Seth Rogen - 'The Studio'

24:15Which he had been a part of. Which he had been a part of.

24:17Seth Rogen:And Gary was very much in our orbit and was coming to our table reads and stuff and giving everyone notes on their things. And so, yeah, we started to see like, oh, you can actually have like emotional resonance and realism without kind of tonally derailing the movie and making it feel like another movie's happening for five minutes, you know. And you can actually make some of the funniest scenes in the movie if you're smart about it as well, you know. And so, yeah, that was something that he really infused into our work very deliberately, I think, was like, you know. And then now I would very simply describe it as like the difference between plot versus story.

25:01Seth Rogen:Like, I think we had a good, I actually think like looking back, we had like a pretty incredible sense of how to lay out a plot. like and I think we had a very intuitive you know perspective on what a movie needs in order to function and how many characters you need and how to set up set pieces and how to set up different adventures that kind of bounce off each other and weave into one another but this idea of kind of balancing yeah like like like what is the emotional story versus what is happening in the movie was something that like we didn't quite get yet and that was something Judd really like taught us you know and when you say we and us we're talking about Evan because Evan had gone off to college right but by the time you were on undeclared no he didn't come back for a few years he would come for the summers basically and we would write together over the summer but he was all part of like a bigger plan like basically he just knew he would never be able to get a work visa if he wasn't basically if you're not a college graduate it's a lot harder to get a work visa and so he was graduating college so he could come here and work basically.

26:04And so by that point, Freaks and Geeks was one season and done. Undeclared was one season and done. And then you've described the next few years as kind of lean. We'll just note within that period, you were, I think, your first film credit, one of the bullies in Donnie Darko in 2001. There's an episode of Dawson's Creek in 2003. And then via Judd, I guess, you know, you're the cameraman in Anchorman in 2004 and get a job with Evan at this point writing for the Ali G show in 2004 as well. This was you'd seen the first season. You guys joined in the second, get an Emmy nomination. So like, but I guess the real thing that exploded Judd, I think it's fair to say, would have been the 40-year-old virgin in 2005, right?

26:56Oh yeah, for sure. Me too. And you were, yeah, so you're a co-producer by that point. Yep. And playing this guy Cal, the friend and co-worker of Steve Carell's guy Andy. And just, I guess, it was as a result of that, Judd was able to direct and you were able to be cast as the lead in Knocked Up because of that?

27:19Seth Rogen:Yep. Basically, yeah, exactly. Like, Pharrell Virgin was huge for all of us. And I really think the first time that, you know, Judd was able to, like, really do what he wanted. And I think, you know, as I think personal as Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared were, you know, like, I think television, especially at this time, was pretty restrictive, you know. And our sensibilities were always pretty R-rated, I guess, you know. So, so for your virgin was the first time that I remember performing in for your virgin, being on set and being like, oh, this is maybe the first time I've ever really felt like I was doing something really funny.

27:59Seth Rogen:Like, like as funny as I would hope to be. And something that if I saw other people do it, I would really appreciate it, you know? And then when it came out, I remember, I remember being at the first test screening and being like, oh, like it works. Like, like if we do what we really think is funny and we work hard on it and it's constructed well and executed well, then the audience could appreciate it exactly how as much as we as we hope they will. You know, the other thing, I guess the difference between what you've done with him and TV and now doing this as you know, in film, I would imagine there's less room or was it for network shows to be doing improv.

28:39Yes. Whereas now you get to the films, but in particular, four-year-old Virgin. Was this the first time that you were being able to kind of experiment with improv? Yeah. You've done it a little bit, you said, I think, in high school. But this was...

28:53Seth Rogen:We did a little and we did it like on Freaks and Geeks. We would rehearse with improv and then they would sort of write it into the scenes. And that's like with the hermaphrodite episode. Like, I think that's what Judd's referring to is like he would call me and Jessica Campbell, who played a woman I was dating, into their office space. and they would record us on video cameras, like, improvising the scenes, basically, and then they would sort of take the best stuff and write it. But on Furio Virgin, we would actually film the improv. And we would do it here and there on Freaking Geeks and LeClaire, but not like this.

