Popstar 10th Anniversary Q&A

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Lonely Island & Seth Meyers Podcast

"Popstar 10th Anniversary Q&A"

July 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

This special episode reunites The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer with Daniel Scheinert (of the directing duo “The Daniels”) for a candid, laugh-studded Q&A celebrating the 10th anniversary of the cult comedy film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Recorded live at Los Angeles’s Egyptian Theatre after a packed commemorative screening, the discussion goes behind-the-scenes of the film’s creation, reveals anecdotes from the cutting room, and explores The Lonely Island’s collaborative process and their time on SNL. Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone are absent due to filming commitments, but their presence is felt through submitted questions and inside jokes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. First Impressions of the Anniversary Screening

• Pressure of the Crowd ([03:11]):

  • Akiva admits to nerves watching the film with an audience:

    “The first 30 minutes, I was like, whoa, we really brought this together. Like, it’s cooking. And then that kind of intensity cannot sustain...”
    (Akiva, 03:31)

• Editing Challenges ([04:09]):

  • Many sequences were originally entire scenes, now reduced to “a shot.”
  • The film’s montage-heavy style required “30 setups for so little movie” – making the process massively inefficient, but creatively rewarding.

2. Popstar’s Unique Production: Scheduling, Locations, and Costumes

• Shooting Fast & Furious ([05:16]):
  • Production lasted only 27 days, much of it at the newly renovated Forum.
  • “Every moment had to be like, it’s a different day… I forget if it was 90 or 130 [costume changes]…” (Akiva, 05:24)
• Illusion of Grandeur ([05:51]):
  • “It feels like you traveled the country… but it’s just, like, one stadium week.” (Daniel, 05:49)
  • Nearly all concert/backstage scenes were at the Forum, repurposed creatively.

3. Jokes, Outtakes, & Finding the Right Gags

• Taylor Swift ADR Story ([07:07]):
  • Taylor Swift reference was a post-production improvisation, swapped in after other jokes failed in test screenings:

    “It was ADR, because you can say anything. And it was not that in the script... lesson about never giving up when you’re cutting something.” (Akiva, 07:17)

• Lost & Bonus Material ([08:16]):
  • Whole songs like "Mona Lisa" and "Fuck Off" were filmed and exist on DVD/YouTube, but were cut for pacing and comedic rhythm.
  • “There’s a song for kids… It is so dark…” (Akiva, 08:48)
• Credit Song Regrets ([08:48]):
  • Reflecting on why “Legalize It” (the reggae credits song) got the slot over other, now-favored tracks.

4. Famous Cameos, Cameo Guilt & Red Tape

• Guest Appearances Left on the Cutting Room Floor ([09:45]):
  • Akiva reveals guilt over guest musicians (Akon, Ed Sheeran, Norah Jones) shooting segments that were deleted due to legal/budget issues, including missing paperwork on work permits:

    “We literally wasted their time completely... Universal lawyers wouldn’t let us put them in.” (Akiva, 11:24)

• Studio Machinations ([11:42]):
  • “There’s a lot that’s in there that they have no idea where the footage came from.” (Akiva, 11:42)

5. Absent Lonely Islanders Tune In: Andy & Jorma’s Questions

• Andy Samberg’s Martini Question ([11:56]):
  • Submitted question: “Do you think you’ll ever go back to olives for your martinis?”
  • Akiva admits he’s “mainly on the twist,” but sometimes still enjoys olives. (12:40)
• Jorma’s Movie Update & Jason Segel Joke ([12:54]):
  • Updates on Andy and Jorma’s new projects; Jorma’s film starring Jason Segel is referenced, including nerves about in-jokes at Segel’s expense.

6. SNL Digital Shorts, Friendship, & the Lonely Island Process

• Directing Dynamics ([19:19]):
  • Akiva describes seamless collaboration with Jorma. Directing credits require DGA tribunal approval, which isn’t given lightly to duos.
  • The team’s background in doing “everything together” from SNL made directing “seamless and easy.” (Akiva, 19:27)
• SNL Workflow ([28:14]):
  • Pressure-cooker SNL schedule means constant testing with peers (“just pulling in interns or cast members ... whoever was in the hall”).
  • “You don’t have that loss of objectivity as much because you shot it yesterday, you’re editing it today.” (Akiva, 28:44)

7. Reshoots & The Penis Scene

• Test Screening Feedback → Reshoots ([16:03]):
  • Explanation of a key scene (the limo/dick scene) being a last-minute reshoot, paid for out-of-pocket by the filmmakers:

    “We were out of money. And so us and Judd [Apatow] chipped in.” (Akiva, 17:41)

• Casting Comedy Nudity ([18:10]):
  • Hilarious challenges of casting for the infamous fake penis scene and email deluge of “headshots.”

