Why Uncool Is Cool: An Interview with Paul Feig
Published on March 30th, 2008 in: Books, Interviews, Issues, Movies, TV |Popshifter: Yeah, you have to be willing to fail or look stupid.
Paul Feig: Yes. And then you look cooler! If you are cool enough to look stupid, then you’re cool.
Popshifter: That’s so true. (laughs)
Button © Get Fun Buttons.com
Paul Feig: I think you’re less cool if you’re like, “Well, I’m not gonna let people see—”
Popshifter: Like, “I’m too cool.”
Paul Feig: Because that’s not cool!
Popshifter: It’s like karaoke: you have to be willing to not hit the notes, sound horrible, and sing whatever stupid songs you wanna sing. . .
Paul Feig: Exactly!
Popshifter: How did you get involved with writing for The Huffington Post [in 2005]?
Paul Feig: They contacted me. You know, I love politics and all that. It was just a great outlet at the time. I was so angst-filled about Bush and the way everything was going, that I really enjoyed doing it.
But I stopped because I felt like I was being too polarizing. Like I don’t think comedians should hang out their politics. It’s okay to do them through your art, your creative stuff; there’s a point of view, coming through one of the characters. But there’s something about the minute an audience knows your politics. . . 50 percent of them you’re in danger of losing.
Popshifter: That’s an interesting point.
Paul Feig: At the end of the day, who really cares what somebody who has the spotlight thinks just because they’ve done something creative that entertains you? Why should they suddenly be preaching politics? Why should their opinion matter more than anyone else’s?
Popshifter: Yeah, that’s very true.
Paul Feig: I mean, I had a lot of fun doing it and I do miss doing it, but it was starting to get very polarizing. And the comments, once again the comments.
Popshifter: Another thing you said a few years ago, in a USA Today interview, was that Freaks and Geeks taught you that “you have to do what’s true to yourself and what you think is great and hope it catches on.”
Paul Feig: Yes.
Popshifter: To me, that sounds like really great advice. Is there any other advice you have for writers or people looking to get involved in film and television? Other than have thick skin? (laughs)
Paul Feig: I almost don’t even want to say, “Have thick skin” because you’ll find out real quick if you have it or not. (laughs)
The thing is you get kicked to the curb so many times, that you really need to have a big ego at the end of the day. Sometimes it’s as unglamorous as that. You have to have a big enough ego to go, “I know I can do this, I know I can do this. And they don’t see it yet.”
Sometimes that’s bad when it’s pumped up so big, that you’re just a prick. But I think you need a bit of that, because there is a competition. I mean, I was not a jock, I could not play sports, I still can’t play sports—
Popshifter: Yeah, me either. (laughs)
Click to read more from Paul Feig on. . .
Directing Freaks and Geeks
Directing Arrested Development
His obsessive knowledge of laugh tracks
More on laugh tracks, plus the “comedy of innocence”
Dealing with Internet jerks
The outsider, plus embarrassing fanboy encounters
“If it’s fun, it’s fun.”
Music of today vs. music of yesterday
The Hollywood version of funny
What’s cool and uncool
Listening to “the notes”
Where television is today
The fallout from Unaccompanied Minors
His new show Kath and Kim and his upcoming book
Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.