29:20Seth Rogen:Not like, oh, we're going to spend hours and hours and hours making stuff up and cross-covering it, essentially, you know? And, yeah, and I remember really, again, what I was saying, like, I remember thinking, like, this is really, this seems very funny. And I remember, like, the first scene of the movie, basically, is me and Corell in this little room and him talking about making an egg salad sandwich. And I remember Judd, like, I remember Judd telling Steve, like, make this story as long as you can possibly make it. Like, make it a 15-minute story if you can. And it was just so funny. And then I remember getting to do this story about a woman fucking a horse.

30:02Seth Rogen:And I remember thinking it was, I remember it was one of those things where I'm just like, this seems very like, like, to me, this is funny. Like, and it was sort of a new feeling where I was like, it was exciting and kind of scary. And like, it was this real sense of like, oh, I'm really putting out what I, what I think is like exactly what people should be laughing at right now. And, and I remember being at the first test screening and that's the first scene. And I remember thinking, I remember seeing Correll do his egg salad bit and it like fucking crushed. And then I remember I did my woman fucking horse bit and it fucking crushed.

30:39Seth Rogen:And it was, it was incredibly validating. Like it's like sort of like tattooed in my brain. Like I remember being in the theater being like, it worked. Like it actually, it actually worked. Now at some point Judd, I guess said to you, I don't know if this was after the release of 40 Old Virgin or during the making of it. or maybe you can pinpoint when, but he's like, I want to write a film for you. And it was also, I guess, even more specific than that, that he, I believe, was the one that said, wouldn't it be funny if we do a movie about you getting someone pregnant? Yeah, I think it was after For a Version came out.

31:14Seth Rogen:And For a Version had a really short post-production process. Like we shot it like in the like the spring and it came out in the summer, I think. Yeah, it was like a very quick turnaround on the movie. And so, yeah, it came out. It did unbelievably well. It had incredibly good reviews. And and yeah, Judd said that he wanted to make Knocked Up With Me. And simultaneously, I think, because they basically came out simultaneously or within two months of each other. now Superbad is a go, right? Well, what's crazy is we shot Knocked Up, Superbad, and Pineapple Express in one 12-month period of time.

31:57Seth Rogen:Oh, my God. Yeah. And they were all things that were written. Like, Superbad and Pineapple Express were written already. And so they were just sort of, like, ready to go. Now people want to do them. Yeah, after 4-Year Virgin, it was basically like, whatever you got, we'll make it. And so we made Knocked Up with Universal again. And then Amy, who had made Talladega, was like, I'll make whatever the fuck you guys have. And so Amy made Superbad and Pineapple Express. Amy Pascal, who may or may not have been an influence on the studio. I mean, big influence on my life in general, yeah. Just a couple of quick things here with Knocked Up.

32:30Judd once said, quote, You can say that Knocked Up is Seth Rogen's character in Freaks and Geeks, a bit older, and he gets a woman pregnant. It's not that different, except we're not handcuffed by broadcast standards. Close quote. Do you concur?

32:41Seth Rogen:Yeah. Like, I think it was sort of me also really like honing in on what my like, I feel like I was pretty aware. It's like, oh, this is like my opportunity to sort of present what I think my comedic persona in its most quintessential form should be, basically. I remember sort of finding it as we were doing it. Like, how dumb is this? How dumb should I be? How oblivious should I be? You know, how nice should I be? All that. And Judd was obviously, you know, very directive when it came to a lot of that stuff. But yeah, it was kind of variations of things I had done before, but it felt much more like we had more time to sort of refine it and explore it, you know.

33:25And then meanwhile, Superbad finally gets made after all these years of working on it. First film that you guys co-wrote that gets made. main characters just to remind folks played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are named Seth and Evan. This couldn't be more clear that this is who we're dealing with. And then just so Knocked Up comes out June 1st, 2007. Superbad comes out August 17th, 2007. Knocked Up costs$25 million. Superbad costs$20 million. Knocked Up opened at number two only because of Pirates of the Caribbean. And just two months later, Superbad opened at number one. Ultimately, Knocked Up grossed$220 million dollars super bad gross 171 million dollars so after this period of i don't know like 10 weeks where these two movies come out and are both huge do you remember feeling like you're standing in the industry i mean it has to have been massively different but how did you feel how did that register with you yeah it felt very different i mean i could see just in my life

