“This is a different game,” Judd Apatow explains to Amar’e Stoudemire on the set of his hit comedy, Trainwreck. “Like what you do, that’s easy. There’s a hoop, you put the ball in it. That’s it. This is about emotions, and vulnerability, and not being afraid of knowing yourself.”
For both the award-winning director and six-time NBA All-Star, that sense of personal awareness apparently means the hilarious, self-deprecating nature they exhibit in this clip from “Directing Athletes: A Blood Sport,” a behind-the-scenes featurette included exclusively on the upcoming Trainwreck Blu-ray.
Expressly after telling Stoudemire why filmmaking is so much more difficult than playing professional basketball, Apatow accidentally draws the obvious parallels between cast and crew and players and coaching staffs. Like even the most acclaimed directors, the league’s most successful coaches don’t always wield more power than their supposed, uber-successful underlings.
How else to rationalize Apatow so quickly changing his tune when it comes Stoudemire’s dramatic chops upon hearing Amy Schumer’s appraisal of her co-star’s performance? If the NBA is a player’s league, Hollywood, evidently, is an actor’s entertainment venue.
Trainwreck, the highest-grossing comedy of 2015, comes out on Blu-ray and DVD November 10. And if this highly enjoyable segment is an indication of the extra features included with the film’s home release, just imagine what others Apatow and company may have in store.
After all, LeBron James, not Schumer, was the film’s real breakout star – at least in our admittedly basketball-obsessed opinion.