8. Editing: Shaping the Movie

• Footage Overload ([21:49]):
  • The test screening process was “overwhelming;” initial versions were notably different, more of a vanity “Connor puff piece.”
• Drew Goddard’s Advice ([25:01]):
  • It took an external friend to note:

    “I think this movie’s about the three of you, right?”
    That feedback crystallized the importance of showing the trio’s friendship from the start.

• How to Find the Real Movie ([23:29]):
  • Akiva requested a shutdown of editing to “find the movie” before spending more on post-production.

9. Objectivity & Audience Feedback

• Maintaining Perspective Under Deadlines ([27:16]):
  • Akiva:

    “Every time you watch it with people… you feel in your body when you’re uncomfortable and embarrassed ... [that] lets you see it through their eyes.”

  • Daniel echoes the importance of screening even with “just one or two people” for a fresh view.

10. Favorite Cameos & Sweetness of the Film

• Paul McCartney’s Approval ([26:15]):
  • Stock footage of McCartney got a laugh; every cameo had to be personally approved:

    “All of them or somebody in their world saw the context and went, yeah, you can use that.” (Akiva, 26:20)

  • “The two surviving Beatles are both in there. That’s a pretty big endorsement.” (Akiva, 26:37)
• The Friendship at the Film’s Core ([25:27]):
  • The film is “such a sweet movie about friends making stuff.” (Daniel, 25:27 & 25:33)
  • The opening image was changed to show the trio “as young, younger” to ground the film’s heart.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On editing montages:

  “Whenever you write a montage in something you’re gonna shoot, it’s the worst part… 30 setups for so little movie.”
  (Akiva, 05:04)

• On joke perfectionism:

  “Never giving up when you’re cutting something and just going, well, that didn’t work. You don’t settle.”
  (Akiva, 07:17)

• On casting for nudity:

  “I don’t know if you’ve ever dealt with nudity, but when you’re casting, your emails become just, like, a scary place.”
  (Akiva, 18:10)

• On collaboration:

  “All the decisions are being made by all of us all the time. So it felt very seamless and easy.”
  (Akiva, 19:35)

• On the edit process:

  “I went off and changed the first act of the movie completely… did like seven versions… until finally we found one.”
  (Akiva, 24:38)

• On maintaining objectivity:

  “You feel in your body when you’re uncomfortable and embarrassed and feel shitty, and you feel… pride and like, I did it.”
  (Akiva, 27:20)

• On friendship as the film’s heart:

  “It’s such a sweet movie about friends making stuff. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. It resonates.”
  (Daniel, 25:27-25:33)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:31–02:38: Episode/Screening context & setup
• 03:01–05:51: Reflections on screening with an audience and editing the film
• 06:27–07:58: On kids, family, and the Taylor Swift joke’s evolution
• 08:16–09:45: Extended and deleted material from the film & soundtrack
• 09:45–11:42: Guest star anecdotes, legal issues, and deleted Talking Heads
• 11:56–13:44: Absent Lonely Island updates; inside jokes about martinis & Segel
• 14:08–16:03: The “Sergio” SNL digital short controversy
• 16:03–17:41: Limo/penis scene—origin, funding, casting
• 19:19–20:54: Directing as a duo, DGA rules, SNL’s collaborative roots
• 21:10–25:33: Audience Q&A on test screenings, movie-shaping, and outside advice
• 25:56–27:16: Favorite cameos (Paul McCartney, the Beatles), approval process
• 27:16–28:58: Maintaining objectivity, screening strategies, SNL workflow
• 29:00–30:01: Wrapping up; Daniel Scheinert’s personal reflections

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The conversation balances inside baseball with accessible warmth, blending deep insights into comedic filmmaking with the easy, friendly banter that characterizes The Lonely Island’s work. The episode is full of humility, self-effacing jokes, and genuine appreciation for the film’s fans—making it both a must-listen for Popstar devotees and a valuable resource for aspiring comedy creators.

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For more deep-dive behind-the-scenes and comedy process talk, scroll through this podcast’s episode list. Quaid Army salutes you!

Transcript

[A]

Seth Meyers and Andy Samberg are Hollywood elites. King of New York, Brunson or Myers. Jorma Taccone is an ultra right wing nut job.

