Superbad - Christopher Mintz-Plasse Interview
Christopher Mintz-Plasse makes his feature film debut with the R-rated coming of age comedy Superbad. Mintz-Plasse joined cast members Aviva and Emma Stone to talk about working on the comedy at the film's Hollywood premiere.
Transcript: Superbad - Christopher Mintz-Plasse Interview
Rebecca Murray from About.com Hollywood Movies at the Hollywood Premiere of Superbad.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse ('Fogell/McLovin')
Tell me about working on this. Did you ever have a moment when you just lost it and could not keep it under control?
Christopher Mintz-Plasse: "All the time. There'd be so many scenes where Bill [Hader] and Seth [Rogen] would be improv'ing, and I'd ruin the take by laughing because they're so funny."
How do you keep up with them? How were you able to throw your own improv's in?
Christopher Mintz-Plasse: "I would, I guess, just be myself. They were very welcoming, and they said I was funny, so I just kept improv'ing with them and that was that. They said I was good, so I did what I do."
What do you think about the fact that McLovin has caught on?
Christopher Mintz-Plasse: "That's crazy. When I first read the script, I saw the name and I was like, I didn't think it was going to be like McLovin. I thought it was lame at first. But now everyone's loving it, so that's good."
For young adults who haven't seen it yet, what can they expect?
Christopher Mintz-Plasse: "Realism, I think. Anyone who goes into it will be like, 'Wow, I knew those kids,' or 'That's how my high school experience was like…'"
Producer Judd Apatow briefly joins Mintz-Plasse
Judd Apatow: "He's getting so good at this!"
So audiences can expect…?
Christopher Mintz-Plasse: "Yeah, I think anyone who goes in there will be like, 'I knew those kids,' or 'I was that kid.' I think it's very realistic to how high school is."
Emma Stone ('Jules')
How did you keep under control?
Emma Stone: "You mean without laughing? I didn't. I think they literally… I think the takes they used in the movie were the only takes that I wasn't laughing in. So it's like 80 terrible takes, one good one, cool."
Did they do that to you on purpose?
Emma Stone: "No, they did that because they're hysterical. Yeah, it was the hardest thing ever. But now I feel like I can withstand a lot because I'm like, 'You're not as funny as Jonah [Hill] and Michael [Cera]. Bring it on!'"
Did you know people like this in high school?
Emma Stone: "You know, I think everybody did, some kind of version of them. But I love that they're not like a standard nerd character. There was no one exactly like them, which I really love because you're watching a story about not someone you know, but someone you don't know at all. So it's great."
When you first read the script, especially the fact that it was so male-dominated, were you a little frightened or worried about that at all – doing the R-rated comedy with these guys?
Emma Stone: "It's completely my sense of humor so I was like, 'Finally a script that gets me!' So it was definitely not a scary moment."
And you have a comedy coming up with Anna Faris, right?
Emma Stone: "Yes. It's called House Bunny. I was there at 5am this morning so I'm just kind of chugging along. Yeah, it's about a Playboy Bunny that gets kicked out of the Mansion and goes to become housemother to the nerdiest sorority on campus. And I'm the president of that sorority."
I don't see you as nerdy.
Emma Stone: "Oh trust me, you will see it. Yeah. No makeup, glasses, it works…"
Aviva ('Nicola')
Tell me how much fun it was on the set.
Aviva: "It was amazing. It was non-stop laughs. These guys are just like spontaneous in every minute. Every take was different, and most of the time I was just trying not to laugh."
How did you keep it together?
Aviva: "You can like focus on their eyebrow, or whatever it takes, really."
How close was your part to what was actually in the script and how much was off the cuff at the time?
Aviva: "I think a lot of it I came into the audition room with. They liked those ideas, like showing the thong and all that. They were like, 'Yeah, that's good. We're keeping that. Okay.' But the guys are great. A lot of it's just reactionary to whatever they're doing, you know?"
Superbad Resources: