The Truth About Going Viral in Comedy: From "D*** in a Box" to Hollywood | Say More

0:00 When Dick in a Box came out,

0:01 the first [laughter] the first thing that came to mind was was was Oh,

0:05 what was the first Dick in a Box I ever saw was in Boys Night In.

0:08 Oh my god.

0:09 Oh yeah.

0:10 Yeah, that's right.

0:10 In a pizza box.

0:11 Yeah, exactly.

0:12 You sausage right here.

0:14 Yeah.

0:14 We are the main comedians who put penises through walls in the boxes.

0:18 Yeah.

0:18 Also, how fortunate you are in your life that you were

0:20 able to go so long without seeing a Dick in a Box.

0:23 That's right.

0:24 Yeah.

0:24 [clears throat] You know what's really funny is that like we

0:26 always talk about like when looking at like Tommy's work and like

0:29 the Venn diagram of like kind of what I bring

0:31 to that like like there's a like there's a crossover there, right?

0:34 Of the action comedy coming action cuz

0:36 of and with these guys it's just a circle.

0:39 [laughter]

0:39 It's a circle.

0:40 Yeah.

0:41 The Venn diagram is just one circle.

0:43 Um but I but I cuz I cuz I feel like from sketch comedy perspective because cuz

0:47 I was coming up at the same time as you guys were in the aughts and early teens.

0:53 Shoutout UCB.

0:54 Shoutout The Pit.

0:55 Shoutout Yeah.

0:57 Bro Films.

0:59 [laughter]

0:59 Yeah.

0:59 Break.com.

1:01 YouTube was such a huge catapult for for sketch comedy and for sketch comedians.

1:06 You guys were pre-YouTube, obviously.

1:08 Well, and we and we talked about this cuz were you guys on Atom Films?

1:12 Did you guys like know that site?

1:13 We did have some stuff on there.

1:15 We were uploading every sketch we had to anything Anything would take.

1:18 No, we were the same way.

1:19 So like so like and we and we had

1:21 our own website before YouTube and and hid our all

1:26 of our files on a much bigger website which

1:29 I won't mention what it is cuz I'm embarrassed.

1:31 So like but like we were using their their like we bandwidth and like and like[

1:35 __] you couldn't even like when we first like got signed to UTA as an agency,

1:40 we sent them links to our stuff

1:42 and they didn't have enough bandwidth to watch it.

1:45 So we just had to send them a VHS copy.

1:47 That's like how long ago this was.

1:50 So like yeah, we were like we were sending all

1:51 of our stuff into like the bigger websites and then Lazy Sunday was

1:54 the first thing that we made that we heard the next day

1:57 that it was on this site called YouTube that was actually pretty cool.

2:01 And then And so like yeah,

2:03 so we kind of got like linked with the rise of YouTube.

2:06 Like all the articles that got written like all I had to sort of mention Yeah.

2:11 We started January 2008 is when we put

2:13 our first video on YouTube and we felt like we

2:15 were late to the game cuz it was like

2:16 2005 or something was Lazy Sunday 2000 something like that.

2:20 So it's like we're like oh no, like is this still a thing?

2:22 And like now it just feels like it's so early,

2:25 obviously, in comparison to the whole internet.

2:26 But at the time why did you guys take a couple years to do it?

2:29 Well, we were still in college.

2:30 We were in college.

2:31 I remember sophomore year watching Lazy Sunday on YouTube and being like oh,

2:35 what is this YouTube thing?

2:37 And we and then we were in school

2:40 and we basically right when we graduated, we were like

2:42 We were seniors and we were like Let's do something.

2:45 Let's do something.

2:45 We Brian and I, you know You guys are obviously pretty savvy though, yeah?

2:48 I mean like like cuz and what were you editing on?

2:50 Like just Final Final Cut Pro.

2:52 Yeah, it was I was just you know,

2:53 I just don't think anyone was I I guess it was possible to do it,

2:56 but until Derek did it, the idea of like students doing something

3:00 Jared comedy Jared comedy Jared comedy Jared comedy Jared It's so funny kids

3:04 now must be like you didn't think about putting stuff on the internet,

3:06 funny things you're doing?

