Written Interview: Evan Goldberg

Screendaily interview with co-writer/director of the hit comedy This is the End:

How did This is the End come together, creatively and financially?

It started out years ago with our old friend Jason Stone and us sitting around drinking one night and coming up with the idea for an eight-minute short. Jason released it on the net as a one minute trailer called Jay and Seth vs the Apocalypse but the idea was kept alive.

We talked about it a lot and finally came up with the redemptive storyline for the ending and decided to base the whole thing on the true events of Jay leaving LA and Seth sticking it out.

Getting the movie financed was the biggest problem. No one wanted to make a film in which actors played themselves. We were rejected by every single company in town, including most of the studios, except Sony. Actually, we didn’t pitch it to Warner Bros — I don’t think they know we exist. Some people didn’t even call us back.

We truly thought we’d have a bidding war because we had all six primary actors attached. To this day I don’t understand what happened. Everyone asked: “This apocalypse thing is great but do they have to play themselves?” Yes, they do, that’s the whole point! But we’re used to it. Jud [Apatow] had to fight forever to get Superbad and Pineapple Express made.

Sony were the only ones who would take a chance on us. But even then we had to say we were going to shoot a lighter version, but we didn’t do that.

— —

Who was the funniest on set?

Michael [Cera] was the funniest, the best, the craziest in every regard. Out of the six main guys, [James] Franco took it to another level. We have a game where we pushed them to a point where they wouldn’t do or say something. Jonah [Hill], for example, wouldn’t say certain sexual things. Craig [Robinson] wouldn’t insult Mother Theresa. Jay [Baruchel] wouldn’t insult Canada, hockey or the Montreal Canadiens, no matter what. Danny [McBride], I tried to get him to moon the camera.

Seth [Rogen] and Franco were the two people I couldn’t get to say no to something. But Seth is a cheat because he could edit it out. Franco couldn’t be phased. He has no shame, in the greatest way possible. The Neapolitan ice cream joke might be the funniest joke I’ve ever heard. He improvised that.

Also, Danny McBride in the breakfast sequence was a tour-de-force. He came up with that on the spot. The actors would say he was the all-star of the six main ca

For the rest of the interview, go here.

Comment Archive