34:27Seth Rogen:was very i was incredibly recognizable all of a sudden the poster for knocked up was my my face literally um and yeah it felt uh it was weird but it was cool like i was very happy about it and and i was excited that we got to keep making more movies basically like i and i remember we had already made pineapple express and before those came out yeah well and then we kind of sat on it for a year basically and so yeah i remember just being really excited and happy and grateful and and thrilled and I couldn't believe that it felt like we were getting our chance to do all this stuff yeah and with pineapple express which uh in this case it's you have david gordon green directing this comes out in 2008 but the the thing here I guess is you guys always to some degree I shouldn't say always because there are certainly I I guess movies that will come to where it's not there's not a probably a personal experience element of them but in this case you've said Superbad was sort of your 20, or excuse me, Superbad was sort of your, based on your teenage years, Pineapple Express, sort of more your 20s.

35:36Another one, though, people should know that you and Evan had been working on for years, right? Going back to 2001, I believe I read. This is, all your stuff is like, which nobody particularly gave a shit about until that, like, it's not that you suddenly got better, it's that people started to pay attention, right?

35:55Seth Rogen:For sure. I mean, again, and now being in the mindset of a person who runs a movie studio a lot of the time i totally get it like and people always really liked the scripts like it was very you know we always got very good feedback and response and stuff like that so like it's not like people went from thinking we were bad to good it's more people went from thinking not knowing if what we were doing was remotely commercial or or was would resonate with audiences and then once they saw that it would they were much more likely to make what we were writing. So that same year, you teamed up again with the guy who had been one of your influences, Kevin Smith.

36:33Yeah. Zack and Mary make a porno. The next year, you and Judd back with funny people. And then there's one of these coming to one of several projects where I'm wondering now how, again, like kind of what you just did, where you're saying, I can see it through the perspective of somebody running a studio, the considerations that they think about. I want to ask you about going from doing these kind of 20 to 35 million dollar movies to all of a sudden being hired to co-write and star in the green hornet which comes out in 2011 about which you once said quote the green hornet was such a fucking nightmare when we were making it that it would have been a miracle if it turned into something that was in any way even presentable close quote so why did you want to do it why was it such a fucking nightmare and yeah and then from the perspective that you now have of understanding what studio executives are thinking, just how do you look back at it?

37:29Seth Rogen:I think it was very naive, honestly, on our part. I remember really thinking we would get the same autonomy on Green Hornet as we had with our other movies, and it would have been a much better movie if we had. So my thought process was inherently right. Like we, you know, I, I, my assumption was they wanted us to make the best movie possible. And that was not the case ultimately due to a level of involvement that I have not seen before or since, honestly. Like massive notes, massive, literally going through every page of the script. Like, and it was crazy and pointless and, and, and, and incredible involvement in casting and things like that, you know, in a way that was like not helpful.

38:17Seth Rogen:And also, it's funny, like, looking back, the property itself was very restrictive, like, in a way that now I'm much more savvy about, you know? Like, there was, like, a list of things we had to do, basically, that at the time were, like, I remember thinking, like, whatever. And then as you're really getting into it, you're like, oh, like, there has to be a secretary who's the main character. There has to be, like, a publisher of the newspaper who's the main character. There's all this stuff. His psychic has to be an agent. Like there's all this stuff where you're just like, oh, we would never have like organically arrived at this.

38:49Seth Rogen:And so we're sort of bending over backwards to like include all this stuff. And sometimes the property holders are cool and sort of flexible. These ones weren't. So I think it was really naivete on our part. And then and I don't think Michelle, you know, and I think Gondry would be the first to admit he probably wasn't the best fit for that type of infrastructure and that type of budget and that type of, you know.

39:17Seth Rogen:what is required of a film of that budget from a planning perspective and an infrastructure perspective. And you've said, I guess in hindsight, you realize that the$20 million to$35 million comedies that you'd sort of made your name on and continued to do a lot of afterwards were, you're almost, for a studio executive, you're the least of their problems. They leave you alone because they've got bigger... That was the biggest lesson from the Green Hornet. It's like, you don't want to be the biggest problem. Like you don't want to be the thing that could get them fired. Like, and Green Hornet was that thing, you know, you would, you want to be, yeah, you want it that no matter what they're dealing with something more important than your movie, basically.

