He said he is currently finishing up a film, “Life of the Party,” with actress Melissa McCarthy. Walsh said he enjoyed working on the movie because it is a comedy. The film is set to release sometime next year.

“Comedies will always be my favorite,” Walsh said. “Dramas are too heavy for me. I like where I can use comedy in rehearsals and improv when certain scenes aren’t working.”