• Vic Michaelis moves from Dropout web fame to a series regular role on Peacock’s Ponies.
• Michaelis balances improv hits Very Important People with roles in Ponies, D(e)ad and a Star Wars game.
• They say they still dream of starring in a disaster movie — and joke about launching an MLM.

H2: From internet sketches to a Peacock series

Vic Michaelis first built a devoted audience through Dropout’s sketch and improv series Very Important People (VIP), amassing millions of views on YouTube and TikTok. That online success helped lead to a major career step: a series-regular role as Cheryl, a type-A office manager and embassy wife, on Peacock’s new espionage dramedy Ponies alongside Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson.

H3: Why Ponies mattered

Michaelis says the script for Ponies drew them in for its sharp writing and vivid stage directions. The role of Cheryl — simultaneously poised and limited by circumstance — let Michaelis explore a character with more status and competence than their VIP persona, while still mining comedy from the gap between perceived and real power.

“Cheryl has those things [ability and competence], but it’s circumstantial reasons why she can’t rise above her station,” Michaelis told CBC. They also noted how friendly stars on a set can set the tone; both Clarke and Richardson helped make the big-production environment welcoming.

H3: Keeping one foot in Dropout

Despite the leap to prime-time television, Michaelis hasn’t left Dropout behind. VIP launched a third season late last year, continuing the improvised chaos of Host Vic guiding costumed comedians through unpredictable interviews. Fans of Dropout still see Michaelis regularly online, which they say has created a different relationship with fame — one that resembles a regular presence in followers’ social feeds.

Watch: Vic Michaelis leaps to prime time with Ponies on CBC (video)

Watch: Very Important People Season 3 trailer (video)

H4: Other projects and big ambitions

Michaelis has been busy beyond Ponies: they starred in the Kickstarter comedy D(e)ad, appear in Dropout’s new Dungeons & Dragons series D20, and voice Roona in the upcoming video game Star Wars: Zero Company. They described the past year as hectic and rewarding, and celebrated bringing family to the Ponies premiere.

H4: Disaster movies and a tongue-in-cheek MLM plan

A recurring, sincere-sounding dream for Michaelis is to act in a disaster film — specifically the 1996-style Twisters/9-1-1: Nashville spectacle they’ve long admired. They’ve also joked their long-term goal is to start an MLM to sell earthquake preparedness kits, calling it part of their “ultimate dream.”

H5: Roots and future plans

Michaelis, who was raised in Canada, says they’d love to create or appear in Canadian projects and possibly return to Toronto to live. For now, they’re navigating a growing mainstream profile while staying true to the improv roots that launched their career.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Image Referance: https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/vic-michaelis-vip-ponies-9.7059181