Observe and Report: Seth Rogen interview

Seth Rogen is a man on top of his chosen profession right now. Not only does 24th April see the release of his new movie Observe and Report (imagine Taxi Driver if it was a comedy and called Mall Security), but Seth is also involved in some of the most eagerly awaited funny films on the horizon, including The Green Hornet and a rumoured role in Ghostbusters III. We caught up with Seth in LA to talk all of the above, and Ray Liotta impersonations too…

LF: So I was really looking forward to this interview – you know, Seth Rogen, the nicest guy in Hollywood – but then I saw the film and it’s really dark! And now I’m quite scared…

SR: Really? [Laughs.] No, I’m very nice, believe me.

LF: But seriously, where does that darkness come from?

SR: You know, we put a lot of thought into these movies. We don’t necessarily expect or care if people understand the amount of thought that we’ve put into them. It’s more for us than anything. But yeah, for us, the darkness was subtly… not mocking, but commenting on the movies of the 70s, the kind of lone-wolf-against-the-world movies. We wanted to be one of those movies, but at the same time wanted it to be a comedy. So there was a lot of discussion of exactly how to pull that off.

LF: Which 70s movies were you thinking of in particular?

SR: We talked about King of Comedy a lot, and Taxi Driver – Cassavetes movies even. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie is a movie I really like. You know, these movies that are just one guy on a weird little assignment.

LF: That dark, borderline psychotic edge comes through strongly. Speaking of which, what was it like working with Ray Liotta?

SR: You shouldn’t say that or he’ll murder me! [Laughs] It was very good. He was actually a very nice guy. We talked a lot about Scorcese movies when we were talking about what kind of movie we wanted to make, and then getting Ray Liotta made that seem surreal, you know? It’s when he talks. His voice makes you feel like you’re in Goodfellas. [In best Ray Liotta voice] “Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a gangster.” That’s all I could hear every time I would talk to him! [Laughs]

LF: What is it about the mall that makes it so central to American culture?

SR: It’s something like – I mean, I hate malls personally – I just think in a lot of small towns in America, that’s all there is. It’s kind of like a microcosm of the whole town. It’s got a little food fair, it’s got a sporting goods store… It’s got everything that a whole town should have, under one roof. And in some cities, everyone just spends all day there. It’s very representative of what a lot of places in America are like outside the mall.

LF: It often happens that two films with a similar hook come out close together. Were you disappointed when Paul Blart: Mall Cop was released so close to Observe and Report?

SR: Yeah. To be honest I would have maybe had our movie come out a little later, but I don’t think it was really going to make that big of a difference. We knew about it the whole time, we just had to think they’re different enough movies going for different things. When we were making this, we never had the illusion that it would be the type of movie that everyone would love. It would be the type of movie that was very polarising. We had faith that it was original and different, and hopefully people will see the same thing.

LF: Do you have any plans for a Freaks And Geeks reunion somewhere down the line?

SR: I don’t know. Not as of now, no. People ask us that, but it doesn’t seem like anybody’s really leading the charge.

LF: I loved the Vanity Fair cover parody that you guys did, by the way. [Pictured below]

SR: Thank you very much. Tom Ford liked it too I heard. [Laughs]

LF: Paul Rudd looks so much like him in that photo.

SR: He really does! And he’s wearing the same tuxedo. That’s literally Tom Ford’s tuxedo.

LF: Coming up, you’ve got Funny People and The Green Hornet. What can you tell us about those?

SR: Funny People: we’ve finished filming, we’re kind of editing it together right now. It’s really good. The trailer ’s online. It’s me and Adam Sandler. We play stand-up comics. I wouldn’t say it’s a dark comedy, but it’s definitely more serious. I think it’s turning out really great though. Jonah Hill’s in it also, and Jason Schwartzman, and Eric Bana, and Leslie Mann. So it’s a really great cast.

The Green Hornet: we start filming in a few months. Me and Evan Goldberg – who I wrote Superbad and Pineapple Express with – are writing it together. And Michel Gondry is directing it.

LF: Are you going to be working with Stephen Chow on that one?

SR: We’re not 100% sure about that, but we might be. We were just having a conversation about that yesterday, so it’s on the table.

LF: There are a lot of rumours flying around about Ghostbusters III. Is there anything you can tell us about that?

SR: [Laughs] Only that I know absolutely nothing about it!

LF: Have you seen any films recently that have blown you away?

SR: I’ve seen Bruno! [Laughs] When you can’t promote your movies, promote your friend’s! [Laughs] It’s insane! It’s amazing! It’ll just make people happy…

Alexander Pashby