[B]

Very right wing and I don't like wood card bullshit.

[A]

They'll share a nice meal at a restaurant, then not tell you what the restaurant is to keep it all to themselves. Akiva Shaffer is salt of the earth. He wears normal clothes, drives a normal car and doesn't gatekeep straws. For podcast host, the Choice is clear.

[B]

A.K.

[A]

shaer. He's normal. I'm Akiva Shaffer and I prove this message. Hello, Quaid army, it's Akiva. Hi. So today we have a live recording from an April 17, 2026 screening of Pop Star Never Stop. Never Stopping. It was at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It was organized by American Cinema Tech who do cool screenings all over Los Angeles year round. The Q and A that you're gonna hear was hosted by Daniel Scheinert of the Daniels, who are a directing team who made Swiss army man and everything Everywhere all at once, as well as some of my favorite music videos. And he actually just randomly texted me a few weeks before the screening, being like, I'm so excited to see it at this screening. And I was like, well, if you're gonna be there, maybe, maybe I put you to work. So big thank you to him. The screening was honoring the 10 year anniversary of Popstar's release, happened on June 3rd. So we just passed that and the audio you're about to hear is from after the screening. So we're in a room of about 500 people who just saw the movie. I apologize if it's a little sloppier or what have you because obviously I could use a shorthand since we had all just seen it, but I know you guys have it memorized. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

[B]

Hey, here's a voice memo from me, Daniel Shiner, the moderator for this Q and A that became a podcast. I guess I'm so flattered that this is getting released and grateful that I got to listen back to it before it got released. And my main takeaway listening back to it was that I sound nervous. And I guess that's because I was. I was so excited to get to do this and was kind of giddy. I think meeting a comedian you love is always kind of nerve wracking because you've heard their voice a lot, but especially if you're part of Quaid Army. I've just listened to a lot of these guys talk lately, but it Was such a treat, and I hope you all enjoy it. And I'm sorry, I just keep interrupting Akiva and saying. Right, right throughout the whole interview. So hopefully that's not too distracting.

[A]

Roll the tape.

[C]

Woo.

[A]

Hey, everybody.

[B]

Huh? Hey.

[A]

Righteous kill.

[B]

You beat me to it. Quade Army. Righteous kill.

[A]

Do I have to say it each time?

[B]

I don't know. Yeah. Hi, I'm Daniel. I did not make this movie at all. I'm just a huge fan. I've seen it many times, but it's really fun to see it with a crowd again.

[A]

I think this was my first time since the premiere, but I'm not sure. Yeah, I've seen it since then. At home a few times, but with an audience.

[B]

How was. Was good?

[A]

It was the first. The first half. I'll give you my honest take, which was that the first 30 minutes, I was like, whoa, we really brought this together. Like, it's cooking and then that kind of intensity cannot sustain. And so then I was just watching and going like, oh, I hope it doesn't dip too much. Because this. Which is true, I think, of this genre. For all of this genre, like even the best ones, like the Christopher Guest ones, there's a moment where you have to settle into a different pace because it's just impossible to do that first 30 minutes the whole time.

[B]

It's so dense. Yeah. It's so high energy.

[A]

There's so many shots in it where I'm picturing that there was a different scene we had done, and by the end we had edited it down to, like a shot. And that is what makes it feel kind of real, is like there's a shot I was watching and I forgot about it. Where it's like MTV Movie Award or not Movie Awards. Sorry, Spring break.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you're just like, man, that was a whole setup. And it's just in their phrase for a split second. There's extras.

[B]

Was there a whole MTV scene?

[A]

It was just longer. It wasn't like a big scene, but just there's so many little things like that.

[B]

Yeah, that was. Was the script, like, enormous or was it kind of ever evolving? Cause it does feel like you shot like a five hour movie.

[A]

And it was just a lot of bullet points a lot of the time, you know? So as, you know, as anyone that makes. Well, you know, your movies have a lot of montage too. Especially everything everywhere all at once.

[B]

No, shh. This is about him.

[A]

But whenever you write a montage in something you're gonna shoot, it's the worst part of Shooting. Because you have to. You know, it's 30 setups or something. And it. You realize. You look at your schedule and it's such a big part for.

[B]

For so.

[A]

Pardon me. For so little movie. And this was like, an entire movie of that. So it was very inefficient. But it was like 27 days.

[B]

We just went 27 days. We just did it.

