A couple weeks ago, this fearless, yet tragically accident-prone reporter traveled into Boston to sit in on a roundtable interview with Todd Phillips, director of the newly released "School for Scoundrels."
It was later discovered that "roundtable interview" can sometimes mean a two-to-one ratio of journalists to filmmakers, calling for far more than the two premeditated questions previously prepared. Fortunately, Todd Phillips' array of successful comedies, including "Old School" (2003), "Starsky and Hutch" (2004) and "Road Trip" (2000), as well as his masterful directing skills, provided more than enough discussion - at least for most of the time.
Q: Were the parts in "School for Scoundrels" specifically written for Jon Heder or Billy Bob [Thornton]?
TP: You know we wrote the script. The whole reason why I even wanted to do the movie and write the script was because I wanted an opportunity to work with Billy. This film had resonated with me, the [1960 British] original, and I thought that would be a good role to do with Billy Bob.
That was the impetus for the whole thing; it wasn't like I'm dying to remake [the original] - it was really the opportunity to work with Billy, so we wrote that part literally for him.
Jon Heder we cast after it was written, but, like any director/writer, you end up rewriting the script once the characters come on board, even [for] the smaller guys. The script doesn't even come alive until you actually start getting attached. Nothing affects a movie more than casting.
Q: What was it like working with [executive producers] Bob and Harvey Weinstein? They've got sort of a mixed reputation with the media.
TP: You know, the good thing about Bob and Harvey is also the bad thing. Bob and Harvey are owners, and when you work for Warner Brothers ... or Universal, you're not really dealing with the owners, because there are no owners.
It's stockholders that own a company, but with these two guys, you're dealing with the guys who own the company. It's their money; if they spend $20 million on a movie, it's their $20 million. That's good and bad; in other words, it's bad because it's very personal, and it's good because it means they're going to try hard. I think these are the most passionate guys out there.
Q: What kind of audience do you think you'll attract?
TP: This movie is kind of a weird one, because "Old School" is really for guys like us. And this movie, while I think it works for them, seems like it casts a wider net. It's interesting, because it really worked for women.
"Old School," when it first came out, girls really did not like it. We were just getting the worst scores with women, but this movie is getting good scores from both sides. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.
Q: That's interesting, because there really aren't, relatively speaking, that many female characters.
TP: I know, but it works, because at the core of what [the characters are] doing, they're doing it for a girl, whereas, at the core of "Old School," what they were doing, they were doing for themselves. That's selfishness in "Old School," and we all respond to it and we think it's funny, but, in this, they're doing it for a girl, so it [shows] more selflessness.
Q: What's your opinion on the labeling of the Frat Pack? I was reading online, and, apparently, they consider you to be the pledge.
TP: The pledge? [laughs] I don't know what that means: "the pledge." Um, what does that mean; is that good or bad? That's a lowly life.
Q: I guess it's because you're the director, not the star.
TP: It's such a silly term. I don't know. I think when people refer to it they're not referring to directors and writers; I think it is about [the actors], and I think those guys don't love it, either: just having a group of friends who happen to show up in each other's movies.
It's not really as premeditated or as thought-out as anybody thinks. It's like, even Ben [stiller] showing up in my movies, I called up Ben, and I was like, "Hey, we're shooting this thing in two weeks. Do you want to come down and shoot for two days?"
And he's like, "Sure." It wasn't like I have to find a Frat Pack member or anything.
Q: I hear you dropped out of the "Borat" project.
TP: I was going to direct it, but [I did drop out]. It didn't have to do with any specific incident, [despite] the thing starting and stalling a few times. The movie's great, and he's great, and it was a great experience to just collaborate.
Any more questions?
Q: [to the other reporter present at the interview] Well, you can go again.
TP: You are the most unprepared journalist. You're exactly how I would be; I'd be like, "Whatever."