39:56Seth Rogen:And there just isn't enough hours in the day to get to you is what you're hoping for ultimately. Well, then on a personal branding understanding, I guess you also, I think came away from, from that one. And then one that you did a year later, the guilt trip with you and Barbara Streisand And setting aside the experience may have been nice or not or whatever, but the fact is that these were PG-13 movies and you are at your best in unrestricted or at least our environments, right? I think so, generally. I think especially if I'm like the creative force behind it or like a big, big, big part of it, you know what I mean?

40:35Seth Rogen:I've been very comfortable doing like supporting roles in PG-13 movies that I did not write, you know? and I think eventually honestly we found a way to do it like for us I think Ninja Turtles actually in the writing was like a real interesting challenge I remember thinking like I feel like I should be able to write a funny pg pg movie like I think I should be able to do it and and we were able to do it and and I'm glad we it was a nice thing for myself to know that I could but I think if I'm you just never want to be in a situation when you're on set and you think of a funny idea and you can't do it and to me that's what was really frustrating about those things is we'd be shooting the scenes and be like well you know what would be really funny is if I did this but we can't do that because of this and and and and the best moments in our movies are when we say you know we're really funny if we did this and then we go do it and and even in the back of our heads we're like this is crazy I don't know we should be doing this but it seems pretty funny like that never happens on a pg-13 movie basically you know um and and what what happens much more often is being faced with the reality that like you you can't do what you know is best for the scene and you can't do what you know is best for the joke or the character or the or the story and and that to me was really frustrating and and and a position that i did not want to be in and not every movie like wants to be r-rated but but but some do and and and sometimes and i do think our comedy tone is generally served by an R rating.

42:04Seth Rogen:So it was frustrating. Yeah. And I think we did learn that lesson. A couple other milestones that were happening around this time. 2011 was the release of 50-50, which was the first time I believe that you and Evan asked Judd to produce this as he produced a lot of your stuff before. He's not available. So for the first time, you guys I think independently or solely produce something yourself that was the beginning of where we are here today right point gray uh-huh yeah that was the first like point gray movie yeah and and just for people if they if they don't know this was also based on guy you'd worked with at ollie g right yeah will riser the guy who introduced me to my wife lauren actually um who's still my very good friend um but yeah he when we were in our early 20s had cancer and a giant tumor wrapped around his spine and and I remember and he was a writer and I remember being like you should write a movie about this yeah we should make it yeah well so that was one milestone another one was I think also that year 2011 the first time that anyone had asked you to play a very different kind of character and it connects to the studio in that it was directed by Sarah Polly yeah with take this waltz you're playing a guy who's cook whose wife played by Michelle Williams kind of loses interest in him and develops interest in the neighbor Luke Kirby I guess just because I've read now that Sarah Polly's even, not only was she great in the studio season one, but she's apparently now going to be part of your writer's room on season two.

43:31Academy Award winner Sarah Polly.

43:33Seth Rogen:I was like, now that you've won an Oscar, you can live your dream of being a writer on the second season of a television show. well I mean you guys obviously I mean she she did she ever tell you though way back almost 15 years ago what made her think of you and approach you for a part that was totally different than anything anyone else had ever thought of you for I mean she just said that she was thinking of me when she wrote it and that she had it in her head that I could do it and that she uh and honestly like she herself is an actor and so I think she knows that like doing a dramatic thing like that is not very different than what I had been doing it is it is very similar in a lot of ways and and I had you know even though our movies were kind of raucous comedies like they always actually had like truthful moments I think you know and and very grounded in general in tone so yeah it was it was very flattering though that she thought I could do it and that and and Michelle is like I'm such an incredible actor and that she thought I could share a screen with her was very flattering you know um which you would then do again which I would do again every decade me me and Michelle have to like cheat on one another in a film um and so uh yeah it was uh it was wonderful it was a great experience.