[A]

Very, very. We shot it efficient, even though it was an inefficient. Like our. I was remembering our costume woman, Sophie, who does huge movies, but being like. Usually you have, like, six costume changes in a whole movie, maybe 10. And this was like. I forget if it was 90 or 130, because it was just. For Andy, it was. Every day, every moment had to be like, it's a different day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So we just had to keep putting on.

[B]

It feels like you traveled the country, went to 10 different. It's just one stadium day or, like, one stadium week, or.

[A]

They had just renovated the Forum, and so it wasn't booked all the time yet. And we got it for 11 days. So half our shooting central, we were just in the Forum, and we would use every nook and cranny and just kind of decorate it a little bit. So any backstage. All the. Anything, you know, that looks like a concert. All the, like, alley. You know, the little alleyways or dressing rooms or whatever. Yeah, it's all the Forum a little bit. The Long beach arena down. You know that one? We did, like, a day there.

[B]

Yeah. Wild. With like. Yeah. It just. It feels enormous. You. Yeah. You said your family is here.

[A]

Yeah. It was the first time for my kids seeing it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They're not that young. They're just.

[C]

Don't.

[B]

I just. Don't force it down there if that. When they were enjoying it or not, or. Did you get any reviews during the closing credits?

[A]

No reviews during the closing credits, but I think it seemed like they were enjoying it. I don't know. Yeah, I'll quiz them on the.

[B]

Did they know that you and mom make out?

[A]

They did know that. I think they had seen that scene out of context.

[B]

Yeah, that's the origin story. That's like the origin story.

[A]

Oh, you know what I mean? I was remembering something literally, like, three times a minute being like, oh, that's something we could talk about. And then the moment. The next joke comes, I forgot everything. But the one that got a huge laugh that I remembered immediately was the Taylor Swift joke.

[B]

I forgot about that.

[A]

It's on the phone. And I had kind of forgot about it because it's just adr, because you can say anything. It's just on Andy's face with Sarah's voice. And it was not that in the script. And it was one of those ones where it was a dud in every test screening. Not that joke. A different joke every time. And it's a real lesson about, like, never giving up when you're cutting something and just going, well, that didn't work. You don't settle. Because we just kept trying. And then it was the very last time we were like, how about this?

[B]

And then just committed murder. Yeah.

[A]

It's one of the. It wasn't even about Taylor before. It was just something else. It was just different jokes every time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then that was just one more of many. And it was like, maybe this. And then it's one of the better jokes.

[B]

Are there any jokes that, like, you miss? There's so much on the album. I don't know if, like. If folks haven't listened to the Spotify full album. There's like. It's a whole universe of stuff y' all made that, like. It's in the background of scenes and.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, because we just didn't know. We just. We just recorded a ton of stuff before we were doing the movie.

[B]

Did you shoot a lot of it?

[A]

Yeah. So when we were on the stage, we did. You know, then they're on the DVD or on the Internet, some of them. But like. Like Mona Lisa, we have the whole song performed and I'm. And it's out there. Yeah, but it's. And then you just do the movie and it's all about momentum.

[B]

Yeah. And did you shoot off?

[A]

Yeah, there's. Then that's out there.

[B]

There's like a. There's a song for kids.

[A]

It is so dark when it's playing that last song over the credits, the Legalize it one. It's fine. And in me and Andy, specifically, me and him were like, this is a great one. And then in hindsight, I like off so much more.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it should be on the end credits. But at that moment, we were convinced that that reggae.

[B]

It feels good as a credit song. Like legalized crack. If just.

[A]

I like that. It feels.

[B]

It's, like, relaxing, but, like. It's just so insane.

[A]

Fits well.

[B]

Yeah, it feels like a good, like.

[A]

But Fuck off didn't make it anywhere in there. And we no filmed the whole thing.

[B]

Oh, really? Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You can watch a full. It's. We edited it together. It's out there. It's on the DVD. And stuff for YouTube. It's like a full concert performance of Fuck Off.

[B]

Well, check. Check it out.

[A]

I also. With your kids, I get a little tinges of guilt towards some of our guests that are barely just knowing that they came and like sat and were interviewed and then they're on there for like a split second. And I'm like. I like feel a little guilty sometimes.

[B]

They're incredible.

[A]

The most egregious one of those is another song that we shot, but I don't know if it's on the. It's on the soundtrack, but I don't know if it's on the thing is the one with Akon. It's called Should I Move? And it's kind of like contemplating if he should.

[B]

It's another good one.

