Interviewing a group of people is difficult under any circumstances. Interviewing four very funny, very sharp comedians together is like trying to juggle water. And when you factor in a time limit of less than five minutes, it’s almost an exercise in futility.
Thankfully, I’ve got some sort of rapport built up with Jonah Hill and with Vince Vaughn from various encounters over the years. I met Jonah for the first time on the set of “Superbad,” and it’s been a real pleasure running into him on various sets and at film festivals and at screenings and even on a Comic-Con panel over the last few years. Vaughn has always struck me as a huge personality, and the first time we formally met was after the taping of the Ain’t It Cool pilot for Comedy Central. Jon Favreau was a guest on the show, and at our after party, Vaughn joined us, and being at a club for a wrap party with Vince Vaughn is exactly how you’d imagine being at a club for a wrap party with Vince Vaughn would be.
Ben Stiller is someone I’ve had far less first-hand experience with, although obviously I’ve been watching his work since “The Ben Stiller Show” on Fox, and I’m always interested to see how he manages his career both in front of and behind the camera. With Richard Ayoade, I’ve only ever had one encounter with him. It was Sundance a few years ago, when he showed up with the movie he directed called “Submarine.” I didn’t have an interview scheduled with him, something that I regretted after seeing the movie, and so when I was walking through the lobby of the Yarrow Hotel and saw Ayoade standing there with a friend of mine, I couldn’t resist. I walked up, introduced myself, shook his hand, showered him with effusive praise for a few minutes, then walked away. Ayoade absolutely floors me, and if you aren’t already familiar with “Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace,” I highly encourage you to seek it out so you can see exactly why I love this guy so much.
Although our four-man interview was brief, I felt like everyone was game, and it went pretty well. I wish I’d had more time with them and could have really gotten into the process on this. Mostly, we talked about voice and how strange it is to clearly recognize the comic sensibilities of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in the script, but to hear that filtered through all four of these guys, who each approach comedy and character in very different ways.
I’ll have my full review of “The Watch” up midday Thursday. Until then, enjoy this chat with the cast.
“The Watch” opens everywhere on Friday.