44:54Um, and, and were you, I mean, some people, I, I think comedy, you're the expert, you might probably even be harder to do well than to do drama. Well, as an actor, right? Oh yeah,

45:08Seth Rogen:for sure. And, and people there, there's a very easy barometer of whether it's working, which is people are either laughing or not. It's much more binary. But like, did you enjoy, cause you've, you've, you've done dramatic things a few times since then. We should remind people You were Wozniak in Danny Boyle's movie Steve Jobs in 2015, where you're having to deliver Sorkin dialogue. You were, of course, also there's the Fablemans that we just mentioned in 2022 for Spielberg. You know, there are funny elements to these guys, but it's essentially dramatic films, dramatic parts. Yeah. Do you now feel because you've always been very self-deprecating about your acting ability and you say that you're just playing yourself.

45:48So obviously that's not really true. But how have you, has your comfort level grown as far as doing dramatic stuff like those?

45:58Seth Rogen:Yeah, and it's very validating. It's like Steven Spielberg knows what he's doing. So if he wants me in his movie, you have to trust that you're able to do what he wants of you. But yeah, I actually do think comedy is harder in a lot of ways. and there's like a sort of looseness to comedy that I think is additive to these more dramatic roles, honestly. And yeah, it's intimidating working with these specific people. I'd say like the genre isn't what's intimidating. I'm from a comedy world. So when I'm making comedies, I'm very rarely working with someone who I don't know very well and who I haven't worked with in many different capacities over the years.

46:42Seth Rogen:you know and so that's what's honestly more scary about getting a call that Sarah Pauly or Danny Boyle or Steven Spielberg wants to work with you is you're just like oh I'm stepping into a world that's very different from mine and and into a group that I don't know how they work I don't know if they work the way we work I don't know what it's like on their sets that's what's scary about it honestly um is it jarring to not be able to do improv like I believe Aaron Sorkin you don't improv dialogue in his no uh but it is no it's a relief in a lot of ways honestly like it's hard to come up with improv and it's incredibly mentally taxing and it's scary and it's embarrassing when it doesn't work you know um and so to be given lines that tony kushner aaron surkin wrote and just be told like say these is is is fine and and they're also very open and collaborative and i I would find that if I had a hard time saying something, I could go to Aaron and be like, this is worded weirdly to me.

47:41Seth Rogen:And he'd be like, okay, I'll rewrite it. Like, it was not, it wasn't, I was actually really surprised with these people that they're not so precious about every word and they want it to be composed, but they're very open to feedback and to input and they want it to sound right coming out of your mouth. But for me, it was really fun and a fun challenge. And that was specifically with those movies is like they are written so beautifully. If anything, I found my I viewed it as a fun challenge to just make it seem as naturalistic as I could and to sort of play against the rhythms that that I associate with with that dialogue.

48:22Seth Rogen:And to try to make it seem like it was stuff I was just coming up with. And like that, that, that is the challenge with something that is, is, you know, expertly crafted as, as dialogue that like Aaron and Tony write, you know. So just highlighting other kind of important moments along the way, I think the first time that you and Evan did everything behind the scenes, meaning co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed was This Is The End 2013, where it's you and your crew of guys essentially playing versions of yourselves. And then the year after that is the interview, which you guys also did all of those capacities.

49:11And but I want to ask you about your experience with that, which I think is as crazy as anything in the studio. And may have been without that. I don't I'd be curious if you even would have had the insight or desire to make the studio, because you really saw in a way that probably very few other people have ever seen up close how the, you know, sausage is made. And just to remind people, you're making a movie about these tabloid entertainment reporters who are going to interview, they land an interview with Kim Jong-un, the CIA then asks them to kill him. And this gets out that this is what it's about.

49:51Sony gets hacked. It pulls the movie from all theaters. It ultimately releases it online. but the hack was insanely thorough and damaging. A lot of people's stuff gets that personal information and correspondence gets out there. And you and Evan, who knew how serious this was? So you guys needed security and all that. So just can you, what did you learn about the business from that experience?