[A]

If he should move houses. As if that's a relatable topic. And we really liked it. So we got Akon to sing on the chorus. And then Akon comes in. He's only in the opening credits for a second. Like when he's singing Absolute and it's kind of showing different stuff from his life. It cuts to Andy and Akon, like kind of on stage, like looking at each other. And he came all the way over and like recorded and did the performance.

[B]

Have you talked to him?

[A]

And just wasn't as good.

[B]

Is he mad at you?

[A]

I don't think so. I think he's fine, but I feel guilty. We also recorded A Talking Head with Ed Sheeran and we recorded A Talking Head with Nora Jones and those just straight up. The reason we couldn't use them is because between us, we stole a lot of the stuff in the movie when we were in post and we were out of money. And so some of those Andy Talking Heads that are on iPhone and stuff would literally just be on the floor of the editing suite. Because you can do anything because it's a doc. And Yoram was in New York and went and got Talking Heads with Ed Sheeran and Nora Jones separately and didn't do all the proper paperwork. But like for Universal, like they were cool with it. But like this is really inside baseball. But you know how when you're dealing with an actor who's from England and they have a work permit in America, but the work permit was got. Was from Sony or something and you're making something for Paramount and they won't accept the Sony work permit, those sort of things.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

So it's nothing.

[B]

Did you move?

[A]

Yeah, but. Yeah, but that was it. So we literally wasted their time completely.

[B]

They recorded a bunch of things.

[A]

And then we weren't allowed. Universal lawyers wouldn't let us put them in.

[B]

Yeah, but sometimes. Yeah. Asking for forgiveness instead of permission is how you.

[A]

Yes, there's a lot that's in there that they have no idea where the footage came from. Yeah, it's a lot. In our office, there's a lot of just random stuff.

[B]

I. I got a few questions from other people.

[A]

Please.

[B]

This is one. A few years ago, you famously switched from martinis with olives to martinis with a twist. Do you think you'll ever go back, for example, on a cozy winter night with a close friend? Sorry, I should have said the setup is. Dear Akiva, it's your friend Andy. Hold for applause. Sandberg. So sorry I couldn't be there tonight, especially because I actually played the character Connor in the movie. And then he had the martini question. And then I have one more.

[A]

Yeah, I knew it was from him, just from the question. Sometimes I do go back.

[B]

Go back.

[A]

I even now sometimes do. But I'm mainly on the twist.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. If you have good gin or vodka, then you want to appreciate it.

[A]

It's nice. And it doesn't, you know, it feels cleaner.

[B]

Okay, great.

[A]

Andy's shooting, by the way. Andy. Just so you guys know why they're not here. Andy is shooting a movie and it's nowhere near here. I don't want to blow up his spot. But with Jason Momoa, it's like an action two hander comedy. Get out. And Jorma has his new movie over your dead body, which has. I mean, talk about a funny moment when he's talking that Jason Segel is the star now.

[B]

They're buds.

[A]

Exactly. Well, also, Judd Apatow produced this movie. Who made Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. And. And we all knew Jason Segel and we were just doing the joke and we were like, is this okay? And Judd kept being like, I think. I think he's gonna think it's funny. And we're like, should we show it to him before we put. No, he's just gonna think it's funny. And I. And we all don't know really what he thought of it ever. I never got. Never got feedback.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But he didn't hold a grudge.

[B]

They're on a press tour now. Now's the time.

[A]

Well, yeah, they could definitely ask.

[B]

Yeah, we gotta figure this out.

[A]

That's a yorm. Yeah, go, go give him another and

[B]

then we'll fill that up.

[A]

But he has a press screening. I think it's in New Orleans was last Night. And then another one in maybe New Jersey, either tonight or tomorrow night, but it was too tight. Anyways, they send their regards. Or perhaps they've sent you other messages.

[B]

Right over your dead body. April 24th.

[A]

Something that's like a week from today.

[B]

Rock and roll. You have famously taken issue with the beloved SNL digital short Sergio, which you did not direct because of the artistic use of Crossing the Line. Do you feel like here tonight, in front of this fine group of people and your Scientologist God, that you are ready to finally admit that you were wrong?

[A]

Sadly, this one could be from a lot of people now.

[B]

Yeah. And then I was instructed to watch the movie and look for Crossing the Line. And I feel like there's no line in this movie.

[A]

That's just it. There's no line.

[B]

There's no line. This is. That's a very inside baseball question for people who listen to the podcast, Seth Meyers Lonely island podcast. If you don't. If you love this movie and you don't know about the podcast, I feel like this is not the audience for me to pitch.

[A]

It seems like they know it for the most part.

