STACK #192 Oct 2020

FEATURE FILM

THE 40-YEAR-OLD-VIRGIN (2005) Steve Carell plays the nerd who’s never “done the

deed” in one of Apatow’s funniest films. The famous chest-waxing scene was done for real, with the committed Carell telling the director prior to shooting, “It has to be

real. It won’t be as funny if it’s mocked up, or if it’s a special effect. You have to see this is really happening.” Ouch!

kicking around

real emotions, and some of the events, of Pete’s life,” explains Apatow. “This isn’t a story about 9/11, but it is a story about a young man whose firefighter father died while fighting a fire. “In a lot of ways, it’s an imagining of what Pete’s life would have been if he didn’t find comedy and was still in Staten Island in his mid-20s, going nowhere. “When we started writing together, Pete, Dave and I would sit down and just talk,” he continues. “We would spend hours talking about all of the things that Pete’s been through and how he feels about it. Our story evolved out of those conversations.” “My character in the movie is probably about 75 very advanced and mature, as both a writer and a comic thinker. It was immediately clear he’s a special person. He’s someone that people are interested in and sympathetic to. He’s charismatic, and we are interested in his struggle. People want to know how he’s doing. This movie is a way for him to express what he’s been through, and how’s he’s fought through it. “It’s an incredible thing to share something that’s this hard with others. It’s a real gift. I don’t know if Pete thought about that a lot while we were making it. But I am always aware that it’s beautiful to be willing to open up to the world with what you’ve gone through. I think it makes people feel a lot better about their own struggles. This story is a way for him to connect with people and to say, ‘I’m struggling but I’m getting per cent me,” Davidson says. “Maybe more, I can’t really tell.” The director believes that no one but Davidson could be this raw. “When I first met Pete, I was just amazed at how funny he was,” Apatow says. “He was

this idea, what would happen if Pete’s mom started dating a fireman… and how would that affect Pete’s character? What would that bring up? There’s nothing funnier Davidson’s trials and experiences growing up, the film required more than just jokes, with Apatow providing the crucial character arc and story that enabled the script to resonate on a deeper level. “Judd showed us the than hating your mom’s boyfriend.” As a semi-fictionalised account of

KNOCKED UP (2007) Having worked with Seth Rogen on TV series Freaks

& Geeks , Apatow cast him in his first leading role as a slacker who discovers he’s going to be a dad following a drunken one-night stand with Katherine Heigl’s character. The screenplay was partially inspired by the birth of Apatow and Leslie Mann’s first daughter, Maude.

importance of treating a comedy with the same level of respect that any story should deserve,” Sirus says. “Judd helped us learn how to keep things organic and real, as well as to never feel like you’re cutting and pasting.” Adds Davidson: “Our first draft was just 90 pages of jokes; once Judd dug in with us it became 120 pages of jokes with emotion.”

My character in the movie is probably about 75 per cent me. Maybe more...

THIS IS 40 (2012) Knocked Up ’s supporting players Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprise their roles of Pete and Debbie,

who are now nearing the titular milestone in this “sort-of-sequel”. Although Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl don’t appear, Jason Segel and Tim Bagley are back as Jason and Dr. Pellagrino, respectively.

The filmmaker was also keen to balance the humour with a positive message about healing. “I wanted for our character to open up to love,” Apatow says, “as well as have the potential for a father figure in his life.” Apatow admits that his films are usually comedies with drama, but with The King of Staten Island he wanted to make a drama that has comedy in it. “I tried to reverse my priorities,” he says. “The most important thing here was the story and the characters and the people. I thought, ‘Well, I’d like it to be funny, but it doesn’t have to be riotous in every scene. Let’s just tell this story with very entertaining people in it, and we’ll see where it lands comedically.”

TRAINWRECK (2015) Amy Schumer plays a free spirit who must overcome her fear of commitment when she begins a relationship with a prominent orthopedic

surgeon (Bill Hader). Schumer wrote the screenplay with Apatow in mind to direct, including elements she hoped would lure him to the project. It worked!

One of the initial conversations between the three writers was how honest the story should be. “We decided that it could be completely fictional but use all the

• The King of Staten Island is out on Oct 28

better. It’s hard and here’s what my path looks like; you’re going to be okay also.’”

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