3:07 But like no one our age was really doing it at all.

3:10 So it was like we needed to see someone do it and it

3:12 was right around our senior year we saw that and we were like oh,

3:15 I guess we could put stuff on you It's just

3:17 like there's a psychological boundary you have to jump over.

3:20 And we were 21, we were just like And then we all made millions.

3:23 We made millions of dollars.

3:25 On sketch comedy alone before you started making

3:27 Yeah, yeah, we were all doing pretty independently well.

3:28 Lorne was like here's your money.

3:32 [laughter] I love you so much, bro Jonathan.

3:33 Wait, what year were you guys on SNL?

3:34 2016 to 2018.

3:37 2016 to 2018.

3:37 Got you.

3:38 Yeah.

3:39 The trenches.

3:40 The trenches.

3:40 Yeah.

3:40 Oh my god.

3:41 But [snorts] that's almost 10 years after you

3:43 started and putting stuff up on on YouTube.

3:46 But like I mean I mean I mean I mean

3:47 what are your thoughts on how um I mean I guess

3:52 how accessible it is to make sketch comedy now as opposed

3:55 to when we were making it where where like I mean

3:57 you're talking about before about how like you were holding

3:58 your own booms and I mean like same same with us where

4:01 it was like it was like you had to be scrappy

4:02 but you also had to literally do everything almost like analog.

4:06 Yeah, something that's interesting I've noticed one,

4:08 it's like everything is sketch comedy now.

4:11 It's like everything is a short version of it.

4:13 But there's much less effort put into it

4:17 and it's that's not to say it's not funny.

4:18 It's like there's so much funny stuff.

4:20 But what I've noticed recently is

4:22 that the more production value you put into it,

4:25 the more it it's like it doesn't like the viewers

4:29 don't really like that as much on the internet.

4:31 Like it almost feels like there's try hard or something.

4:35 And so and I or like you're being sold something cuz like ads are doing it.

4:39 But there was a period when we were coming up like in 2000 10,

4:44 12, it's like like College Humor was,

4:47 you know, putting like a $150,000 budgets to making

4:51 it look really good and I loved that period.

4:54 There was it was so great to see like the effort put into it.

4:58 special, you know?

4:59 Like like it's always nice It's how I felt

5:00 like when commercial parody stuff would come on SNL.

5:03 Be like oh, this is the thing.

5:05 This is like the big version of this thing.

5:06 Yeah, yeah.

5:07 It's interesting, yeah.

5:08 I feel it was like when Jizz in My Pants came out, that was like a step up.

5:11 That was like a You guys were doing stuff,

5:13 but that was like the slickness of it.

5:14 I was like this is crazy.

5:16 And that's like that was I think $120,000 for that budget.

5:19 And that like that's like hails in comparison to like what SNL was doing.

5:23 Oh, yeah.

5:24 Yeah, and it's nuts now.

5:25 I mean but at but like at the time when like

5:27 when when they brought you guys in, it was like oh,

5:29 like we're actually putting it we're actually

5:30 leaning into video sketches and like and things

5:33 that are that feel like like films that that like as opposed to I

5:37 mean like all the early stuff was literally just like us with a video

5:40 camera borrowing like literally borrowing a camera

5:42 from Bill Hader's wife at the time,

5:44 Maggie would like meet us at a subway station cuz she worked at AFI or whatever.

5:48 Like she would hand us a rented camera and we would like

5:51 make me know we made Lazy Sunday for $15 and you know, DV tapes or whatever.

5:57 Yeah, I think the thing that I about making comedy

5:59 back then versus now is now everyone can do it.

6:01 If you know how to up press this button to upload it,

6:03 you can make a funny video, which is great.

6:04 Means everyone can do it.

6:05 But back then it's like you had to know someone who had a firewire cord

6:08 and had a camera and they had to know how to like export from Final Cut.

6:12 Only the nerds knew how to do it.

6:13 So it was like it really had a you had

6:15 not everyone even knew what this place was to get stuff.