[B]

It's really genuinely interesting process discussion about making comedy. I, like, listen to it as a filmmaker and learn a lot.

[A]

That's very kind.

[B]

I really love how. Yeah. Honest you all are, especially about the. The. The bad ones.

[A]

Those are the more fun ones.

[B]

Yeah. The best episodes. Yeah.

[A]

Who. Who was that from? Was it from.

[B]

Yeah, it was more Andy that.

[A]

Oh, just.

[B]

Yeah, that was. That was his part, too.

[A]

I didn't think Chrysler would be quite as mean.

[B]

Yeah. And so the penis scene, I just have, like, a bu. I have, like, five questions about that.

[A]

That was a reshoot. It was a reshoot. Yeah. Like, you know, we shot so much stuff, but we kept a little money for talking heads, knowing we're like, we better edit this and then go record some of the famous people where we can know better, know what we want them to say to fill gaps.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we were just out of money, and we realized that there was, like, a dip in the middle. And we went to Judd, and we're kind of like, why? What's happening? And it was his idea of, like. So the setup was all the same of, like, we're gonna get parent trapped. And even the stuff in the hallway was partially the same of Jorma saying, like, you know, he's here. And Andy saying, this is a parent trap. But then that conversation went way longer, and Andy basically said, fuck that shit. I'm not gonna See him, and then left. And then it was Jorma coming to meet me at a bar where I was supposed to be meeting Andy. And Jorma saying, sorry, he's not gonna show up, and me being, like, double pissed. And Judd was the one that was like, I think at that moment, the audience just wants to see you guys together, like, deal with the central relationship in this movie a little bit. And so that's why it's in a limo, because that's what we could afford, because that's just a parking lot. We didn't have an arena anymore.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so it's just. We were like, well, we could do it a limo and, like, 20 extras and just crowd around it, and you won't know what's going on.

[C]

And.

[A]

Yeah, so it was maybe four or five months after we shot the movie, we shot that scene. And we knew at that point this might be answering or not answering questions. But we knew from test screenings that, like, the crazier the movie got, the more the audience liked it, which is what gave us the courage to make it that crazy. I don't think we would have written that into the original script and had the guts to do it.

[B]

Yeah. I love the idea of you telling the studio, we've got a scene we just have to shoot.

[A]

Well, if you want the real scene,

[B]

since I'm being very honest right now,

[A]

we paid for it.

[B]

Get out. Yeah.

[A]

Because we were out of money.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we wanted the movie to be good. And so us and Judd chipped in.

[B]

And that's even more amazing. Did you pay the dick actor? Well, or.

[A]

I didn't like, line produce it. We hired a line producer.

[B]

We gotta find out.

[A]

But our email. I don't know if you've ever dealt with nudity, but when you're casting, your emails become just, like, a scary place.

[B]

Cause people audition.

[A]

They. They are sending in their headshots, and it's all.

[B]

Yeah, that's wild.

[A]

Yeah. And it's interesting trying to choose it. Was that one of your questions? How do you choose it? I don't know.

[B]

You're just on a roll. I love all these stories. Yeah. I don't. I don't.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, you have to.

[B]

You have to find the right comedy.

[A]

Feel like a joke on top of the joke. Because then you're being like, the joke

[B]

isn't that it's a weird dick. The joke is just that it's a dick.

[A]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And so you. All the choices were made for that. And, you know, I don't need to Go into. What did you and Jorma have. Make it that the joke is little or big?

[B]

Or did you and Jorma fight about this a lot or.

[A]

Well, he kept being like, that's the hugest one I've ever seen. That's not. Kev said, that's not normal. That's like 10 times what normal is.

[B]

That was. We're okay on time. That was one of my other questions is, like, what? You guys have worked together, obviously, a ton. But you and Jorma sharing directing duties. Did it feel different on this one or.

[A]

No. We had done so much where before snl, where you don't say what anybody's doing. You're just making something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then at snl, where you're going so fast, it's just the credits that label it. We're all just doing it all together.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And this was the same, like, you know, Andy doesn't deal with the camera stuff that much, but he could. He just doesn't have to because he has us on something like this. But all the decisions are being made by all of us all the time. So it felt very seamless and easy. And that's why we got the dga. Not to get into that, but I'm sure you did the tribunal to get approved as a directing team, and it's difficult to get approved as a team if you didn't work together all the time to really, like, they won't let two random people be like, we're a team now.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's a. It's a weird. Did you have an interesting experience with that?

