‘The Studio’ boss Seth Rogen says Martin Scorsese told him they swear too much
Game recognizes game.
At the South by Southwest Film and Television Festival in Austin, Texas, on Friday night, The Studio co-creator, writer, director, and star Seth Rogen said Oscar winner Martin Scorsese told Rogen and co-creator, director, and writer Evan Goldberg that they swear too much.
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“We told Martin Scorsese to say, like, ‘See, I should have sold this to f--king Apple,’” Rogen said after the two-episode world premiere of The Studio. “He's like, ‘You guys say, f--k too much.’”
In the Apple TV+ comedy series, the Killers of the Flower Moon filmmaker — famous for his R-rated features, including The Wolf of Wall Street, where the F-word is uttered more than 500 times – plays himself. Scorsese is one of several famous faces to appear in the Hollywood satire, including Charlize Theron, Steve Buscemi, Sarah Polley, Greta Lee, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, Ron Howard, and Nicholas Stoller.
“We wanted to paint a real, very accurate picture of a Hollywood movie studio. So we wanted to use people that you believe a studio would get excited about, so you believe people who love film would be passionate about,” Rogen explained after the show’s world premiere.
“I remember watching the Entourage movie, and they’re having a big party, and Bob Saget is the most famous guy there,” Rogen added. “I love the guy but it’s always like, 'I don’t know if that’s how it would be.' So we wanted to paint as real a picture of Hollywood as we possibly could by using the people that people in Hollywood are actually excited about.”
In The Studio, Rogen stars as Matt Remick, "the newly appointed head of embattled Continental Studios. As movies struggle to stay alive and relevant, Matt and his core team of infighting executives battle their own insecurities as they wrangle narcissistic artists and craven corporate overlords in the ever-elusive pursuit of making great films. With their power suits masking their never-ending sense of panic, every party, set visit, casting decision, marketing meeting, and award show presents them with an opportunity for glittering success or career-ending catastrophe. As someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes movies, it's the job Matt's been pursuing his whole life, and it may very well destroy him."
In addition to Rogen and the A-list guests, the cast includes Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Chase Sui Wonders, and Catherine O’Hara. Rogen and Goldberg, longtime collaborators, co-created The Studio with Veep Emmy winners Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez. However, the show’s origins date back to a meeting Rogen and Goldberg once had with a studio executive.
“He said, ‘You know, I got into this because I love movies, and now it’s my job to ruin them.’ We’re like, ‘Oof, what a comedic role to have in this industry,’” Rogen recalled after the SXSW premiere. “Then many years later — well, we’re big fans of The Larry Sanders Show, that was very inspirational to us — we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny to make fun of all the pain we’ve gone through over the decades trying to make remotely good movies?’ Many people wonder why so many bad films are made in Hollywood. But what people should wonder is, how any good films are made in Hollywood. That’s what we’re trying to show here.”
Early reviews of The Studio have been quite strong — especially with critics on the show’s wavelength. Rogen and Goldberg co-directed every episode of The Studio, and each scene plays out in continuous takes. This filmmaking conceit required the show’s cast to rehearse as if performing in a play and mitigated any studio notes.
“We wanted it to be very immersive, and to feel as though you were literally in the rooms,” Rogen explained. “We built it based on our experience of being in these rooms, and your head is kind of on a swivel. We wanted it to be very stressful and kind of panic-inducing, which is our experience in the industry. And so we thought, if we just never cut, you’ll really be on edge, and we’ll never give you that relief.”
“If we’re panicking because there’s no cutting, you’ll panic when you’re watching, we’ll all freak out together,” Goldberg added.
“Yes, and all anyone wants from a relaxing night of watching television is a panic attack,” said Rogen.The Studio is one of Apple TV+’s top Emmy priorities this year. The first episodes will debut on March 26, and new episodes will stream weekly.
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