DRAFTING W/ JEFF HILLER

Apr 08, 2026

Jeff Hiller has always been playing the long game. After years of building a career out of scene-stealing supporting roles, his Emmy-winning turn on Somebody Somewhere crystallized what was already there: a performer with impeccable timing, emotional precision and an instinct for making small moments land big.

Now, that momentum continues with his next chapter. Hiller joins the supporting cast of Apple TV+’s upcoming crime thriller Widow’s Bay, premiering April 29 — while also stepping further into his own story with his memoir, Actress of a Certain Age.

For DRAFTING, Hiller invites us inside his personal life and creative process — from daily meditations to daily foam art experiments in his coffee.

I don’t know who Jeannie is or why her singing Christmas is important. I just like to take pictures of things that make me smile when I’m shopping at a thrift store. I don’t buy them, because I live in NYC in a one-bedroom apartment. I think I took this pic because I liked her wig.

The King’s Evil by Will Heinrich. It’s about art and artists, and comparing yourself to other people and mentor/mentee relationships. It’s dark, but fascinating. I normally only read non-fiction, but I started reading more novels and it’s so good for my brain. I sleep better when I read at night rather than on my phone. Even if I’m reading a sort of scary book, I sleep better than if I’m even online shopping before bed.

I try to meditate every day for 20 minutes twice a day. I usually only do it once a day, but I am on a roll and have done it every day in 2026. So I’m pretty deep ya’ll, I’m pretty friggin deep.

When I wrote a book, I had this fantasy that I would see someone reading it on the subway. Then I got on a flight from LA to NYC, and the person in front of me held up my book on her phone. It was very exciting, so I forced her to let me take a picture.

A clue in the NYT Crossword was for Manhattan, Kansas, which is where Somebody Somewhere took place and where Bridget Everett was born and raised. I took this and thought about posting it, but then Kansas passed that horrible anti-trans bill and I didn’t want to anymore.

I make my own cold brew and drink it even in the winter. We have a foamer, so I put cinnamon on top of the oat milk foam and try to make a picture every morning by moving my metal straw around the foam. On this day, I made ET holding out his finger and I was pretty proud of myself.

I’m a working mother and this is my oldest, Beverly. She likes to lay on this gorgeous pillow that I got from Double Old Fashioned Home. It was not a used pillow, but my friend Brian made it by hand, so I allowed it. Isn’t the contrast between her fur and the bright pillow breathtaking? Or am I just the proverbial stage mother who thinks her daughter can do no wrong?

I really like wearing brooches lately. This one is a feather that my friend, Sue, gave to me. I’ve been trying to buy only used things as an environmentally sound practice, so she bought this from a site, called Auction Ninja, which I guess buys things from estate sales. I can’t exactly figure out how to use it, but I like this feather brooch. I wore it to host the Artios Awards, which are awards for excellence in casting.

I read this quote and had to take a picture of it because I often get impatient when I’m not having any sort of adventure in my life. That impatience can lead to me doing things that I think will shake up my life, but usually end up making me regret doing said things. I mean, I’m a pretty boring person, so the things I regret are usually something like saying “yes” to an improv show that starts at 10 PM.

This is at my husband’s art studio wearing a NYC Gay Men’s Chorus shirt that says “Our Joy is our Protest.” I was a member of the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus for one concert. I was told my voice didn’t “blend,” which I have been told many, many times. I could have worked on it, but I decided to just go solo.

A residual check I recently received and will use to purchase a compound upstate.

I journal every morning. My husband likes to use the exact same type of journal after he fills one up, but I use different ones. This one I got from an Ashley Longshore pop-up. I also use a different color pen every morning so that when you flip through, there are all sorts of different colors. I took a video of that, but then realized you could pause it and read pages of my journal and I had to delete. I want my journals burned upon my death — not to protect my secrets, but to protect how boring and whiny I am in print.

This was a joke I was going to put on Threads or Bluesky, but I had doubts because it feels a little humble brag. It is funny though, right? The EGOT, only it’s just my ego? I should have posted it.

I’m on this astrology app that sends me daily... affirmations? Quotes? Unhinged chaotic ramblings? I’m gonna go with the last one. My friend Max made me sign up for this app and said I “had” to get the daily reminders. Now, these insane things come to my phone every day. I don’t have notifications on any app except his one and my texts. I love how bonkers these statements are and I live my life by their direction (I do not live my life by their direction).

I’m somewhat obsessed with high fashion. I have been a Vogue subscriber for many years. I don’t buy new, but I like to buy from Mercari, vintage stores, Gem and eBay. When I’m feeling really fancy, I go to The Real Real. This is my “obsessions” list, which is filled with cardigans that are $1400. I also have an Eames Lounge chair saved on Design Within Reach. I cannot currently afford any of these items, but I once read that Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for $10 million when he was dead broke and not yet successful and put it in his wallet as a sort of manifestation. It’s like that.