It’s funny that you said there are so many of these projects; you don’t know why. But if we listed out all of the projects over the years with you trying to help an up-and-comer, there would be dozens and dozens more. I remember way before I knew who he was, you once were trying to get Bo Burnham a feature, and here he is now with a Netflix Special, Movie, whatever you call it, that dominated 2021.
Yeah, well, Bo is in “The Big Sick,” and yes, he’s really turned into one of the great comic minds of this generation. But you’re right, Bo worked on a script for me when he was 17, 18 years old [editor’s note, Burnham is now 33], but I think it was clear to everyone that something amazing was going to happen with Bo and his work.
However, I’m open to working with anyone who has an idea that they think I might be helpful in executing. But he’s not someone that needs much help these days [laugh].
Right, right. That’s kind of where you’re at a little bit, maybe? Finding the person who needs the leg up.
Yeah, but also, sometimes when people are older, you reconnect with them, like when Nick Stoller called me to collaborate with him and Billy Eichner on “Bros.” We hadn’t made something together for a few years. So that was a special experience. And a lot of it is idea-driven; you get an idea, and then, you think, ‘Who’s right to get in on this?’
So, what’s next? Because you always have something cooking on in the fire, whether it’s some of these great comedy documentaries, which I feel comes from a similar place as mentorship, which is just a love and admiration for something and then trying to share it with the world.
I’m co-directing with Neil Berkeley about Maria Bamford. And I wrote a film that— I’m just waiting for all these strikes to end to see if they’ll allow me to make it [laughs]. So, my life is in Fran Dresher’s hands as it’s always been in some ways [laughs].
As it’s always been, ha, yeah. So, what about “This Is 50”? Are we ever going to see the continuation of that story at some point?
I have an idea for something—I have an idea for that… So it’s something that I’ve been outlining on the side that I’d love to do, but now it’s all about whether my family is available. They have become big stars now. Their schedules are getting tight.
At one point, you talked about this film about service and sacrifice. I wonder what happened with that. Also, I felt some of the same tonal ideas in the firefighter section of “The King Of Staten Island.”
Yeah. I wrote a script with a friend about soldiers returning from Afghanistan. I really loved it, but it didn’t move forward. And that idea was in my mind for a long time, trying to write something about sacrifice because I think most people don’t realize what other people do for them.
And so yes, you’re right, when I was working with Pete Davidson, I realized, oh, that’s what this movie is. It’s about the sacrifices people make for others, the holes that they leave in people’s lives, and how those people try to recover. So that was interesting. I felt really lucky to get to work with Pete and have him be so open and honest about his life and to do something that I thought was really funny but also emotional and took a lot of courage for him to do.
You’ve done so many great docs on comedy legends. If you could have any doc made on any comedy legend, whether you directed it or not, who would you like to see a doc get made on?
Harold Ramis.
Oh, That’s a good one and rather perfect for you.
Harold Ramis certainly deserves a documentary. And he was such an interesting person and had so many stories and theories. He was very rabbinical with the people that he worked with. He loved to share his way of looking at the world.
I really want to see that. I want you to do that now. Yeah, can you do that, please? [Laughs]
Ha, yes. It’s funny; there are so many documentaries now. There are fewer and fewer people who haven’t had [a doc made on them] yet. But I love the form. I find it really exciting and fun to try to figure out a way to organize someone’s life in a documentary that’s true to who they were. I also think in the future, especially in comedy, these documentaries will be the way for certain people to learn about someone and then go watch all their movies and stand videos. Without documentaries, I think some comedians can get lost to history.
So, who’s next? Who’s the next generation of actors or comedians you have your eye on?
We have a bunch of things going; we have a project, Chris Witaske from “The Bear,” that I’m excited about,” he said. “We’re all waiting for show business to come back to life, but he’s somebody that I worked with on [the Netflix comedy] “Love” that I’ve always found to be really funny. And he’s written a pilot that we’re going to try and get out there soon.
Oh, cool, I love his work. Well, thanks for your time and mentoring; I think it’s pretty cool, and not everyone does it.
Thank you.
“Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure Of Foggy Mountain” premieres this on Peacock, November 17.
