Russell Brand and Jonah Hill sat down to discuss their characters in the upcoming "Get Him to the Greek," a spinoff of the hit comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008) by the same director, Nick Stoller. They also ruminated on consumerism, the true purpose of comedy and the proper execution of a sex scene.
Question: So there's a lot of music in this movie; did you have any input in creating it?
Russell Brand: Well I sang all of the songs obviously, out of my face. I opened it up, and out came the vibrations. The only times I'd change [the lyrics] is if people would deliberately try to write things that sound English but don't. But generally I'd leave them, because there were some brilliant songwriters, like Jarvis Cocker from Pulp wrote a couple, Carl Barat from the Libertines, so you know, you can't.
Q: How do you feel when people imitate you to your face?
RB: They do that a lot! It happens all the time. But I don't mind; it's sort of a tribute. Also, remember, I'm used to being in England where my Englishness and English accent are commonplace. So it's like sort of "Gulliver's Travels," it's like a Swift-ian satire, having people mimic my own accent at me. It's good because I think, "Oh wow! This thing that is commonplace here is exotic somewhere else."
Q: I've heard your American accents in your standup, and it's really spot-on.
RB: Thank you very much, I've been observing you people on the petri dish called Earth.
Q: What are your findings?
RB: Well this is the dominant culture. We're all to a degree Americans now, now that colonialism is achieved through commerce and consumerism and not through imperialism and the military, although one could argue to a lesser degree that it still is. We are all imbibing American culture.
Q: Comparing Aldous Snow in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" to Aldous Snow in "Get Him to the Greek," where would you say Russell Brand, the man, falls?
RB: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was a laugh because that was very much about restraint. That was a supporting role in Jason [Segel]'s movie, and I had to be measured and gentle. The key thing for me was to make a sympathetic villain. The function of that character was to antagonize the protagonist.
But in this film, the character is back on drugs, the arc is driven by his behavior, and it's like a double act with Jonah [Hill]. So, I had a lot more room to explore that darkness and to show off a bit. Because I was a junkie for a long time, I was able to mine that rich resource of my own madness. They don't muck about, these Judd Apatow people, they would ask me, "What was it like? Tell us stories." And so there are things in this film that have happened to me. I'm playing [a character] that has moments of explosiveness and rawness.
Q: What was the worst part of filming "Get Him to the Greek?"
RB: I got set on fire once. There's a bit in the movie where I do a concert, and there's a wall of sparks raining down from the heavens. And it caught me on fire. I stood in the wrong place; I caught on fire for a little. That was a bad bit. And also sex scenes. They're actually sort of stressful. Not like actual sex — not as I know it.
Q: Follow-up on that — the threesome scene was actually really funny. I can only imagine how awkward it was.
RB: Oh it was really awkward and difficult. Because sex, when it's done properly, is about creating a wonderful atmosphere of intimacy, escape and adventure. Sex scenes are about hesitant, angular, choreographed moves. And this is a comedy sex scene as well, so it goes on for ages, and you're standing with no pants, hunched over someone. You're aware of each other's breath mingling but without the baseline of lust pounding rhythmically through the act. It's awful.
Q: Is Jonah Hill a good kisser?
RB: I love that kid. Yeah, me and Jonah kissed. I don't see why that's in the film. We were at home when that happened. He's a very tender boy.
Q: So, you got to work with P. Diddy. How cool was that?
Jonah Hill: Pretty cool. I've got to say awesome. He really helped me get into character. He and his friends took me and my best friends to Vegas the weekend before we started shooting and gave us the full P. Diddy experience for 72 hours. And I recommend, if you're ever about to start a four-month shoot as the lead in a movie, the three days before should not be spent partying with Diddy in Vegas.
Q: You're a fan of Woody Allen films. How has Allen influenced your career?
JH: Woody Allen, to anyone who makes comedic films, is pretty much the premier comedic filmmaker of all time. I think he achieved so much emotion … and so much beauty in these films while still making them hysterically funny. In "Greek," I think the surprising thing is that by the end you feel some sentiment and care about the characters. I think Nick Stoller is really good at creating sentiment in a really funny film.
Q: What would you do if you hadn't ended up doing what you're doing, and you were in our position and could do whatever you wanted?
JH: I kind of dropped out of school to do what I wanted. If this weren't my job, I would do this for free. My advice to anyone: sit down and write, get some friends, get a camera, don't make it fancy. Make little films. Make shorts, put up a play. That's what I'd be doing now if I weren't getting paid for it. Just find something that you love and work your ass off at it. Hard work is the main thing. There shouldn't be a day that goes by that you aren't working hard at getting better at doing what you want to do. That was the "dad lecture" portion of the interview.
Q: What was it like throwing out the first pitch at Fenway [on April 18]?
JH: It was fantastic. I just felt really cool. I felt like I had accomplished something. I felt honored, like I had actually accomplished enough that someone would want me to go out and throw that first pitch.
