'The Other Two' Star Drew Tarver on How His Own Siblings React to His Fame: 'They're Tired' (Exclusive)

Drew Tarver is noticing some eerie similarities between his real life and the one his The Other Two character leads.

On the HBO Max comedy series, now in its third season, the comedian plays Cary Dubek, an aspiring actor in New York City struggling to make a name for himself outside the shadow of his pop-star younger brother Chase Dreams (Case Walker).

Cary and sister Brooke (Heléne Yorke) are the titular "other two" whose lack of instant fame only became intensified in season 2 when their mom Pat (Molly Shannon) became a popular daytime talk show host.

In the real world, Tarver is himself a rising actor in Los Angeles and the older brother to singer Katelyn Tarver. The real-life parallels aren't lost on the 36-year-old, who tells PEOPLE he can "definitely pull from that feeling of trying to differentiate yourself from your siblings when they're doing cool things."

He quips, "But obviously now I am the star, of course. Just kidding!"

The aspects of The Other Two about making it in the industry are familiar to Tarver as well. He admits there's "definitely kind of a one-to-one at times in the show to my life."

"It does mimic reality at times. Being an actor in real life and being an actor on the show, a lot of times I'm like, I don't even think I have to act this scene because I just did this two weeks ago," he says.

Tarver also has a brother and another sister — how have they responded to his and Katelyn's rising stars?

"They're tired of us talking about ourselves, I think," he says with a laugh. "Which we're also a little bit like, 'Hey, we would rather talk about what's going on in not-the-entertainment business.' But they're very supportive of us. Everybody's supporting each other in a good way. They're very nice, but I'm sure after a while they're like, 'I don't know what a callback means, OK, so next subject.'"

The Other Two does not shy away from raunchier comedic moments, oftentimes putting Cary and the other cast of characters in ridiculous, uncomfortable situations. The fact that his parents and family tune in and see him act out the embarrassing scenarios on screen doesn't bother Tarver, though. (Or maybe he just finds ways to live with it.)

"I think it is tough for them to watch me do some of the sexual things, but they kind of grit their teeth through that," says Tarver. "I haven't actually sat with them while Cary was doing something embarrassing, so I don't really know. They could be audibly groaning and being like, 'I'm so upset with him!'"

"But at least to my face they're like, 'We're really proud of you. This show's funny and we love it,'" he adds of his family's reactions, then joking, "And I'm like, 'Actually, maybe you shouldn't like it. Maybe that's weird that you like me doing those things.' "

The comedy series manages to always finds a way back to a wholesome, sentimental theme of family. Tarver says that's why he thinks The Other Two, which first debuted on Comedy Central in 2019, has become so beloved.

He says, "That's how my parents can kind of be OK with it. They're like, 'Well, you did have that one explicit scene where you were doing X, Y and Z, but at the end you said you loved your mom, and we're OK with that.'"

This season, Tarver says Cary somewhat chooses himself and his own career over his family for once, losing himself in the process. Grounded by the support of his family, Tarver can't quite relate to that part of Cary's journey.

"I do think having other family members in the entertainment industry and family members who are not, we keep each other honest and don't let each other get too far out and call each other out in a good way," he says. "Staying close to people who have known you, have been in your life for a long time, is how I personally stay attached to the earth."

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The Other Two season 3 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.