50:18Seth Rogen:I mean, we just got exposed to like a corporate level of these studios that we had not really been exposed to before that they kind of shield creative people from i think for the most part all of a sudden we're in rooms with like michael linton you know which maybe you'd see him here and there on these other movies but you're not in like long meetings with him you know what i mean it was yeah and and we're seeing like really we're getting to know our studio people in a very personal way because we're going through something very extraordinary with them, you know? So yeah, I think that really is, you know, one of the insights we got was, yeah, like really being exposed to sort of the panic, the sort of, yeah, like crisis management, the idea that, and also sort of the cutthroat nature of it all, the sort of self-preservational aspect of it, people kind of subtly turning on each other and sacrificing one another and shielding one another and are shielding themselves using other people essentially, you know what I mean?

51:22Seth Rogen:Scapegoating lies about who knew what, when. All that was me and Evan were getting like a good dose of it on a daily basis, which I think, you know, for the show, like really showed us sort of how, what a heightened environment this is and how sort of cutthroat it all is and how kind of panicked it all is and how self-preservational everyone really is when it comes down to it and how much they are willing to sort of turn on each other and protect themselves and all that, you know. And so it really did give us a level of insight that I think few people get, a few people on the creative side of things really get access to.

52:05And do you think in hindsight or maybe even in the moment you would have had feelings about this, was it handled the way you, like how would you have preferred that whole crisis be handled versus the way it was was there a better way yeah i think i mean we weren't thrilled with how it was being handled at the time

52:29Seth Rogen:i mean first of all they were warned that it was going to happen months beforehand and then when it happened they acted like it happened out of nowhere and we we we were in that meeting we were told by the rand corporation who they were hired to do like a threat assessment like point blank They were like, oh, they're going to try to hack into your shit. And then months later, they did. And they acted like, who could have known this happened? So, like, right away, I would have probably taken that meeting that they called to have much more seriously, which they didn't. And then there was, I think, the waffling of whether or not to release it, whether or not to stand by it.

53:02Seth Rogen:All that was confusing at the time. And, again, it's a crazy situation these people were in. So it's hard to, you know, really say what the what the best way they could have handled it was. But at the time, we were frustrated, I remember, and felt like we were, you know, there were sort of mixed messages. And I remember them. I remember Linton thinking Obama was going to like Sony had decided to pull it. And then I remember there was a big press conference. And I remember Michael Linton being really sure that Obama in his press conference was going to like back up the decision to pull. the movie and and then they had a press conference the first like five questions were about the interview which was insane and i remember the obama was like in no uncertain terms should they have pulled this he's like it was absolutely the wrong choice oh man well uh okay so in the you guys followed that you had uh co-writing co-producing voicing sausage party 2016 you produced and played a smaller part in the disaster artists for with Franco in 2017 2019 is long shot producing and playing uh opposite your good friend I know Charlize and as we mentioned some of these dramatic things mixed in including probably most uh significantly the Fablemans which was which was great and must have been pretty surreal uh even for a guy who's been around like yourself yeah but okay so then we're we're basically up into the pandemic and that is when I understand in fact I I think it was during the Fable Men's, you've said that the seeds were planted for the studio.

54:41So what if you could describe what was the original impetus? Was it to make a specific point about the state of Hollywood today or what was the idea at the beginning? No, mostly the idea was like me and Evan could sort of see in the in the tea leaves that like it was going to be harder and harder for us to be really funny in a movie.

55:04Seth Rogen:And I wanted, I had been doing, I just did Pam and Tommy. I was doing the Fablemans. Like, we had made Disaster Artist. You know, like, I could see my career going in a more dramatic direction. Because I could see that being the stuff that was getting made more, basically. And I really wanted to do something funny. And I wanted to do something that allowed me to perform funny scenes, basically. and so that was really like what I was actively trying to think of and and I knew it would probably be on television because that just seemed like where comedy was sort of thriving at that time you know and so I was re-watching the Larry Sanders show during the pandemic I was making the Fablebins which was very personal to Stephen and I was very inspired by kind of how unabashedly personal it was and and this idea that I yeah that it's like the idea that I play a studio executive sort of like popped into my head and was like oh that could actually be a really funny way to do all this stuff that I want to do which is like incredibly personal something like really is about my life and my fears and insecurities and interactions and the things that stress me out on a day-to-day basis and things I love and that I am passionate about.

