Judd Apatow recently sat down with Coming Soon and discussed the upcoming release of his next film Trainwreck.
On the cast of the film: “Yeah, it evolved in a really interesting way. We didn’t have any grand vision for who we would cast in the movie, but piece by piece it’s become a very eclectic, unique cast. John Cena came in and read for one of her boyfriends and we laughed so hard and then we did a table read with him and he got the biggest laughs of anybody at the table read, and then LeBron James. Bill and I went and met with LeBron James about playing Bill’s best friend in the movie, LeBron James, and he was really funny and we had a great conversation with him about something that we could do that would be interesting and unexpected with him, and then Claudia O’Doherty, she’s from Australia. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of her stuff on YouTube. She’s a great comedian and live performer, and so we keep discovering new people we haven’t worked with before, and then we have a lot of people who’ve acted on Amy’s show and comedians who are actors from the Comedy Cellar. Who else is in the movie? Colin Quinn plays Amy’s dad. I think it’s the best performance I’ve ever seen him give. It’s really emotional and very funny. Norman Lloyd is in the movie, who is 99 years old, and he’s on stage with Orson Wells and starred in Alfred Hitchcock movies, and he plays Colin Quinn’s best friend in the nursing home where Colin Quinn lives because he has MS and Method Man is in the movie. I’m trying to work with every member of Wu-Tang Clan, so I’ve done Ghostface Killah, RZA, and now Method Man. So it’s time for Raekwon. ”
On tweaking jokes based on audience reaction: “I think so. I always heard that that’s how they’d do it in “Cheers” or “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” They had a studio audience there and they worked, tweaking on their feet, but I think we knew that a lot of the funniest scenes, from our childhood were created on the spot, like Bill Murray in “Caddyshack,” pretending to be a golfer, saying it’s a Cinderella story. I always was aware that when they did “Diner,” Paul Reiser made up most of what he said. That fascinated me, that when you make a movie the actors could make a contribution like that, so I’ve always been open to it. Anytime that I could see the outtakes from “Stripes” and you can see Bill Murray’s improv, I’m so happy. So, over the years, since we did “The Ben Stiller Show,” all of us who believe in this approach to it, have been refining how to do it, so I think that’s why movies like “Neighbors” are so funny, and what Stiller does, because we’re just always exploring the moments until they tell us we have to go home. “
The film stars Amy Schumer (writer) and Bill Hader. It will be in theaters July 17, 2015.
Here is the synopsis: Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.