Dinner For Schmucks
Actors Steve Carell and Paul Rudd star in Dinner for Schmucks directed by Jay Roach. The film is based on the 1998 French film The Dinner Game. Carell, now 47, has quietly become Hollywood’s most beloved comedic actor.
After the hit The 40 Year Old Virgin, this thespian has been gathering a lot of recognition in an industry where being bankable is a key element to get to the top.
The 40 Year Old Virgin, Date Night and Get Smart have not only grossed more than 150 million dollars apiece worldwide, but they have also brought a consequential rise to his stock. No wonder that the producers of Dinner for Schmucks (Walter F. Parkes and Laurie McDonald) thought of him as their first option for the role of the schmuck, and Carell just went for it.
"I wanted to do it immediately, especially when I heard that Jay (Roach) and Paul (Rudd) would potentially be involved. I think the fact that they were attached was a deciding factor for me".
Paul Rudd was definitely a sure bet to play the straight guy and a perfect partner for Carell. The duo has worked together before and the chemistry between them is definitely palpable. "There is even more love between us than at first sight (laughs). We did not have much time to rehearse, so the fact that we are friends and that we have worked before was very helpful.
"We would come right in and start working and trust one another" says Carell. For Paul the fact that he was inches away from him when his hair was being ripped of his chest during the shoot of The 40 Year Old Virgin was definitely a way to get rid of any boundaries. "It is definitely very helpful when you trust and like somebody like Paul" acknowledges Steve.
Paul Rudd has been one of those actors seen for years in tiny roles but always leaving a strong impression on the audience. It seems like the wait is over and finally the New Jersey born actor is having his opportunity to show what he is made of.
However, even though working with Steve might be a pleasant experience, he admits having problems controlling his laughter while shooting the film. "There is a scene where I could not stop laughing, at the brunch when Steve brings Lucy Punch. There was a lot playing around between Steve and David (Walliams).
"It was tough not to laugh. I just saw Steve´s face and burst into laughter. On certain occasions I think of something really macabre to stop laughing but it is actually counter productive. Breathing and thinking since I don’t want to be disrespectful is what ultimately works for me."
Since Dinner For Schmucks is not really a truthful remake of The Dinner Game but more of a reinvented version, both actors had the blessing from Jay Roach to allow their improv skills to fly free based on the new script by David Guion and Michael Handelman.
"We talked about the fact that this movie was different to The Dinner Game, so we did not want to see the original right before shooting this one. It would have stayed in our heads, even subconsciously and we did not want that, we did not want to act like a copycat of the actors in the original film.
"We look at Dinner For Schmucks like a way to create our own version", explains Rudd. "For me" adds Carell, "the objective was not to improve upon the original, because that would be impossible. It is the same attitude I took on the American version of The Office. The goal was to make something interesting and enjoyable without attempting to live up to the original".
The Diner Gamer by Francis Veber is one of the most beloved films in French cinema. The French writer/director has among his titles other gems like La Cage Aux Folles or Les Fugitifs. That alone should scare the hell out of Steve and Paul when the movie gets released in France but so far they are holding their ground.
"So far I have not read anything against our version" says Steve. "Me neither", adds Paul. "I don’t know about any critics or any reviews or anything like that. The original film has such fans, including us that I assume there will be people that will hate us because we are messing with it (smiles).
"On one hand I can understand that attitude, but let me remind you that this film is not really a remake. I hope people see this movie as its own thing and not a remake of The Dinner Game."
The cast in the film includes a fair amount of comedians like Zack Galifianakis (The Hangover), Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concordes), and David Walliams (Little Britain), which helped tremendously to create a collaborative environment.
"There was a pretty fair amount of amazing actors. Jay (Roach) likes to have everybody collaborate, come up with their own stuff, and, there’s so many fun characters in this movie and really funny people that made things very easy.
"The script was in pretty good shape though, so we certainly did what was written but had chances to improvise" explains Rudd. But, how do you keep your objectivity after repeating funny scenes over and over? According to Carell the truth of the matter is that you never know.
"You have your barometer while you are filming that tells you that something may be funny, but you just don’t really know until you ultimately sit down in the theater and watch it with a bunch of other people.
"Being funny in a movie is completely different from being funny at a live performance where you get that immediate response from people. We sort of gauge off each other, off Jay (roach) and off of the crew and other actors. There are a lot of funny people involved, so you try to take everyone’s opinion into account."
For Paul all the people involved in the film were really funny so according to him you just hope for the best result. "There are so many things that you cannot control as an actor, from editing to the weather. There is all this crazy stuff that goes into it and hopefully it works."