56:24Seth Rogen:And it just seemed like a funny, and it was one of those ideas where as soon as we thought of it, we couldn't stop coming up with ideas, which also for a TV, which told us it was a good idea for a television show, basically. It was like, oh, we just like instantly came up with 20 episodes for the show right when we, all based on stuff that had happened to us. And that was all so nice. It was like, oh, just by living our lives, we are organically getting more and more material for the show. And so that was, yeah, it really came up like during the pandemic while I was shooting The Fablemans. And you have now been in this business at a high level for more than 25 years.

57:03You've, I'm sure, encountered Matt Remick's in many incarnations. Oh, yeah. is Matt Remick a character that you, at the end of the day, sympathize with? I mean, he's got he's some people would look at him and say, like, you know, oh, poor guy. He's got a deal. You know, he's getting zillions of dollars to make movies, you know, all this stuff. But on the other hand, I could see a very strong counter argument that, you know, trying to do the right thing when you're boxed in. Right. So, like, how do you feel about this guy?

57:35Seth Rogen:I really sympathize with the character and I don't know if he's particularly good at his job. Or I don't necessarily think he makes the right choices, but it's all based on my own feelings. You know what I mean? And it's inherently a comedic struggle that my character faces. And it's inherently a struggle that we face very regularly in the industry, which is like, it is like the conflict between art and commerce. It's the most common issue that people who work in this industry face. And I think what things like the interview showed me, what being very close with Amy and people like Matt Tolmach showed me was how much these people actually love movies.

58:13Seth Rogen:And I think that is the thing that's probably most misinterpreted by people who look at Hollywood from the outside is you think these people are just like suits who don't care. But the truth is they love movies. They would work somewhere else if they didn't. They could be making more money in other fields. Most of these people have incredible educations and are very driven and, you know, very articulate and smart people, you know, who could thrive in many fields. But they chose movies because they love movies. But also, they are really the inflection point between art and commerce. And it is their decisions that sort of dictate which lane things will go down.

58:53Seth Rogen:And to me, that is, it is a position I'm sympathetic with. It is a position I myself and him all the time. But for me, I'm just much less conflicted about it than my character is. Because also I'm like, I have my own company. So like it would be harder for me to get fired. And these studio people, I've just seen it. Like they're very interchangeable. I know people that have run studios for a few months. How long was Donald the line of Paramount? Like, you know, and it's like, so you just see that there is no job security in any way, shape or form. And their boards of directors don't care about movies.

59:29Seth Rogen:Exactly. Yeah, they work for these giant conglomerates that don't give a shit about any. I mean, it's like network. It's very much like network where you just see the conflict between these entities. And if they just didn't care, it wouldn't be comedic or conflicted. But they do care. And to me, that's what was really interesting and funny is, you know, we put a lot of thought into making a character that at his core had a comedic issue, you know, and that he himself was the architect of his own pain in many ways, where it's because he cares that everything is complicated. And if he just didn't care, it wouldn't be that complicated.

1:00:14Seth Rogen:If he was just willing to make the bad movie, it wouldn't matter. The show would be a very uneventful show. But the fact that he loves the process and loves directors and wants to be a part of the process and wants to be part of the team and wants to feel like he's, you know, a creative person, an artist, all that is what makes the show comedic. And it's something that I very much personally sympathize with. Yeah. And how about for you just workload wise? I mean, you've been, as we said, in every capacity there is on a movie. But when you're now coming back to TV in a in all of these capacities and putting yourself into corners in a way where, OK, we've got to get cameos.

1:00:55We've got to shoot. You've made a decision. You're going to shoot with one camera most of the time. Long takes. Right. All of that on and on and on. And did you quite realize what you were signing up for or was that a bit of a surprise as well?

1:01:09Seth Rogen:No, we knew. It was not that different from a movie. Like, we, and I don't, we produce other TV shows, so I just see it's not like this. Like, we wrote every episode beforehand and then, like, cross-boarded it like a film. And it was 60 days of shooting, I think, which is comparable to movies we've shot before. And so it really felt like a movie. And we set ourselves up to make it feel that way. Like we wanted it to feel that way. And cause that's what we were more familiar with. And, and it wasn't the thing where we're shooting episode three while we're writing episode seven, you know, everything was written beforehand and, and it was shot efficiently as a result.

