'I Love You, Man' Q&A--Uncut and Uncensored

I Love You, Man Q&A (Uncut & Uncensored)

by Kip Mooney

Blog Editor

Cesar:  Okay, hi everybody this is Cesar from Paramount Pictures. I have Jason Segel and Paul Rudd on the phone. I’m going to announce the school and then the name, and then you go ahead ask you question and we’ll move on. We are going to start with U.C. Berkeley, Eric.   

Eric: Hi, first let me say congratulations. You’ve the first famous people...I’ve every interviewed.  

Jason Segel: Hey!   

Paul Rudd: Sweet - Berkeley. Yeah, Berks. Berks?  

Cesar: Eric, your question.   

Eric: So you both have done screenwriting, how do you think that affects your performances?

Paul Rudd:  This is Paul talking. I think it enhanced my performance because I think I understand the character better. Because I write it so it makes me understand a character motivations and all that other actor bullshit stuff more.  

Jason Segel:  And I agree with Paul, it is very easy given that you know every character - you know why your character was doing everything it did because you made those decisions. What I found though, on I Love You, Man, which I did right after Sarah Marshall and did not write - that I had a new respect for the writers and how difficult their job is and not to be so frivolous with their words.   

Eric: Hmm, cool thanks a lot.   

Jason Segel: Thanks.   

Cesar: Northwestern, Jamie.  

Jamie: Hey, so the movie was about you guys being romantic. How did Rashida Jones fit in - in the dynamics of the film?   

Paul Rudd: Rashida, I’ve know Rashida for a long time, this is Paul. And so it seemed very natural because we -- Jason how long have you know Rashida? Do you know here very well?

Jason Segel: I’ve known her since I was 18 so, 11 years.   

Paul Rudd: Yeah right, so it was really actually quite easy. Rashida is very much kind of one of the guys. You know, she is kind of she is -- hilarious and cool and easy to hang out with and um...   

Jason Segel: And also when you see the file, this is Jason. She is like one of the most stunning, beautiful woman you’ll every see in your life.   

Paul Rudd: That part would make it a little uncomfortable because we would just... even though we’ve know her and have been friends with her. You just say, wait a minute, she is just stunning. And then Jason and I would look at each other to kind of re--kind of shock ourselves back and where am I gonna go with this I wonder. Apparently, nowhere.   

Cesar: Thanks a lot. Drexel University, Shawn.   

Shawn: Hi, how’s it going?   

Paul Rudd: How are you Drexel?   

Shawn: I’m doing, doing good.   

Paul Rudd: Go Drex.   

Shawn: This is for Paul and Jason. So obviously you guy’s are pros in the movie, did you guy’s have to do any like preps before hand. Because I know you guys know each other but did you have to do any like, bonding? How did you go into the movie approaching?   

Jason Segel: We have a couple of hangs, we went to the bar a couple of times and scored a few brews.   

Paul Rudd: Yup. We scored a couple of brow-steins.   

Jason Segel: Yeah, a couple of bro-mens.   

Paul Rudd: Yeah, we slipped a bro-men-hymer or two.  

Jason Segel: We pounded some brains and um, you know thankfully we knew each other and so there was you know already a little bit of built in familiarity and we made several boner jokes before we every started this one. So you know we already spoke the same language a little bit.

Paul Rudd: I wasn’t joking.   

Jason Segel: I wasn’t joking either and when I say boner jokes and language, it’s an actual language called err--boner-est. We both speak boner-est.   

Paul Rudd: Yeah, it’s a lot like sign language unfortunately, except without the hands.  

Jason Segel: Like sign language without the hands. Really, it’s very hard to just spelling out one letter.   

Paul Rudd: Yeah, there is really just a couple...that’s an “L”; nope it’s an “I.” It’s an easy language to learn.   

Cesar: We are going to go to Kip at University of North Texas next.   

Paul Rudd: OK.   

Kip: Yeah, first of all I wanted to say last year, you guys’ two movies were my favorite movies.

Jason Segel: Thanks.   

Kip: Especially, Forgetting Sarah Marshall because after I went through a break up that movie was 10 times more relevant.   

Jason Segel: Oh man, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you feeling better now though?   

Kip: Uh, a little bit, a little bit.   

Jason Segel: Yeah it’s takes a little time, but I’ll tell you what you’re gonna get back on your feet and be better than ever, buddy.   

Kip: All right. Well, thanks, and my question is, male nudity? What’s the deal? It seems to be everywhere now.   

Paul Rudd: Sure.   

Kip: Who started that? Was it Judd or is that you guys?   

Paul Rudd: Well, I was the first to show my dick as far as I know in a comedic sense.   

Kip: Right.   

Paul Rudd: Can you say dick in Texas?   

Kip: Um, I think so.   

Paul Rudd: That’s punishable by death from what I understand.   

