Steelers, Penguins fan Steve Byrne drops Pittsburgh references into directorial film debut

It’s natural for any filmmaker, right?

You’re a week away from your first written and directed big-screen release. You’re worrying about how the premiere will be staged. You have press lined up all week. You’re coordinating with producers, actors and family.

Above all else, though, one thing is weighing on your mind: Did the Penguins get enough in return when they traded Matt Murray?

Yeah, I know the L.A. Times is calling in five minutes, but I’ve gotta read up on this Jonathan Gruden guy they got from the Ottawa Senators. And what’s the story on this goalie they drafted with pick No. 52?

That’s an exaggeration. But for Hampton High School product Steve Byrne, only slightly, if at all.

“That’s very close, actually,” Byrne laughed. “I spend my evenings (online), and I read everything I can on the Pens. A lot of Trib articles come up. And my wife is like, ‘Will you turn that off or get out of this room?!’ ”

On Friday, Byrne’s film “The Opening Act” hits theaters and video on demand. If you can’t find an open theater or aren’t comfortable going to one yet, you can stream the film via Amazon, Apple TV or other VOD devices.

“These days we could all use a great laugh. There haven’t been very many comedies to come out during the pandemic,” Byrne said. “It’s lighthearted. There is a lot of heart in this film. The comics are proud of it. I’m proud of it.”

The movie is inspired by Byrne’s life as a stand-up comedian, a craft he has honed during the past 23 years. His success has produced four hourlong specials, and it even catapulted him to create and star in his own series on TBS, “Sullivan and Son.”

“The Opening Act” depicts the story of Will (Jimmy O. Yang), an aspiring comedian working in Steubenville, Ohio, who eventually gets his big break as an opening act at the “Pennsylvania Improv.” He opens for “Billy G.” (Cedric the Entertainer), a character inspired by fellow Pittsburgh comedian and longtime friend Billy Gardell.

The movie features other marquee names from the world of comedy such as Alex Moffat, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Ken Jeong, Tom Segura and Iliza Shlesinger.

“Most of those names are all regulars at The Comedy Store (in Hollywood),” Byrne said. “And Bill and I go way back to our days at the Comedy Cellar in New York City. So it was pretty easy because most of the guest-starring cameos were one or two days. So it was pretty easy to call someone in Los Angeles and say, ‘Can you spend the day with us?’ And the casting was a lot of fun.”

Byrne says the best compliments he has received so far in screening the movie have come from his standup peers.

“It’s a love letter to the profession,” Byrne explained. “To young comics. To all comics. Because they’ve experienced this. I ended up underneath a trailer in the woods of North Carolina. I got kicked off a radio station in Los Angeles. Now Bill Burr, (Tom) Segura, Whitney Cummings may not have had those experiences. But they have had similar experiences. That is what speaks volumes to everybody about the film.”

Much like “Sullivan and Son,” it wouldn’t be a Byrne project without some sort of Pittsburgh references.

• Exterior shots and crowd cutaways at the “Pennsylvania Improv” are largely shot at the Pittsburgh Improv at the Waterfront.

• In a scene shot in a radio morning show studio, the hosts are named “Randy, Bill and Val” after Randy Baumann, Bill Crawford and Val Porter — hosts of the “DVE Morning Show” and Byrne’s longtime friends.

• Will is written as being from Steubenville as an homage to Dean Martin.

• And, in a diner scene featuring Yang and Moffat, their sandwiches are topped with french fries and coleslaw.

That attempt at working in a Primanti Bros. reference didn’t go quite as smoothly as Byrne had hoped.

“I’m going to get raked over the coals for this,” Byrne said. “I didn’t notice that the set designer had put toothpicks in the sandwiches. That’s my bad. It never should’ve happened. I apologize.

“I was watching an old game from 1993 when the Penguins got bounced by the Islanders.”

Fretting over blowback from his hometown over such Yinz-tastic oversight aside, Byrne said initial feedback from the film has been extremely positive. And after “Sullivan and Son” made it onto TBS for 33 episodes, he’s beginning to feel like he is 2-for-2 on the creative and directorial side of the camera.

“I’m feeling pretty confident about myself. But, who knows? Maybe I’ll get traded like Matt Murray,” Byrne said.

Listen: Tim Benz speaks with comedian Steve Byrne about his new film and love of Pittsburgh sports