Video:Hall Pass-Stephen Merchant, Nicky Whelan Interviews

Transcript:Hall Pass-Stephen Merchant, Nicky Whelan Interviews

Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the World Premiere of New Line Cinema's Hall Pass.

Stephen Merchant - 'Gary' in Hall Pass

I wanted more of you in the film.

Stephen Merchant: "Thank you very much. I like it a woman who says she wants more of me. I appreciate that."

Is there a lot of stuff on the cutting room floor that we'll see on the DVD?

Stephen Merchant: "I'm afraid there is, yeah."

Well, that's good. At least it'll be on the DVD.

Stephen Merchant: "Did you stay for the after the credits."

Yes, and I think there should be more.

Stephen Merchant: "I know. Are you thinking spin-off?"

I am. That would work, with just the three guys that hung out with [Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis].

Stephen Merchant: "Yeah, they'd just go off doing their thing. I'll pitch that to them."

Can we pitch that?

Stephen Merchant: "Do you want to cut of this?"

Well, I think I deserve it.

Stephen Merchant: "Well, I don't know...maybe."

Is this your type of comedy? Is this the humor that you normally go for, because it's different than yours?

Stephen Merchant: "It's not the humor that I write. The stuff I write is more pretentious, but this is the sort of stuff that makes me laugh. I watched the movie in London on my own in a little room, and I was laughing out loud - and I never laugh at anything. And I just love the fact that the guys really know what they're doing. They know what makes them laugh and that's the only thing you can do with comedy. You can't try and second-guess your audience; you've got to something that you know is going to make you laugh and hope other people share your view. And that's what the guys do. And as I say, there's some really funny moments in this film."

Is it tough to be directed by two people? Is there a tug-of-war?

Stephen Merchant: "Not at all. No, no, no. They seem to have it worked out. I'm not entirely sure how it worked, but it seemed to work smoothly. They never argued, they never fuss. I work with Ricky Gervais a lot so we do a similar thing where we collaborate and direct together. So, no. Also, I'm a hired hand. I'm not trying to interfere from the directorial point of view or the writer's point of view. I'm just there doing my lines, trying to get a bit of extra screen time. Yeah, it was painless."

Is it tough for you because you are a writer/director, and to put that aside and just act in a comedy?

Stephen Merchant: "No, I think I really enjoy it. It's like a day off. When you're writing and directing it's so exhausting, it's so stressful. You've got your finger on everything all the time. It's like a 24 / 7 job. With this, you're mucking around in the hotel. You get chauffeur-driven to the place. Someone puts you in an outfit. You muck around for a bit and then you go home. It's perfect."

But did you do any improv?

Stephen Merchant: "We improvised a little bit and, again, I'm sure that's on the cutting room floor. One of the things with improv often is that you improvise on the day and everyone cracks up because they've heard the script 10 times. And when you get back to the editing room, it's often the stuff that is written down that is the stuff that really makes it into the film. It's the funniest stuff."

Is going to play to a British audience as well as it will play to Americans?

Stephen Merchant: "I think so. You know, British people like to think that they're sophisticated - we try and cultivate this air that we're all into Shakespeare. We're not. We're telling naughty jokes, blue jokes, and that's what the people will respond to when they see the film."

Nicky Whelan - 'Leigh' in Hall Pass

Nicky Whelan: "Originally it was for an Australian and they changed it to an American. And then when I when I went in, I didn't know they'd changed it back to American so I was really ballsy going in there going, 'Oh, it's going to be for an Aussie.' And they're like, 'No, American.' And Peter was actually in the audition, Peter Farrelly, and he looked at me and said, 'Go with your accent.' And they kept it. I loved that and I think Australia really likes it too because very rarely do they keep an Australian accent in such a big movie. Hey, it makes my life easier."

If they'd wanted to do American, can you do an American that easily?

Nicky Whelan: "Yes, I can. We've sort of studied it over the years. So much of Australian television is American, so we run around and pretend to be American as we're kids anyway. But, yeah, I've spent some time with a coach and stuff and I've filmed other stuff with the accent as well. It's nice to do both."

They allow a lot of improv, so were you able to keep up with that?

Nicky Whelan: "They save you. When you're working with really good comedians, even if they decide to throw something in out of nowhere, we all lifted up. It's a really safe environment. I didn't feel like panicked at any moment. Natural reactions are great, so if something's thrown at you whatever you give back, sometimes actually is funnier - especially with Owen, who's wonderful."

Is there going to be stuff on the DVD, maybe the blooper reel, that you're excited to see because you remember the scene?

Nicky Whelan: "I think so. I think they've done a few little sort of bloopery things at the end with Stephen Merchant. But there is funny stuff on set, and I hope they do - I hope there is something on the DVD about bloopers because with comedy you get cracker stuff, you get really good stuff, and especially with these guys. Everyone's funny."

Did working with the Farrellys live up to your expectations?

Nicky Whelan: "Oh definitely. They were so good to work with and everyone's like, 'It's not always like that.' And I'm like, 'I hope I can make 20 more movies with them."

Well they do like to take the same crowd from movie to movie.

Nicky Whelan: "All their crew and everybody are all the same people. It's a real family, and it's a really good environment. It's a nice little gang to break through into because they're a bunch of really good guys."

And your opinion of a hall pass - never a good idea?

Nicky Whelan: "No, no, no, no, no. Never a hall pass. No hall pass!"

More on Hall Pass:

Hall Pass Photos

Hall Pass Press Conference




Hall Pass Trailer, Poster and Cast List