Welcome My favorite scene! In this series, Indiewire speaks to the actors behind some of our favorite television performances of their best time on the screen and the way he met.
There is a moment, in episode 3 of the Appletv + series “The Studio”, in which Ron Howard, playing in a marketing meeting of continental studios, throws his imaginary baseball hat at the chief of the studio Matt Remick (Seth Rogen). Soon they fight on the ground.
The two men have known each other for years, and Howard has just joyfully settled the Remick team with the story of the way Young Remick gave him a memorable note (ahead of Spielberg, The Coens and Soderbergh) on his possible winner of an Oscar “a beautiful spirit”: why not reveal the central touch in the film?
“He is seized in my brain. … He just wanted to put it there. Win the living shit, ”says Howard. It was at this moment that the humiliated remick withdrew and told Howard that he ruined his last film with an end Sappy. Then all the hell stands out.
Howard has not acted much lately (he did his cameras as he himself in an episode of “Only Murders in the Building”), it is therefore hilarious to see him move away so far from his good family character. He could even win an Emmy nomination as a star guest in a comedy series. (He is against Martin Scorsese and Matt Belloni.) We talked about Zoom de la Scene, his favorite of the series.
The following interview was modified and condensed for duration and clarity.
Anne Thompson: You keep a familiar character in Hollywood, whom Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg overturn in this episode. How did they approach you for the first time?
Ron Howard: I heard that Seth and Evan made this program, and that they had an episode that they had written built around “A Beautiful Mind” and me. I read it, and that was it. It was hilarious. And I told them. I have had it for weeks in advance, because I have not done so much actor. It is the most dialogue I had to learn. I made funny small cameos that are easy. And I said: “It’s a good role: some twists, twists and turns, and moments to play. I don’t want to be well came up. I would like to be really good.” And I said, “Who directs?” And they said, “We are.” Crack, crack the whisk.
How did you get ready? Have you shared war stories?
My God, no, no. It was all them. We followed the dialogue and I launched some tiny adjustments and refinements, and they were open to keep it in bulk. And by day, we are trying back and forth. Throwing the hat was something that I thought at night before we were going to shoot it. I had it in mind, and I didn’t tell them anything, because at that time, I worked for a few days, and I saw what their approach was, and I did it during the first rehearsal. And suddenly, Seth whipped this hat over her face. But I heard Seth Rogen laughter, and he said, “We have to keep that. We have to do it.”
And have you planned to overthrow it?
He was supposed to fall. I intimidated it enough to make it fall. Well, it is much larger than me. I am older than him. How will it be intimidated enough to fall? So I thought that what would really be, really humiliating, stupidly humiliating, it was to throw your image hat. It made me believe that absurdity would be, meanness would be so strangely bizarre and hilarious, and yet, just quite plausible for it to work.
I did it during rehearsal and they laughed. And when we repeated it and pulled it several times, he had to operate the wave. I think he was probably touched in the face 12 or 14 times, but that didn’t seem to bother him. He thought it was funny every time. So we kept it.
Do you have models, someone you could use to inspire this? Has it triggered expressed feelings?
There were no models for that. It was just alter-ego ron. And so even if I never talked to anyone in this way where I threw my hat to them, it was cathartic.
However, you are not someone I would like to have angry with myself.
People don’t like it when I get angry. But they know that I am upset, and that’s enough. So I don’t dress people or do not put themselves in the face or all of this. However, when I trained basketball for young people, I sometimes got out of a match. It happened to me several times when I arrived on the referees. I imitated infamous coaches. But I was a little more vocal – not with actors and not with the crew, not with films. I respect them too much and love them too much to treat them this way. But it was fun. It was so well written. And frankly, I prepared myself. I thought about it.
Do you have a coach?
I was thinking of going to a coach. And I mentioned [that] To guys, but when I started working there, I said, “Come on, I know what they’re going here and and I know why try.” I did not go to a coach. I went to my son -in -law, Seth Gable, the husband of Bryce. Seth, who works a lot, must constantly learn a lot of dialogue quickly. And my brother Clint and I borrowed some of their techniques they suggested to learn the lines and used Seth and Clint advice to obtain the dialogue command.