6:18 It's interesting cuz like the barrier and it's

6:19 the same thing with music or anything.

6:21 Like it's so nice that the barrier of entry has lowered.

6:24 So like anybody can do it and people can be be creative.

6:26 But it also because there's so much of it like the prices of all content.

6:31 Like it's just in terms of like getting

6:32 budgets for things or like what people think

6:33 you can do for a very little money or like in a shorter amount of time.

6:37 And so like it is it is like so

6:39 nice when you actually like have the stamp of IFC

6:42 is like going to give you this amount

6:43 of money or like whatever it for a pizza movie.

6:44 Like I think you can actually do a substantial thing.

6:47 Absolutely.

6:47 Which brings us back to to why we're here at South by.

6:50 Over your dead body.

6:51 Um Uh you made it for me.

6:54 I appreciate it.

6:55 Um but it's it's such a unique it's love story.

6:59 Um you know, I It becomes that.

7:01 Right.

7:02 It's like two movies in one, kind of.

7:05 I think we'll probably get canceled for calling it a love story.

7:09 It's it's my kind of love story.

7:10 I don't know if that's Yeah, but it's a remake of uh of The Trip.

7:13 Yes.

7:14 Usually is remakes, you know, it's movies made like maybe 10,

7:17 15, 20 years later it gets remade.

7:19 But this was made, you know, 4 years ago or um so 2021.

7:24 Well, well, well, so what what the impetus like cuz

7:27 you guys were working with a guy in LA Yeah.

7:29 You guys were abroad because Karen was shooting a movie, right?

7:32 Yeah, so it's it's started, I guess,

7:35 because we were my wife Karen Gillan was in another XYZ movie called Dual,

7:42 which is excellent, directed by Riley Stearns.

7:45 And it was during COVID and we so I

7:48 was with her in Finland in Tampere and was just

7:54 in a sauna with producers from XYZ constantly constantly

7:58 pitching myself for jobs and Writing or acting or Whatever.

8:04 Anything.

8:04 Getting coffee.

8:07 And they were looking to do an American remake of this movie and I,

8:12 you know, watched the original and was like oh yeah, I'd love this.

8:15 Would love to help, you know, make this.

8:17 So we ended up writing the adaptation.

8:20 He was like we got a job.

8:21 I was like how?

8:21 He was like in a sauna, I made a deal.

8:23 How many how many feature scripts had you guys written to that point?

8:26 We wrote We've written two, I guess.

8:28 We wrote We wrote a Lionsgate time travel movie that is not good.

8:34 Hey, come on.

8:35 Give us some credit.

8:36 It's okay.

8:38 We were like 24 and didn't know what we were doing as if we do now.

8:41 Reading Save the Cat as we wrote it.

8:44 Oh Then we wrote we adapted another French film for New Line and Yeah,

8:53 and And that was it, I think, feature-wise.

8:55 of like finishing a feature Yeah, before this.

8:58 I think so.

8:58 I think that's all we did in Yeah.

9:00 It's going to be made now, apparently.

9:02 Yeah.

9:02 All right, all right.

9:03 Is that also XYZ now?

9:05 No, that's Gaumont and New Line are they're, you know,

9:09 they threaten to make it every couple of years and we're

9:13 in currently in one of the We're in year seven of that.

9:16 It takes like five to 10 years to make anything in Hollywood.

9:20 It takes time to make anything in Hollywood.

9:21 Yeah, well, cuz cuz I I watched The Trip and I was and and then

9:25 it it started and then and then like I'm hearing the dialogue and I'm like wait,

9:27 this is already in English.

9:29 You know, and then and then I was like oh no,

9:30 this is the English dub, which is hilarious on its own.

9:34 Um but I I I was interested cuz to see what elements you guys wanted

9:39 like it was important for you guys to keep the same versus change because like

9:44 it is cuz like I mean certain scenes of it I mean like like you

9:46 got you guys nailed the look like almost to a T of what the original was.

9:51 So what what where where's that line?

9:53 It was Well, you guys can talk about like like the original writing process.

9:58 Well, the original script was it already great.

9:59 I mean, when you write one of the I

10:01 I think probably the hardest part arguably is structure.

