The actor and co-developer of the Emmy-recognized show explains to EW why he chose to appear in the comedy, shooting that Ron Howard scene, and other details.
Seth Rogenadmits he was in a haze—and not for the kinds of reasons associated with Pineapple Express.
The celebrity and co-developer of the Hollywood parodyThe Studiomentions that he was unsure how to handle the 23 Emmy nominations that the Apple TV+ series received in July for its highly discussed first season.
“It’s not something I’m accustomed to in the least,” he says.The Awardistpodcast, accompanied by his trademark — and lively — gravelly laugh. “It’s new for me, and it’s not something I ever anticipated because it’s not something that ever occurs.”
Perhaps even more difficult to believe: HisThe Fabelmans director Steven SpielbergSent him a congratulatory message on the morning of the nominations.
It’s moments like these that really blow my mind,” he says. “And being someone who has always loved movies and still can’t believe I’m able to work in this industry, I fully understand how incredible and amazing that is. It never fails to amaze me.
He could be getting accustomed to it—and maybe even to success, as the series has a good chance of securing multiple awards when the Emmys are announced on September 14. Rogen plays the newly appointed leader of a struggling film studio. In this position, he faces challenges in balancing his passion for creating meaningful art with the financial demands of the business and the need to produce popular content.
And since this is a comedy, he is accompanied by a group — the studio’s Vice President of Production (Ike Barinholtz), head of marketing (Kathryn Hahn), assistant (Chase Sui Wonders), and former studio supervisor/mentor (Catherine O’Hara) — individuals with good intentions but often end up involved in absurd antics and regularly attempting to resolve problems.
Although the storylines may seem absurd, they all stem from real-life experiences that Rogen, his co-creator and producing partner Evan Goldberg, and others he knows have encountered. This includes working with directors who are unwilling to accept feedback on their projects (Ron Howardportraying himself, handling actors and their requirements (Anthony Mackie, Dave Franco, and Zoë Kravitz, as well as themselves), and the studio’s chief executive officer (Bryan Cranston, not playing himself).
See more from EW’sThe Awardist, including exclusive interviews, insights, and our podcast exploring the top moments from the year’s finest in television, films, and beyond.
Below, view excerpts from Rogen’s interview onThe Awardistpodcast, and view the complete episode here:
Upon obtaining permission to mention, even if it’s a skewer, other studios and company brands
SETH ROGEN:If anything, I’m impressed by what wearepermitted to do. We keep writing things and then thinking, oh, they’ll tell us we can’t do this, or we need to change it, or we need to get legal permission for this. And it’s entirely unpredictable. After all these years, I’m still to this day surprised and puzzled by what gets flagged and what doesn’t. We didn’t need to clear Kool-Aid — we were permitted to use Kool-Aid.
THE AWARDIST: I would have assumed that would have been the top priority.
Me too! I would have too. What’s actually good is — and this is something I’ve discovered over the years as well — is that you can pretty much say anything in a story. It’s fiction. We’re not claiming it’s true, you know? So you can make a joke about just about anything. And that’s something we always discuss in meetings with lawyers.
The program’s numerous guest stars, including additional ones at the Golden Globes
We didn’t want them to just be decorative. We held ourselves to a high standard: if we were asking these individuals to participate, they needed to truly feel like an essential element of the story, of the episode, and have a very particular comedic role. Scorsese, I was completely surprised by—this happened very early on in the process, which was great and I think actually helped us get more people to agree to join throughout the filming of the show because we could say, “Martin Scorsese is in the first episode!” That was, I think, really enticing. And [Netflix co-CEO] Ted Sarandos, I was honestly totally taken aback. It’s so amusing that he did it. It felt like a real long shot when I contacted him, but he went through with it.
Why did he want to be part of the series?
I’ve been creating a lot of things lately that I really enjoy, but they aren’t particularly funny, honestly, and they don’t aim to be. I was shootingThe Fabelmanswhen we considered the concept. I had just completedPam and Tommy— it’s all work I am very proud of and believe is excellent, but it’s not necessarily the funniest stuff around. So I was really considering,I’m looking to do something amusing. I want to be humorous. I’d like to act out funny situations. I want to collaborate with funny individuals. And I want to return to that kind of lively atmosphere.I was really interested in figuring out—now that I’m a man in my mid-forties, what kind of comedy could I try now that feels somewhat fresh, challenging, and represents where I am in life right now?
The motivation behind that Ron HowardA Beautiful Mind rant
I recall being at one of the initial test screenings forBorat, I believe, and adding a note that no one enjoyed. Then Larry David was in the back row and mocked me.
Filming Howard and Rogen’s meeting room confrontation
ROGEN:We did it many times, maybe 14 or 15, or something like that. It was one of the most difficult [scenes]. It’s the longest scene that occurs in a single room throughout the entire series. This made it extremely challenging in terms of staging, camera work, and acting. It’s basically one long, continuous shot. And since we didn’t want it to be dull, we wanted it to have movement. The timing is very precise…Our camera operator, Mark, who did an amazing job and shot almost every scene of the whole show with the camera on his shoulder, was the most anxious that day compared to any other day because he felt it was entirely up to him to support the actors and get it right every time. He was keeping track of around 150 things; he was remembering where to go, where to aim the camera — it’s essentially like mentally recreating an entire edited scene.
He also needed the script to memorize.
Oh, yes. It wasn’t just the script, but also the timing of each cut. We’d [talk] between every scene, every take, and provide editorial feedback to him, saying things like, “You need to linger on my reaction for a fraction of a second longer, then pan to the other person for their reaction a bit quicker, then hold on them for a little while longer before cutting away.” And he would simply say, “Okay!” [We’d] wonder, “Is he really understanding this?” Then we’d watch the next take, and he would, in fact, do exactly that. It was truly impressive.
Where does season 2 continue the action?
Our show is deeply connected to our view of the current Hollywood landscape. We began writing the show before the strike, and then the strike occurred, causing us to take a significant break and return to it later. However, during the strike, Hollywood underwent many changes. Additionally, movies such asBarbieemerged and various events occurred that significantly altered the Hollywood scene. Therefore, I believe it’s crucial for us to be able to allude to such instancesSinners and Minecraft and Supermanand James Gunn along with studio executives who are also screenwriters and directors. It’s important for us to truly recognize what we see as the present state in Hollywood. And in that regard, a time cut seems like a positive approach, just so we aren’t stuck in the same place as two years ago.
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