Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Jason Segel Interview
Jason Segel shows off everything - and I do mean everything - in 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall,' the latest comedy from the folks behind 'Knocked Up.' Segel wrote the movie and stars as a guy trying to get over a breakup with his TV star girlfriend.
Transcript: Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Jason Segel Interview
Jason Segel (Writer and Star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
The penis, you had to do that?
Jason Segel: "Yes. I got to do that. It was a terrifying experience. A little bit of whiskey helped, and the support of Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis was very integral. But yeah I did it. My mom wasn't too proud, but it's out there now."
How did she react?
Jason Segel: "She cried."
Did she really?
Jason Segel: "She did. She got up and walked out of the theater for 10 minutes and then came back in."
She was that shocked? Did you warn her in advance?
Jason Segel: "I didn't, and that was my own mistake. I thought it would be funny not to tell my mother that I had done full frontal nudity."
That's never funny.
Jason Segel: "No. And then immediately after, she sent emails to my entire family warning them that I had done that."
So are they going to see it or are they too shocked to go see it now that they know?
Jason Segel: "They're all going to see it, which will be amazing at the next family function."
Did you know all along that you were going to do that or is that something that gradually worked its way into the script?
Jason Segel: "Well Judd [Apatow] has been gradually undressing me on the screen for the past 10 years or so. It started on Freaks and Geeks."
That's a strange relationship.
Jason Segel: "It is. It started on Freaks and Geeks, he had me in little Speedo underwear. And then Undeclared he had me in a towel. In Knocked Up he had me with my hand over my crotch. And now he's got me fully naked so he's achieved his goal."
But this one's actually you doing it to yourself.
Jason Segel: "Yes. Yes, it is."
So does that count as Judd?
Jason Segel: "Yeah, I like to blame Judd for that one. Otherwise it seems vain."
So tell me about your fascination with puppets.
Jason Segel: "Yeah, I've just loved puppets since I was a little kid. I remember watching the old Muppet Show and seeing like Peter Sellers on there and Dudley Moore, and thinking, 'This is what I want to do when I get older.' And so I've had Muppet and puppets in my house my whole life, and so when I got to do this movie and have the Henson Company design our puppets, it was truly a dream come true. And then to parlay that into writing the new Muppet movie with Nick the director is basically, it's a little boy's dream come true."
Did you actually have a Dracula musical sitting around your house?
Jason Segel: "I did. I did. It's horribly embarrassing. During my out of work I was convinced that a puppet Dracula musical could really be the way I'd launch my career. At one point I played it for Judd and Nick and Shauna [Robertson, producer] and they laughed hysterically – and that hurt. But next thing I knew it was in the movie, so it was well worth it."
How long ago did you write it?
Jason Segel: "It was five years ago or so. It's been sitting around."
Did you rewrite it at all for the movie?
Jason Segel: "Yeah, because unfortunately I was writing it without a sense of irony when I was originally writing it. So once we realized it was going to be for a comedy, we had to funny it up a bit."
So once you started writing the script was it always an integral part of it?
Jason Segel: "No, you know what happened? Romantic comedies – you know the guy's going to end up with the girl. That's how a romantic comedy's going to end. So it was a real challenge to try to think of a unique, fun way to end the movie. At one point I suggested, 'What about the Dracula musical?' And Judd looked at me and he said, 'That is a really strange idea.' And we tried it and I think it worked great. I love it."
How tough is it to actually do the puppeting?
Jason Segel: "You know what? I've been sadly playing with puppets for years and years, so it was old hat to me. But I don't know, it's a sad eccentricity on my part, but at least now I've turned it into a career."
The production notes say you wouldn't put the puppet down once they handed it to you. Is that true?
Jason Segel "No. He's my friend. Once he's on my hand, what am I going to do, just leave him there? He didn't have any other friends there."
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