10:04 It's really difficult to like just figure out

10:05 how to build the foundation of your movie.

10:06 And the structure was already really there in the original one.

10:09 So, that was kind of nice to have a movie where it's like, "Oh,

10:11 the characters for the most part we changed

10:13 some and structure is figured out for us." So,

10:16 we get to kind of like play jazz with the toppings

10:18 a little I think it was like jazz with the toppings.

10:23 [laughter] I like to mix metaphors.

10:27 [laughter] Yeah.

10:32 Yeah, I think what we Yeah,

10:33 we really liked the the the structure and it was just kind of like yeah,

10:38 playing playing with the characters, the motivations,

10:41 uh you know, so we swapped out some characters and just doing you know,

10:44 I like the way we describe it it

10:45 just for another metaphor that I'll throw out there.

10:48 Put some fruit in it somehow.

10:50 Yeah, that would be another musical like the house was

10:52 already built and we got to pick the wall paper.

10:56 Um and what's another and Yeah.

10:59 [laughter] Put something else that makes no sense there.

11:01 Yeah.

11:02 And um I mix the paint.

11:04 in terms of like me getting involved with your your guys'

11:07 script like from jump watching the Well, I'll I'll go back.

11:11 So, I I talked to Guy Danella who we all know and is

11:15 like who one of the most caffeinated awesome producers on the planet.

11:18 He's like such a go-getter.

11:20 He just does it.

11:20 And so, he was working with Tommy Wirkola How do you actually pronounce it?

11:25 We should have Googled that for sure, but I think it's Wirkola.

11:28 It looks like Wirkola.

11:30 And so, and so Tommy, you know, did like Violent Night.

11:33 He did like like and he really does a lot of like

11:35 action comedy like action first comedy like coming out of that action.

11:39 And so, the Venn diagram of like when when Guy hit me up, he was like, "Look,

11:44 there's this movie like it was that Tommy was like

11:46 quoting stuff that I'd done on set and was like,

11:49 "Well, clearly I should just call this guy." And so,

11:51 Guy like hit me up immediately and was like was like,

11:53 "Hey, well, like the" and then a week later it was like,

11:56 "We have this this project which is I don't

11:58 know if you'd ever want to make a remake, but watch the watch the remake.

12:02 Love the remake as you guys obviously did, too.

12:04 And like and it's so the original dark and like sorry.

12:08 We love the remake, by the way.

12:10 Remake's pretty good.

12:12 [laughter] But like but like but love the original like just like it was like

12:15 dark as[ __] really scary like like the twists are amazing sort of thing.

12:19 So, all that structure is is incredible.

12:20 And then I was definitely not in to like to make a remake.

12:25 But then reading these guys' script was like it

12:26 was so fun because I think that we're like tonally,

12:30 too, like the three of us and Guy, too,

12:33 like but like but we have a certain kind of kindness.

12:37 There's a little it's a little bit comedy forward.

12:39 Like a little bit more than the original even like like so like so like

12:43 that got added obviously like the changes

12:45 that you made for casting stuff were[ __] perfect.

12:48 And like and there's a lot of symmetry

12:50 that now happens with the two couples and da da.

12:52 Um but like it was it just felt like a no-brainer.

12:55 Honestly, it was like a really easy thing

12:57 to get involved in from jump because, too,

13:00 like it it was it's such a cool thing to see like

13:05 an original you love and the acting is so incredible in the original.

13:09 But then just intrinsically the differences

13:12 that come back from different casting.

13:14 Jason and Samara are incredible together.

13:16 And just all the things that the shades that it changes.

13:19 And then I I I think like all the changes that we

13:21 sort of slowly made through the writing and rewriting like honing process

13:27 to get into like the actual production sort of thing just made

13:29 it better and better and and more and more exciting to me.

13:32 Like just cuz it's those it's really fun to honestly compare

13:35 the two cuz I love the the first one so much.

13:38 And like and this one to make something that I feel like we that we

13:43 could make something that I was equally proud of of like this is its own thing,

13:47 but it's also like I think a real honoring of the original.