Comedian and actor Nick Swardson has been one of Hollywood's rising stars of comedy ever since he was taken under the wing of Adam Sandler and his merry troupe of goofballs. The Daily got an opportunity to speak with Nick via telephone about his starring role in "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," which he co-wrote with Sandler and Happy Madison Productions coworker Allen Covert, as well as his whimsical experience playing an undersized porn star.
QUESTION: Could you describe how this idea was conceived and written?
NICK SWARDSON: Adam Sandler thought of the idea. He'd been kicking it around for a year or so and one day he called me up and said, "Look, I can't get this idea out of my head about this kid who finds his parents in a porno. Instead of being horrified, he decides that's his calling." Adam and I and our friend, Allen Covert, wrote the script and we didn't want to make it just filthy. It's actually a really sweet story about this kid trying to find his place.
Q: What's it like working with Adam Sandler?
NS: I've worked with Adam for eight years and it's great. Sandler is really creative, he works really hard; it's not like a super party atmosphere where we're high all day and doing beer bongs and cannonballs into a pool. Now, I'm a workaholic in the sense that I'm always multitasking and always thinking of as many projects as I can. Adam's always thinking of fresh ideas and stuff people haven't seen before.
Q: How did you research your role as a budding porn star?
NS: Obviously, I've watched 100,000 hours of pornography. It wasn't like I had to crack open a safe of knowledge I didn't already have. My character was way more naive and clueless.
Q: Do you have anything in common with Bucky?
NS: Not really. My teeth aren't that big, my hair is short, my penis is huge and I don't own a sweater vest.
Q: This was one of your first roles as the central character. Was there any added pressure?
NS: Yeah, there was a lot of pressure. Adam handed this movie off to me [because] he couldn't be there every day. It was definitely nerve-wracking throughout the process: editing, promotions, marketing … even now! But I'm proud of the final product.
Q: Were there any scenes that were the most fun to film?
NS: My stuff with Kevin Nealon — he plays my roommate. Those scenes are really funny because he [plays a] really abusive character and my character is so innocent. It was this extreme juxtaposition of different temperaments and sensibilities.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of this film?
NS: There were emotional moments in the movie. One of the hardest things for me was to try to stay in the moment, knowing that I looked so ridiculous. There were scenes with Christina Ricci where I would cry!
Q: Were there any scenes that were particularly awkward?
NS: Nothing was awkward. I'm completely fearless. Nothing intimidates me, nothing scares me. In "[I Now Pronounce You,] Chuck and Larry" (2007), I married VingRhames! Comedy is about commitment. I wanted to put everything I had into this movie, so I went in with no fear.
Q: For the record, who's your favorite porn star?
NS: Male or female? Jenna Jameson's probably my favorite female. Ron Jeremy's my favorite male because he's almost Bucky-esque in the sense that he does not look like a porn star. He looks like a guy who works at a gas station, and he had great chest hair.
Q: If you were really a porn star, would you have called yourself "Bucky Larson?" Do you think this movie will affect your love life?
NS: It's going to be huge for my love life, no pun intended. Bucky's penis is probably half of a Skittle, [whereas] mine's at least five Skittles. And, no, I would not choose "Bucky Larson." I would choose "Meryl Streak."
Q: If there were one thing you could say to convince people to see this movie, what would it be?
NS: It's unlike anything you're going to see. It's the same people who created "Grandma's Boy" (2006). It's funny, it's different and it's the weirdest assortment of comedy you'll ever see in your life.
Q: Is this movie a message to guys: Size really doesn't matter?
NS: Yeah. If you have a violently small penis and you see this movie, you will feel better about yourself. Even if you have a medium-to-small penis, you'll feel like a stud. If you have a huge penis, you'll feel like an alien because your penis is so gigantic.
