Page 55 - Peter Farrelly Issue

Cooper: I have a friend who’s got dual Ph.D.’s in physics and whatever, and we actually did an article with him about blockchains and all that, and it started to go over my head. He was talking about being able to use certain things for utility purposes and safety and this and that. I can imagine what they’re doing is bringing state-of-the-art technology to some systems that have been around before the Internet.
and I was like, “I love it! Let’s do it!” Again, the uni- verse just brought it to me, it wasn’t intentional to go off the comedy track. It was just, that’s what came.
Farrelly: Their brains are so different than ours or mine because they grew up in the computer age and we did- n’t. And plus they played video games all day long as kids. I think that’s like doing push-ups for your brain. I remember when I was teaching them how to drive. We’re at a red light, he’s driving, I’m in the passenger seat, and he says, “Hey, Dad, do I need to pay attention to the lights facing me, or do I have to know the ones going left and right?” I looked at him, “What are you, a fucking idiot? The ones facing you!” And then we drove down the street about a quarter mile and I realized, “Oh! He sees things three dimensional, and I’m one dimen- sional. I just see what’s in front of me, but his brain is way more evolved.” So he’s a better thinking than me. It was a very good question. I just couldn’t even see it.
When the strike’s over, I intend to do a movie called “Balls Up.” It’s still coming together, so I don’t have enough to tell you about it because of the strike. I’m a big union guy. There’s zero progress being made right now because we’re on strike. I look forward to the strike ending and getting back to work.
Cooper: And we’re looking at it pretty linear, and he’s kind of in this, “There must be something more compli- cated than just this red light in front of me.” (laughs)
Farrelly: You meet a lot of funny writers at a place like that.
Farrelly: Yeah. I was thinking, “What is wrong with you?” And then as we drove off, I thought, “How could he even—oh, OK, yeah.” Because when you go in a video game, you don’t go straight ahead, you go left, right, backwards, you’re looking everywhere. I don’t play those games. Just “Asteroids.” That’s all I know.
Cooper: The reality was, it wasn’t as fun as it could have been because several of the writers were introverts, and they did better going home and coming up with humor, which was always frustrating for me. I would have liked to just knock it out all the time right there.
Cooper: I know Pacman, that’s about it.
Farrelly: By the way, most comedy writers are intro- verts. They’re not like the class clowns. They work bet- ter alone. In fact, in a room they freeze up.
Farrelly: Yeah, the little doggie. That was it. That was my ___.
Cooper: I was pretty friendly, so they weren’t that frozen, but they definitely 100% did better going away and doing their thing.
Cooper: In the way you have these irons in the fire, is there any methodology to you choosing projects?
Farrelly: When you were working with Jim Abrahams, talking to him, did that have something to do with— because he has a son with a disability.
Farrelly: No. I’ve said this before, it’s not well-thought- out. It’s what the universe brings me. Certain things, I read a lot of things, I get things, and then one day some- thing really appeals to me, and that’s the one. I always look at Rob Reiner’s career and I think, “Wow, he’s so smart, he did ‘Spinal Tap,’” you know? And then the next thing he did was “Sure Thing,” a romantic comedy, and then he did “Stand By Me.” And then he did “A Few Good Men.” And all of a sudden after four movies, you realize that that guy can do anything.
Cooper: Right, that’s why we were talking to him. Farrelly: How’s his son doing?
I did comedy after comedy after comedy. It never even occurred to me not to do a comedy. I like them; that’s what was common to me. But one day, when “Green Book” came along, there was a friend of mine, Brian Currie, who told me the story and he wanted to write it,
Cooper: I wonder what the title will be. I love “33 1/3.”
Cooper: I get you. Did you know I used to publish “National Lampoon.”
Farrelly: That rings a bell. How long ago?
Cooper: I was the last publisher when the magazine was still being printed. I took it over from Jim Jimirro.
Farrelly: Were you there when the guy who took it over ended up going to prison?
Cooper: That might have been the guy after me.
Cooper: I don’t know. I need to get hold of him again. It’s been a long time.
Farrelly: I heard they’re making another “Naked Gun.” They’re going to do a remake.
Farrelly: They’ll come up with something. I love those guys. They’re the best. They’re the first guys I worked with.
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