I had the best time. It was easy and loose, and you could fold words and try things, and it was the spirit with which they maximized their own casting, which is brilliant. They ordered a lot what they are doing, but they create this great atmosphere. It’s fast, it’s funny. And Seth is incredible, both in front and behind the camera, and Evan is also a great leader.
Did you draw on Dark Ron Howard?
He was a character. And, yes, it was built on certain aspects of my life. I wanted to use my rates and my behavior and all that. But with regard to wickedness and the pleasure of humiliating this guy, it was just to play the scene. So I was doing the exercise of old speeds that I had not used for decades.
Do you remember the last full role you had? I looked for it. It’s a long time ago.
A long time ago, around 1985. We made a show Andy Griffith, “Back to Mayberry”. And it could have been the last time that I learned the dialogue and that I played it.
What struck me on this subject: there is a step by step understanding how to build this scene. Remick is worried to give you the note. And there is this moment when you sit at the end of the table, and you say: “Do you have a note?” This is when Remick knows that you remember his ultimate humiliation.
It’s like a guy who knows he has an ace in his sleeve. He was just waiting to remove it and play it because very early on, he pressed it for notes. Because [Remick]The fact that he does not speak, it means that he has something in his round. I liked her boss [Catharine O’Hara as Patty Leigh]. I understood it. It was a good executive, and but this guy, I don’t want him to spoil with me. And yet, I have the impression that he has something that bothers him.
It’s in the room. They all wait for him to deliver the note.
No one really means an experienced director or actor. It is reinforced, but it is realistic. This is what I like in the series.
“The studio” is correct.
Yeah, it is, and of course, [Seth and Evan] Know because they have been there for a long time and they are also producers. It’s a joy to look at.
The character that Matt plays, grimaces you and creates teeth in each episode while he is about to enter the mouth of a disaster. You acknowledge the guy who thinks he knows everything and wants to do his best, but who is weak and snoring at the same time.
He is afraid of the policy of all this.
They wrote this role for you. And if you hadn’t said yes, they should have thrown it because there was a specific set of things they needed. They needed a winner of an Oscar “a beautiful spirit,“” A film with a touch of an established director.
Unless they have another film with a twist and another director, which I did not enter them.
Explain why this director is so intimidating: the structure of power, why this guy has everyone to tell him beautiful things.
Due to the enforceable final cup. I have had a final cup for years. The leaders seem more than ready to tell me what they think, at least it is my perception, but I am also known to be collaborative and open and unlikely to apply the final cup. If you know that someone has a final cup and you cross them, it may be the end of the conversation.
Because the studio is so invested in business with these creatives. There are not many at your level, right?
Or they are trapped and stuck with a film that will fail and cost them a lot of money. It is a delicate situation. And then, of course, they brilliantly built this past experience of its history, it is the weapon on the table.
“The Studio” depicts the executives that run frightened in Hollywood.
It is a very difficult period to be a framework, by Hook or by Crook, with so many points of sale. If you are passionate about something enough to make all the necessary sacrifices, you could probably get projects that you really like.
But even you, your taste is such that the films you like to make, the dramas half-scale like “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13”, they no longer do.
I always say that the public defines it more than the leaders, and it is easy to blame it on the executives or poorly read data. But in the end, the public tells us where, how and how often they are interested in certain types of films or stories at some point. Television is doing an excellent job with a character drama and there are many excellent works which, I am sure, have an impact on theatrical affairs. And, we, creative people, must continue to put pressure for the things that interest us, and to recognize the market and our audience, then continue to take risks. Because you don’t learn much by following the status quo.
One of the things I find encouraging is that “sinners” are doing so well, because it is a big swing.
Me too. Even in multiplex this weekend, I went with my family, it was a morning. It is more busy. It’s a little more alive. We went to see the wonder [“Thunderbolts”]. Return to “The Studio” because it took me three days to do it, and it was a real role. It was enough for a departure for it to be like playing a character, in a way, even if the character was inspired by me. It was so fun. So it made me think …
Do you open the door to act again? Did you tell people?
I mentioned it to the people of Caa and and we will see.
I look forward to this, whether benevolent Ron Howard or the villain Ron Howard.
It’s fun to play an asshole. Not surprising that everyone likes to play bad guys from time to time.