[B]

I have so many. Yeah. We can do a whole. Yeah. For those that don't know, like, the Director's Guild has, like, a lot of rules about who it can and can't direct movies together. And I. I did a solo movie and got in a whole bunch of trouble.

[A]

We talked about that, actually.

[B]

Now I'm remembering that. So I had to go and beg to all of my favorite filmmakers to please, please, please let me make movies with my friend again.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And the first time, they said no. And then I had to get a bunch of people's help and go again.

[A]

Got it.

[B]

Thank you, Seth Rogen, for helping me.

[A]

Say, was that between. That was after everything, everywhere, all at once, but before whatever's coming next.

[B]

Or. It was before everything, everywhere. So I would have been a producer on the movie.

[A]

Got it. Like the. Like the Coen brothers. That's why it always seemed like just one of them directed, one produced, but they were doing it together.

[B]

Yeah. It's weird. Yeah, yeah. I'm so. Yeah. I have so many directing duo questions, but we have time for a couple audience questions. And I feel so greedy. I asked all so many of my own. Does. Does anybody want to use her on the aisle here? Yeah.

[C]

So I'm very curious about the process of. Obviously you've been doing this comedy for so long and then there's a lot that goes into it. And I was actually very fortunate to go to the very first cast screening of this movie when it was called Connor Burrito and turn into Pop Star. And the amount of footage that's in that, that obviously isn't this. It's just crazy. I don't know how we all managed to like shape it into what it is. But what I'm curious about is in sort of the discussion, is it like because it's a studio company having to talk to studio and kind of things and you guys as like, what is the process like as the test screens go on, like, how integral it is to like a studio collecting inside Emperor?

[A]

Yeah, well, this one was. I mean, you kind of answered your own question almost with the amount of footage. Like we did so many talking heads. And when they. When you get like Nas to come sit down, you don't just have them say three lines. You also don't know exactly what you need them for. So we would talk for 45 minutes and Ringo, 45 minutes. And by the end you have. Plus we had three cameras on everything when we're shooting, because we're shooting doc style. And we would shoot all these extra scenes just being. Cause there's no wrong answer. You can go over here and shoot. You can go over there, shoot. It's all real. It can all look right. So we had like the amount of footage you'd have for a real documentary. But our schedule was like, it was a normal studio comedy where we would have like 35 scenes that can pretty much only go in one order. Whereas in this it can go in any order. You can rearrange it. I mean, editing, I would just do talking heads into. As if I was Andy into my phone and then just airdrop it in and put it in just to be like, okay, now it's doing that and just. You can just write it as you go. So it was very overwhelming. And that test screening, we really fought that test screening that you were at, because we were like, we are not ready. Like, we have not found the shape yet. Like, this is a move. These kind of movies have to be 85 minutes at the Most. And it was longer than that. And, you know, I think was equal rights even in it, or if it was, it was at the end. It was towards the end. Like, we really hadn't found the shape of the movie. The beginning would have been totally different. It was just very different.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And at one point, do you remember,

[B]

was the edit really long?

[A]

It wasn't. It wasn't. It was too long for this. It was definitely longer than this. I don't know that it, you know, or.

[B]

I mean, like, how many months you were cutting.

[A]

Yeah. So at a certain point, similarly, we were running out of money because of the amount of weeks. And so we. I honestly, I went to Judd and I was like, shut us down. I hear about movies getting shut down because people are incompetent.

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

But I was like. I was like, I know there's a way movies get shut down and then brought back to life. And I was like, do that to us. Because I had all the footage. But when you have editorial, it's so much money every week.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And so it was like, I was like, just stop. Stop the flow of money and let me go find the movie and then bring us back once I found the movie. And so I just. He's like, found an excuse of moving us from Universal to his office in west la and then was like, it's the holidays coming up. Why don't we just do it in January? And we got shut. And so we just stopped working for two months. And I went off and changed the first act of the movie completely. Like, did like seven versions of the first act until finally we found one that was like, what you. Basically what you see here. And then we came back and then we could. Then we could edit more like a real movie because we knew what our outline was.

[B]

Well, yeah. Great job.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Yeah, you can tell that that's hard. It's like watching it, I'm like, what does the screenplay look like? And then like, yeah, it feels like you've found it.

