Story Behind Viral 'Convos With My 2-Year-Old' Videos
When David Milchard started out as an actor and comedian, he never expected his big break to be playing the role of a 2-year-old girl. But in “Convos With My 2-Year-Old,” in which Milchard and fellow comedian Matthew Clarke reenact Clarke’s real-life conversations with his daughter, Milchard has struck viral gold portraying toddler Coco Harrison-Clarke, in all her tantrum-throwing pink-barrette-wearing glory.
The series, which launched in 2013, quickly went viral — the first episode has been viewed more than 11.2 million times — and recently wrapped up its fourth season. “It really encapsulates the relationships parents have with their kids,” Milchard, who is also a director and producer on the series, tells Yahoo Parenting. “Parents relate because I act so indignant and abrasive, which is how kids communicate. They don’t have the social tact to explain what they want, but it’s funny to see that coming out of an adult.”
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Milchard, who is currently starring in the kids movie Russell Madness (in theaters now and on DVD March 10), doesn’t have children, but says a family is “on the horizon.” In the meantime, he’s learning a lot about little ones, especially since the real-life Coco, who is now 4, cameos in most of the “Convos” episodes. “If she’s not feeling it one day, we have to go with the flow and figure something out. It’s not a normal set,” Milchard says. “I’ve learned that when I have kids, I’m not going to have any control.”
But by channeling a toddler, he’s also come to appreciate how children’s minds work. “Kids are more accepting and open to new ideas, whereas when adults get older, we have opinions and judgments. Toddlers are so genuine and honest,” he says. “Of course, that also means they’re quick to tell you they’re not interested in you anymore or you’re not funny.”
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When the series first started, Milchard says no one on set expected it to become as popular as it has. “I did a couple of web series years ago, when YouTube was just starting out. I thought it was a great opportunity to share stories and I put a good bit of time into it but nothing happened. I was discouraged,” Milchard says. “Then I met Matt and we have a similar sense of humor and he was like ‘we should put stuff on YouTube.’ I said, ‘Only if it has a cat or dog or baby in it, that’s all people watch.’ Cut to Matt approaching me with this scenario about conversations with his daughter.”
After reading through the first script, Milchard had renewed hope. “I thought, ‘wow, if we do this the right way, it could really be funny and worth doing,’” he says. “We had almost no expectation. We thought maybe we’ll get 400 hits and our friends will watch.”
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So the pair shot the first two episodes and the videos went live online a couple of days before Milchard’s wedding. “By my wedding day, there were over a million views and people were congratulating me on my YouTube success instead of my marriage,” he says. Milchard and his new wife quickly canceled their honeymoon so he could get back to shooting and capitalize on the momentum.
In the seasons since, “Convos” has continued to grow – they even posted a spinoff miniseries – and has featured guests like Milchard’s Russell Madness co-star John Ratzenberger. Now, Milchard and Clarke are trying to pitch it as a TV series. “I love the idea of being able to tell stories and shift the perspective,” he says. “Having a grown man play a 2, 3, 4-year-old girl, it allows us to tell a family story in a way that gives more weight to the kids point of view.”
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