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  • 12 hours ago
Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett get candid as they talk to Melissa Nathoo about finding joy in their 'Is This Thing On?' roles, reworking John Bishop’s story, and the on-set moments that had everyone laughing, including Bradley’s dog stealing the spotlight. Report by Nathoom. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Transcript
00:00Comedy is the elixir for life.
00:02I have no question for me.
00:04For me, the best therapy is therapy, but I will say.
00:07No, hang on. Just hear me out.
00:09Yeah.
00:10No.
00:10Here we go.
00:11It's lovely to see you both.
00:13Congratulations on this film.
00:15It's beautiful and uplifting and really wonderful.
00:18Although I was curious how you feel about the dog stealing the show,
00:21which I only found out afterwards was your dog, Bradley.
00:24Yeah, both dogs.
00:25Both dogs?
00:26Yeah.
00:26But they stole the show.
00:27I agree.
00:28Yeah.
00:31You know, I knew that going in they would.
00:33Yeah.
00:33These are special dogs, Charlie and Lucy.
00:36Because Charlie's the dog from A Star is Born, which he also stole.
00:39Yeah.
00:39Oh, my God.
00:40I think by now that everyone knows it's obviously inspired by John Bishop's life,
00:45great stand-up comedian.
00:47What was the reasoning behind giving it that American version?
00:51You know, John, we weren't telling his story per se, like his exact story.
00:56You know, it was inspired by, you know, he inspired, his journey, which had plot points
01:01that you, if we fictionalized, you would think, you know, this idea of he just happened to
01:05walk into a bar one night and didn't want to pay the cover.
01:07And then his wife happened to walk in the bar where he's doing an open mic set.
01:11I mean, those are two incredible elements and are just ripe for a story.
01:16Yeah.
01:17And, you know, it's like right what you know.
01:19It felt to me like the thing that I could offer the movie is New York and my experience
01:25with the cellar and the comedy scene.
01:27And Will and I have been such a, you know, sort of bystanders for the most part for the
01:33last 23 years of that scene.
01:35And that's a culture that I really know well and have watched its evolution.
01:39So I thought, oh, what a great place.
01:41And New York City for both of us has been what it is for Alex.
01:45Yeah.
01:45So it just all sort of made sense in that way.
01:49Okay.
01:49Yeah.
01:49It makes sense when you explain it.
01:51But in the same way that obviously, I guess John must have used comedy almost as therapy
01:55for him.
01:56Do you find comedy as like therapy for you guys?
01:59Or do you have something else that you kind of feel like helps you to comedy is the elixir
02:03for life?
02:04You know, I have no question for me.
02:07For me, the best therapy is therapy.
02:08But I will say, no, hang on.
02:12Just hear me out.
02:13Yeah.
02:13No.
02:14Here we go.
02:15No, it is.
02:16Comedy is, you know, the expression, obviously, laughter is the best.
02:19Medicine is insane.
02:21Medicine is the best medicine.
02:22But it is true that it does make you feel better.
02:25And there is that thing about laughter.
02:28A, it quite literally makes you feel better in whatever it does sort of chemically.
02:33And B, it often is this thing that can allow us to talk about things that are difficult.
02:38Yeah.
02:38Yeah.
02:38And C, and be honest about ourselves and help us laugh at ourselves.
02:42All those things.
02:42I guess you were also relieved, though, Will, that John was from Liverpool.
02:47So you could wear a Liverpool FC top, right?
02:49Yeah, yeah.
02:49And do the chant, right?
02:50Yeah.
02:51Otherwise, if they had had you in any other top, that would follow you around for the rest
02:54of your life.
02:54Yeah.
02:54Because you're a Liverpool fan, right?
02:56That's my shirt.
02:56That's why it's in the movie.
02:57It's why it's in the movie.
02:58He did that, yeah.
02:59Yeah.
02:59As a nod to John and to the, yeah.
03:01And that's my actual shirt, yeah.
03:03Yeah.
03:04Okay, okay.
03:04When he was 10, that's why.
03:06That's why it's so tight.
03:07And the sleeves are off because, obviously, you're not going to cover these up.
03:14Absolutely.
03:15That was, like, my favorite part of the whole film.
03:17Yeah.
03:17The same with us on.
03:18And, Bradley, I feel like you just had the best time playing your character.
03:23I feel like I've never seen you have that much fun, almost.
03:27John Peters was fun.
03:28I've got to play a role.
03:29Yeah.
03:29It reminded me of that.
03:30Like, yeah.
03:31It was very fun.
03:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:33No, he's a great character.
03:35And he's such a clear character, too.
03:37And he's such a genuinely happy person and finds the goodness in his life, you know.
03:44So I thought that was really, and he just sort of says exactly what he's thinking all the time.
03:48Pretty optimistic.
03:49Yeah.
03:50And the only moment, it's only when Alex tells him he's doing stand-up that he gets bummed out.
03:54It's the only moment.
03:56And he says exactly why.
03:57Even when he's talking about his marriage break, he's not as bummed out.
03:59Well, he is that moment when he's with the club.
04:01Well, that moment.
04:02Yeah, yeah.
04:03But the most bummed out is when Alex tells him he's doing stand-up.
04:04For sure.
04:05Oh, yeah.
04:06Yeah, no, that really killed him.
04:07Well, because everyone wants to be favorite child, right?
04:09Yeah, yeah.
04:09And, like, be the one who is, like, going to impress him or not.
04:12And you can't even say it.
04:13I'm the one who's, like, he hasn't made me going for it.
04:15Yeah, exactly.
04:17Like, you can't even...
04:17He has to be honest about it.
04:19I love that.
04:20It felt really, like, honest and truthful.
04:22Yeah.
04:23Yeah.
04:23Those scenes were, like, some of my favorite moments between you guys.
04:26Great job with this.
04:27Honestly, I think you've done a phenomenal job, like, turning this into something that
04:31I think everyone will enjoy.
04:33Lovely to see you both.
04:34You too, too.
04:34And see you again very soon.
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