With Steve´s resume, this movie is most likely to succeed. Having become successful in his forties the actor assumes fame under a completely different perspective. "I can’t determine whether it is better to be famous now than being in your twenties. I am just thankful that it happened, that I got this degree of success.
"I never dreamt of this, I never aspired to it. I just wanted to be a working actor, to make a living out of it. So this is all a surprise for me. Obviously being famous at my age is different than being famous in your twenties. I now have my priorities pretty firmly in place, and they are my family and, you know, my home life is what´s really important to me.
"So all this came as a surprise. Had it happened earlier in life, I might not have had the sense or maturity to cope with it, as I think you do later on" explains the actor.
According to Paul, Steve has not changed a bit since he first saw him in Anchorman. "He has not changed at all since then. He is just as normal, nice and kind as he used to be. He has no entourage, no assistant. He is definitely not the stereotypical movie star" adds Paul looking at Steve in the eye.
"Oh, enough of that please" answers Steve, playing the humble role.
Dinner For Schmucks is out now
Actors Steve Carell and Paul Rudd star in Dinner for Schmucks directed by Jay Roach. The film is based on the 1998 French film The Dinner Game. Carell, now 47, has quietly become Hollywood’s most beloved comedic actor.
After the hit The 40 Year Old Virgin, this thespian has been gathering a lot of recognition in an industry where being bankable is a key element to get to the top.
The 40 Year Old Virgin, Date Night and Get Smart have not only grossed more than 150 million dollars apiece worldwide, but they have also brought a consequential rise to his stock. No wonder that the producers of Dinner for Schmucks (Walter F. Parkes and Laurie McDonald) thought of him as their first option for the role of the schmuck, and Carell just went for it.
"I wanted to do it immediately, especially when I heard that Jay (Roach) and Paul (Rudd) would potentially be involved. I think the fact that they were attached was a deciding factor for me".
Paul Rudd was definitely a sure bet to play the straight guy and a perfect partner for Carell. The duo has worked together before and the chemistry between them is definitely palpable. "There is even more love between us than at first sight (laughs). We did not have much time to rehearse, so the fact that we are friends and that we have worked before was very helpful.
"We would come right in and start working and trust one another" says Carell. For Paul the fact that he was inches away from him when his hair was being ripped of his chest during the shoot of The 40 Year Old Virgin was definitely a way to get rid of any boundaries. "It is definitely very helpful when you trust and like somebody like Paul" acknowledges Steve.
Paul Rudd has been one of those actors seen for years in tiny roles but always leaving a strong impression on the audience. It seems like the wait is over and finally the New Jersey born actor is having his opportunity to show what he is made of.
However, even though working with Steve might be a pleasant experience, he admits having problems controlling his laughter while shooting the film. "There is a scene where I could not stop laughing, at the brunch when Steve brings Lucy Punch. There was a lot playing around between Steve and David (Walliams).
"It was tough not to laugh. I just saw Steve´s face and burst into laughter. On certain occasions I think of something really macabre to stop laughing but it is actually counter productive. Breathing and thinking since I don’t want to be disrespectful is what ultimately works for me."
Since Dinner For Schmucks is not really a truthful remake of The Dinner Game but more of a reinvented version, both actors had the blessing from Jay Roach to allow their improv skills to fly free based on the new script by David Guion and Michael Handelman.
"We talked about the fact that this movie was different to The Dinner Game, so we did not want to see the original right before shooting this one. It would have stayed in our heads, even subconsciously and we did not want that, we did not want to act like a copycat of the actors in the original film.
"We look at Dinner For Schmucks like a way to create our own version", explains Rudd. "For me" adds Carell, "the objective was not to improve upon the original, because that would be impossible. It is the same attitude I took on the American version of The Office. The goal was to make something interesting and enjoyable without attempting to live up to the original".
The Diner Gamer by Francis Veber is one of the most beloved films in French cinema. The French writer/director has among his titles other gems like La Cage Aux Folles or Les Fugitifs. That alone should scare the hell out of Steve and Paul when the movie gets released in France but so far they are holding their ground.
"So far I have not read anything against our version" says Steve. "Me neither", adds Paul. "I don’t know about any critics or any reviews or anything like that. The original film has such fans, including us that I assume there will be people that will hate us because we are messing with it (smiles).
"On one hand I can understand that attitude, but let me remind you that this film is not really a remake. I hope people see this movie as its own thing and not a remake of The Dinner Game."
Tagged in Paul Rudd Steve Carell