How Judd Apatow Went From Comedy Nerd To Hollywood Heavyweight

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There are few things as all-consuming as a childhood obsession. When you’re a kid, you don’t have to worry about bills, the future, or other grown up things, so you have a bit more free time to spend focusing on the things you love. However, these can be more than a mere childhood preoccupation: when you’re in a situation where you have next to no power, the things you love can be a form of escape. The world around you may be beyond your control, but your fantasy worlds will never let you down.

For Judd Apatow, his fantasy world of choice was comedy. In his book, Sick in the Head, Apatow recounts falling in love with comedy at an early age. Growing up in the ’70s, he had access to some of the greatest comedy ever, watching Richard Pryor, the Monty Python gang, George Carlin, and Steve Martin. Martin especially made an impact on Apatow, who bought every record that Martin released and spent his days perfecting his impression. He even sent fan mail to Martin, receiving a super-personal reply from the comic legend at one point.

In Apatow’s book, he shares an all too relatable story about his parents thwarting his obsession:

“The biggest fight I ever got into with my parents was when we were at an Italian restaurant for dinner and I was trying to rush them out so we could get home in time to see Steve Martin on The Carol Burnett Show. They refused to hurry through their chicken parmesan and, as a result, I never got to see it. I remain furious.”

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A self-proclaimed “comedy freak,” Apatow was looking to comedy to fill a certain void. He was “an angry kid who didn’t feel like the world made sense.” His Jewish parents were non-religious and not particularly insightful regarding his place in the greater scheme of things. He was also angry because he was the smallest kid in his class, so sports were a trial. Always picked last for gym, Apatow cemented his status as a bit of a loser. This schoolyard injustice turned him into a “cocky nerd” who had way too much time out in right field to ponder all of his perceived wrongs. This prepubescent anger found a voice in the comedians of the day.

“At that age, the comedians I liked most were the ones who called out the bullsh*t and gave voice to my anger — the Marx Brothers, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Jay Leno. I loved anyone who stood up onstage and said that the people in power were idiots, and not to be trusted. I was also drawn to people who deconstructed the smaller aspects of this bizarre and ridiculous life. I idolized the new generation of observational comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, and Robert Klein. I related to them and imitated them, and even began to write really bad jokes of my own in a notebook I hid in a small metal locker in my room.”

According to Variety, Apatow was also deeply influenced by comedienne Totie Fields. She was a friend of his grandparents, who took him to her show when he was young. Fields helped him to realize that comedy could be a way for him to change his circumstances.

“It was powerful because she had one of her legs amputated due to complications from diabetes, and she went on this comeback tour and tore down the house,” he says. “She was getting so much appreciation and approval even though she was this hilarious, odd woman in a wheelchair. As kind of a nerdy kid who felt like a bit of an underdog, that had a big impression on me: Comedy could be my way out.”

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His reliance of comedy grew during his junior high years when his parents went through a brutal and messy divorce. While the divorce left him reeling, Apatow explains in his book that it was a huge motivator for him to work extra hard to achieve his goals.

“Oddly, that pain and fear became the fuel in my tank. It inspired me to work hard and has led to every success and good thing in my life. It worked so well that today, a parent now myself, I am trying to figure out how to f*ck up my daughters just enough that they, too, develop outsize dreams and the desire to get the hell out of the house.”

After the divorce, his mother, Tami Shad, got a job as a hostess at the East End Comedy Club in Southhampton, N.Y. A teenaged Apatow jumped at the opportunity to see as many comedians as possible, and credits it as “one of the greatest summers of my life.” His next move was to get a job at the East Side Comedy Club in Huntington, N.Y., as a young teenager. While working there, he saw comics like Rosie O’Donnell and Eddie Murphy come through while they were still green, and his obsession grew.

When he was 15, he got his own show at his high school radio station, WKWZ 88.5 FM. Neglecting to mention his age and lack of influence/experience, Apatow would con his way into interviews with comedy gods Jerry Seinfeld, Weird Al Yankovic, John Candy, Harold Ramis,  and Jay Leno. In his book, he describes this as a pretty magical time:

“This was my college education. I grilled these people until they kicked me and my enormous green AV squad tape recorder out of their homes. I asked them how to get stage time, how long it takes to find yourself as an artist, and what childhood trauma led them to want to be in comedy. I asked them about their dreams for the future and made them my dreams too. Did I mention that I never even aired most of the interviews? I put a few out there, but even then I knew this information was mainly for me — and that the broadcast part was a bit of a ruse.”

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Apatow refers to this time as “finding his tribe,” and that carried over into his time at the University of Southern California. While there, he found people with dreams similar to his who just wanted to make it in comedy, people like Adam Sandler (who would become his roommate), David Spade, Jim Carrey, Doug Benson, and Todd Glass. These influences would eventually lead to a career in standup that would transition into writing, producing and directing. Before he was a household name, he worked as a producer on The Ben Stiller Show, a writer and producer for The Larry Sanders Show, a staff writer for Jon Lovitz’s The Critic, and worked on the films Heavyweights and The Cable Guy.

Then in 1999, Freaks and Geeks ran for a single season before eventually becoming a cult classic. In 2001, his next show, Undeclared, also ran for one beloved season. While his forays into television were frustrating, Apatow eventually hit a one-two punch of success: in 2004, he produced Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and in 2005 produced and directed the hit film The Forty Year Old Virgin.

The rest, they say, is history. After that, Apatow became a household name, and most of the films that he directed and produced went on to be hits. Apatow is a sought after talent, and is also a genuine star-maker now, kickstarting the careers of actors like Jason Segel, James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill. More recently, he helped Amy Schumer achieve movie star status by directing her film, Trainwreck. Oh, and he still does stand-up.

Not bad for an angry kid from Queens.

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