Kip: Well, just the sign language part.   

Paul Rudd: Um, yeah you did show - you had full frontal -- I think there was a dick in Walk Hard.  

Jason Segel: There was. Walk Hard, yeah.   

Paul Rudd: But you only saw a dick. You kind of put dick and face together.   

Jason Segel: Put them out wrong.   

Paul Rudd: That -- that, as soon as that sentence left my lips.  

Jason Segel: That also came out wrong. I knew that it did.  

Paul Rudd: But yeah, you um, you did that -- I only went ass in 40-Year Old Virgin.  

Jason Segel: That’s right, that’s right you did.   

Paul Rudd: But even then that is nothing...let me tell you something between my dick and your ass we’re pretty funny.   

Jason Segel: You know what’s gonna be really funny -- just wait till we do the sequel of this we’re both going to show our taints.   

Cesar: OK, moving on to San Diego University of San Diego, Caitlyn.   

Paul Rudd: Oh. Hello, Caitlyn. 

Jason Segel: Hello, San Diego. What’s up come on down south?   

Caitlyn: Hello. I have a question in particular for Jason.   

Jason Segel: Sure. 

Caitlyn: [Did the director of] this movie attract you to the script at all?

Jason Segel: Yeah, what attracts me is the fact that we have all known each other for so long. We formed a pretty tight comedy coalition as I like to call it. So it was just a very, very comfortable environment you know, Paul and I worked together a bunch. And John Hamburg and Paul and I have known each other for so long. It was a very, very comfortable environment. 

Paul Rudd: I also call it a comfortable coalition, but what I do, this is Paul. I change it up, I like comedy, I like to do it with “K” so I’m in a very comfortable coalition. 

Jason Segel: But, Paul that’s KKK.   

Paul Rudd: Oops. 

Jason Segel: I realize that I belong to the KKK, the Komfortable Komedy Koalition. And we are a very -- what we like to do is improvise, have fun and we are an extremely racist group.   

Paul Rudd: If it’s just about comedy we should re-think the uniforms. 

Jason Segel: Yeah well...it’s the hats that are really....   

Paul Rudd: Do you really want to know though who is in this coalition?   

Caitlyn: Yeah.   

Paul Rudd: I think we need to re-think the spelling. And we’ll just go with, um... 

Jason Segel: Oh, Paul is getting dead-eyed. I’m watching him right now. 

Paul Rudd: Oh no, no, no. I was trying to think of something with initials S. F.   

Cesar: OK, and moving on University of Colorado, Boulder -- Sara.   

Paul Rudd: Oh, Boulder.  

Jason Segel: Oh yeah, man. All right.   

Paul Rudd: Are you sober? I’m gonna play some Big Head Todd and the Monsters in the background here.   

Jason Segel: Oh, what time is the party Boulder? Man we -- I’m gonna hang out with my friend brew...?   

Sara: So people are so fascinated by this word bromance, so what do you feel as though appealing from a guy’s point of view and where did the inspiration come to form this sort of relationship or fun-ship?   

Jason Segel: I think it’s a long time coming that you’ve seen a good male platonic comedy. And that’s what we’re going for and we got as close to the homo-erotic line as possible without crossing it. Which I think we both found comedic-ly satisfying.   

Paul Rudd: Mm-hm, Mm-hm. Yeah, you know it is true. But it just seems to be the word of the moment, bro-mantic, because there have really been films throughout the decade that have fallen into that category, but we are never called bromantic.   

Jason Segel: Oh, because it rhymes with romantic.   

Paul Rudd: Exactly. 

Jason Segel: I see.   

Paul Rudd: What are some of your favorite bromantic films, Jason, from, say, the ’80s?  

Jason Segel: Well, I don’t know if this is from the ’80s, but I think my favorite bromantic comedy is Midnight Cowboy.   

Paul Rudd: Oh, very good yeah. I like Twins.   

Jason Segel: Twins is pretty great, that’s a great buddy movie. Also, not bad is the follow-up, is Junior.  

Paul Rudd: Another great bromantic comedy.   

Jason Segel: Dumb and Dumber.   

Paul Rudd: Schindler’s List. 

Cesar: OK, we are going on to John Kerr University, Craig. 

Craig: Hey, what’s up guys?   

Paul Rudd: Hey, man. What’s up?   

Jason Segel: What’s going on? 

Craig: Jason, my mom loves Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is creepy. I just want to throw that in.   

Jason Segel: That’s awesome. Tell her hello.   

Craig: I will. While filming pre-production, post-production what was your favorite part of this whole process?   

Jason Segel: Mm-mm. Mm-hm, Mm-mm.   

Paul Rudd: I love watching you process the question, Jason.   

Jason Segel: Oh, I wasn’t. Can you repeat the question?   

Paul Rudd: I will for you because he wants to know what was your favorite part of the process pre-production, post production, all that.   