1:01:53Seth Rogen:But, but yeah, things like the cameos and the, but all that's fun. Like we, we, we know what we're doing and, and, and to us like that's, we like to make it hard on ourselves cause we like to kind of over deliver I guess like we know that there's a lot out there and and it's exciting for us to feel like we're truly offering something additive you know and so we know how hard that is and we know we don't take for granted anyone watching our show or enjoying our show like we we know it's you have to like really fight for every you know second of people's attention and so that that's really like a part of the the fun challenge to us is like how much can we put into this show that makes it exciting and makes people feel like it's worthy of their time.

1:02:38Well, last question for me, if I can, is just this movie, or excuse me, this show obviously has gone over so well, but especially here in town where people can really appreciate on a different level than probably others. Now we see just a few weeks ago, breaks Ted Lasso's record for the most Emmy nominations for a rookie comedy series ever. Most nominated comedy of the year. I wonder just how you've processed that and also where we are as far as season two. I imagine you've gotten both feedback from the kinds of people who you guys portray, but also offerings from people who now see the potential to get their stories or whatever into future seasons.

1:03:21So just what you've made of the response to season one and what we're looking forward to with hopefully many more seasons.

1:03:28Seth Rogen:Yeah, I mean, the response is so lovely and amazing and outside of anything I could have ever hoped for or imagined. Like, my career is not one steeped with awards attention. And I've accepted it, and that's become fine with me, you know. So it is nice and sort of novel that this, you know, after working for this long, something new and exciting can happen. And so it's not lost on me and Evan, and we're very thrilled about it. And honestly, I'm mostly genuinely happy for everyone who worked on the show who who I would spend all day every day with who I would view is just like so imperative to the process.

1:04:07Seth Rogen:And our costume people are cinematographer, production designers, all the guest stars, the cameos, all the actors. Like to me, I was like, none of this would be happening without these people. And I was such big fans of their work and so appreciative of their contributions that I'm so happy that like with that, you know, wonderful number that goes along with the amount of nominations. Like what it really is, is like the individuals who made the show getting recognition, which to me is like incredibly exciting. Including five of six guest acting nominees. Exactly. Guest actor nominees. Which is also lovely because like you convince these people to do this stuff and you just don't want them to feel like they're wasting their time.

1:04:45Seth Rogen:Ron Howard was never nominated before. It's amazing. And you want them to feel like they are getting something out of it. And I'm very aware of like, I don't want to feel like you're just giving something to me. I hope that this is something that you are happy with as well. And so it's nice that that's happened. And yeah, we're, we are really in the midst of, I think we've just come up with all 10 episodes of the second season. And now we're, you know, in, in the process of actually writing them. And yeah, it's, I mean, we don't make it easy on ourselves, truthfully. Like the cameos, I wish it is nice because I go to parties and events now and people who I'm a huge fan of come up to me and tell me they like the show and express that they would be interested in being in it.

1:05:23Seth Rogen:But the truth is, like, we come up with the episodes in such a way that, like, there's very specific people that fill the roles that we need. And the jokes of the episode is often constructed around people who fill very specific roles within the industry. Such as Matt Belly, my former colleague. about felony and so and so it actually is not easy for us to be like oh this person wants to be on the show let's write them a role if anything we come up with the joke of the episode and the idea and we're like oh and unfortunately there's only three people in the industry who fit this this sort of description and this criteria for what serves our joke you know what i mean and so unfortunately we've we've not made it easy on ourselves and as i look to the cameos we're hoping yet for the second season it seems just as stressful and hard as the first season was in a lot of ways well if it's any consolation i know uh everybody i know uh in in this business is is can't wait for it and uh and i so appreciate you doing this 10 years after doing it before another 10 years to you and see you in another 600 episodes yeah exactly awesome thank you really appreciate it that was great thank you so much

1:06:42Thanks for listening to Awards Chatter. We really appreciate it and would really appreciate you taking just a minute more to subscribe to the podcast and to leave us a rating and review on your podcast app. And to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, where our handle is at Awards Chatter. On those platforms, we announce upcoming guests and provide details about special live recordings of the podcast that you can attend. Until next time, thanks again for tuning in.

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