BEST OF NYC™
Bill Hader Did Not Write Carrie

People always talk about the charming aspect of being "broke in New York." Did you ever feel that?

No. No. I was on SNL. That's the thing, I've always been on SNL, so not only was I OK money-wise, but I was also on television. I wasn't getting recognized a ton or anything. It was just a different experience, though. Every once and a while, somebody would say, "Hey, aren't you the guy from The Office?" And I said: "No, but I'm on television." And they say, "Well, what are you on?" And I say, "I'm not Rainn Wilson." And they say, "Oh, OK." My favorite was a woman who stopped me on the street and said, "I love your books." And I went, "Oh, uh, well, I don't write." And she thought I was Stephen King.

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Audio/Video Feature With Bill Hader

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You should have went with it.

Yeah, I know. I was like: "Well, he's at least 30 years older than me. Maybe you only know him from the Carrie dust jacket? I don't know."

What's an ideal date night for you in New York?

My wife and I are pretty chill. I don't go out that much. That's the other thing: By the time I moved to the city, I was married. I was never even single in the city. And I was working constantly. So we really enjoy just laid-back nights, going to Momofuku or Piadina.

What do you like about those places?

Well, Momofuku is packed all the time. [Laughs.] I just like the food there. It's just really good food. And Piadina is just super laid-back and fantastic food, and the waitstaff is great, and I like everyone there. And then going to see a movie at Angelika or Film Forum. Or just walking around. Sometimes we'll go eat someplace and then walk to the other side of town, you know what I mean?

What do you enjoy about those walks?

I just like it. You just can't do that anyplace else. Why would you walk in that way? There's just no point, you know? In New York, everyone is walking. I remember when we first moved from L.A., we lived on the Upper West Side, and my wife and I walked down Riverside, and it had just got done raining. It was in the fall, and it just looked gorgeous, just seeing some old battlement thing, you know what I mean? Just the history of the place, coming up on some building and the plaque, reading "Henry James wrote whatever," and you're like, "Wow." I still feel like a tourist here. I get so freaked out and really enjoy those moments. I just like going on a walk. It's romantic. As long as you're not walking through the meatpacking district or something where it's really loud and crazy.

Techno music leaking out from bars.

Techno music playing. Guys get in a fight in front of Pop Burger or something. We just tend to avoid that.

esundermann@villagevoice.com