Jason Segel: Any part of it.   

Paul Rudd: Any part of production.  

Jason Segel: Wow. OK. So as long as it falls within the parameters of production.  

Paul Rudd: That’s right.   

Jason Segel: OK. I think my favorite part was we have a day when Paul Rudd and I had our first quote-unquote man date. And they took us to the best fish taco restaurant in Venus and the director told us look, the goal is just to look like you guys are slowly starting to like each other, don’t really worry about a script. And then they just gave us four hours of fish tacos and beer and we just had to talk and be funny and enjoy each others company - it was very, very easy and very, very fun.   

Craig: Very cool. Thanks.  

Jason Segel: Thank you. 

Paul Rudd: Thank you.   

Cesar: Thank you. We are going to the University of Calgary, Wung Mi.   

Wung Mi: Hi.   

Jason Segel: Calgary!   

Paul Rudd: What’s up?   

Wung Mi: How’s it going?   

Paul Rudd: Bruce Macullar.   

Wung Mi: I just want to say I’m so excited Jason about for a Muppet movie.   

Jason Segel: Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate it. I am too. I hope it all works out, it will be fantastic.   

Wung Mi: My question is in a lot of the things you’ve done Jason you’ve been able to do a song? 

Jason Segel: Yeah.   

Wung Mi: And are you asked to write these things or is it something you come up with and bring it to the movie and will we get to see you sing again in this movie?   

Jason Segel: I don’t believe I sing in I Love You, Man, I don’t think.   

Paul Rudd: Well, not necessarily.  

Jason Segel: Do I?   

Paul Rudd: Yeah.   

Jason Segel: Oh, I do, I do, I do. I do sing in I Love You, Man, as song that I did not write. A song written by...   

Paul Rudd: Some of your countrymen. 

Jason Segel: Yup, that’s right. The whole eternity Rush, so we sing a little Rush in there. Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed writing songs, especially when I was out of work it made me feel like I was at least doing something, you know. And so that Dracula song from Sarah Marshall I wrote like seven years ago when I was out of work and depressed. So I’m just finally making it that they are legitimate by putting them in movies as apposed to a depressed act.   

Man: Did you write Lady L?   

Jason Segel: I did write Lady L, yeah. That was the first song I wrote for anything. That was pretty cool. I learned to play the guitar in two days for that song.  

Cesar: Thanks a lot, the next question is going to Columbia University, Jennifer. 

Jason Segel: Hey.   

Jennifer: Hey guys, how’s it going?   

Jason Segel: Hey, how’s it going? 

Paul Rudd: Good.   

Jason Segel: My first girlfriend went to Columbia University and her name was Jennifer.

Jennifer: Really? 

Jason Segel: Yeah.   

Jennifer: Cool.   

Paul Rudd: Wait a minutes, am I sensing a reunion on the phone right now? Are you the Jennifer that Jason went out with?   

Jennifer: I wish I was.   

Jason Segel: Wow, Jennifer.   

Paul Rudd: Maybe we can facilitate this?   

Jason Segel: Here till Sunday, Jennifer.   

Jennifer: OK, now you are going to make my question seem really ridiculous now. But I know you’ve all ready talked about the whole nakedness thing. And I’m wondering you know, after you’re naked in the movie I heard there might be some tape showing, do you feel different like, walking down the street knowing that people saw your ass?  

Jason Segel: Um, hmm. I um...   

Jennifer: How do you go out with a girl and she is like oh, I love you and Forgetting Sarah Marshall?   

Jason Segel: But what I really liked seeing was that taint.  You know what, it actually makes things more comfortable because the girls now what they are going to get, so there is not any mystery or awkward moment where it’s like yeah, this is what I’m working with. If they want to go out on a date they’ve already checked out the goods and on the big screen too which is only more helpful.   

Paul Rudd: Unless hey, there is a chance that maybe they got it and downloaded it on iTunes and are watching it on their iPod.  

Jason Segel: Oh.   

Paul Rudd: Which would give you an iDick.   

Jason Segel: Yeah. I’m hoping the big screen because it adds pounds.   

Paul Rudd: You have a 15-pound dick.  

Jason Segel: Which means, you’re at Columbia so I assume you’re good at math. That my dick would weigh five pounds, but...   

Paul Rudd: When I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall on an IMAX screen which adds 20pounds, so in actuality and I don’t mean to offend you Jason, I think your dick weighs negative five pounds.   

Jason Segel: Oh, zoinks.   

Paul Rudd: Boom! Boom-shock-ooh-la.   

Jason Segel: I’ve got mail.   

Cesar: Hey, I think we are going to have to cut it off there guys. James, you can take Paul and Jason out of the conference. Thank you very much Paul and Jason for your time.   

Jason Segel: Thank you.   

Paul Rudd: Thank you.