[A]

The other version, the one he saw. The main differences in the beginning was that it started like it was just a straight puff piece doc on Connor. Like, as if it was the doc he wanted to make, which would have no mention of the rest of us.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then as things start going bad or whatever, then they start talking about the past and all that stuff about us starts coming up maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes in. And I think it was Drew Goddard that saw that at one point and was like, I think this movie's about the three of you. Right. And we were like, yes. And they're like. He's like, then. I think you want to tell the audience that in the very beginning. And I was like, oh. And then I. And then I cut this version.

[B]

Totally. Yeah. It's such a sweet movie about friends making stuff. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. It resonates.

[A]

But that's why the first image is the three of us as young. Younger.

[B]

Yeah. It's right out the gate. It's not funny. They're just French fry guy. It's like. It's like right out the gate. They're just having fun. Yeah. Yeah, it's great. Okay. Sorry, I keep babbling someone in the way back. You, sir, you're, like, one seat in. Yeah, Yeah. I was wondering what your favorite champion.

[C]

I'm talking about, like,

[B]

tonight.

[A]

Yeah, I don't know what my favorite is, but Bill is definitely up there.

[B]

Like, that's tonight my favorite cameo. You're asking me, right? Yeah, I'd rather hear yours was the stock footage of Paul McCartney standing up.

[A]

Yes. It fits really well. He loves what he saw.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It hit me so hard. They all had to approve it. So on the plus side, all of them or somebody in their world saw the context and went, yeah, you can use that. Which is nice. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, that's great.

[A]

That makes it. You know, the two surviving beetles are both in there. So that's a pretty big.

[B]

That's pretty huge endorsement. Yeah. Unreal. Okay, one more. You, sir? Yeah. Oh, but you don't have the luxury of time. How else do you have any other

[C]

tricks that you use to maintain some semblance of objectivity when you.

[B]

When you don't have the luxury of

[A]

time, in which part of the process, I guess, is. Oh, when you're basically like racing against a deadline and you've lost all objectivity, and then it's like, you gotta lock it. And you're like, just need a month where you could not watch it and then watch it again

[C]

to somehow step away from the.

[A]

I think it's seeing it with people. Like, every time you watch it with people, whether it's a big group of friends that haven't seen it, people that have never seen it, but even if it's just, like, two people in the room that you respect, you feel in your body when you're uncomfortable and embarrassed and feel shitty, and you feel. When you feel pride and like, I did it. And that's a pretty good. Like, that's like a huge percentage of what you get out of any screening. A friends and Family screening recruited. A test screening is. Even if you never got, like, the feedback, the feedback you get by just sitting there and feeling embarrassed is pretty strong. And it kind of. It kind of lets you see it through their eyes. Fresh again.

[C]

Right?

[B]

Yeah. No, Yeah. I feel that someone told me that advice years ago, and it's so helpful just to watch it in the same room with someone. And instantly I'm like, no, this part is boring.

[A]

Just even inviting someone into the edit

[B]

and just sitting next to you. Okay, that makes me think of a question. Like, so like, on snl, you didn't have the luxury of, like, time. Like, would you try to do test screenings before Saturday night?

[A]

Like, generally wasn't edited before. Yeah, but, you know, if we're editing all day Saturday, even just when we'd be halfway done, sometimes we'd be pulling in interns or, you know, other cast members or whatever, whoever was in the hall and just go, oh, come in and look at this.

[B]

Is it working? Is it working? Yeah, yeah.

[C]

But.

[A]

But it's also so fast. You don't really become too lost in it. Like, you don't have that loss of objectivity as much because you shot it yesterday, you're editing it today. There's not a lot of time to be like, I've seen it so many times, I forgot what it is.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It can't happen.

[B]

Yeah, this makes sense. Well, thank you so much for letting me do this.

[A]

Oh, my God, I was so happy when you agreed to.

[B]

And congratulations and congrats to the film festival and everyone. Come see the other movies.

[A]

Thanks for having me.

[B]

Okay, my Part two voice memo. Hello, it's me, Daniel Scheinert, again. Just wanted to give my review of the Q and A experience. It was a dream come true. I didn't quite realize it till I was driving home afterwards, but I got so hyper and giddy driving home with my partner, who saw it for the first time and loved it, which made me happy. And I just kind of realized that I got to tee up Akiva to tell a joke. Like, how. How dreamy to have a comedian you love and get to tee them up to tell a joke. So thank you again. But especially thank you for letting me tee up that joke about Jorma's penis. And thank you, Jorma, for letting us make that joke. I hope you're not mad at me. Y' all are the best. Oh, I sound nervous again. Because I am. Okay, goodbye.

[A]

So that was the Q and A. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it wasn't too rambling Later, Arnold. Later, Quaid.