Episode 108 Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg

Summary

• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are an actor/writer/producer/director and director/screenwriter/producer duo, respectively.
• They have collaborated on films such as Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet, and Funny People.
• They have also written for David: Ali G Show and The Simpsons.
• In 2013, they released their directorial debut, This is the End.
• In 2014, they released Neighbors, which was a worldwide comedy hit.
• In December 2014, their film The Interview became a worldwide news story.
• They are currently in production on Sausage Party and Neighbors 2.
• They discussed kyokushin karate, writer's block, writing process, underrated comedians and comedy writers, pot mistakes, and more.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg met in Sunday morning bat mitzvah class.
• They became friends through their mutual friend Sammy Fogell and their mothers being friends.
• They were exposed to the movie industry growing up in Vancouver.
• They started collaborating creatively 8 months after meeting.
• They were 13 years old when they started writing Superbad, which was their first project.
• They had some help from their friends' parents who were in the industry.
• They started with a terrible draft of Superbad, but kept working on it.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discussed their early interest in movies and writing.
• They watched a lot of B movies and were inspired by the dawn of '90s independent cinema.
• They both had an interest in writing from a young age, with Seth writing standup and Evan writing stories.
• They were both sent to school psychologists for writing dark stories.
• They found writing movies to be more appealing than standup comedy, as it allowed them to explore multiple perspectives and conflict.
• They were both comic book nerds, with Evan's brother drawing the penises for Superbad.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg started writing Superbad because they wanted to get laid and weren't cool
• They learned from Darryl Lenox to write about what they know
• Their writing process has changed over the years, now spending more time talking about ideas before writing them down
• They use a Darwinist process to decide which ideas to pursue, and if they keep talking about it for a year or more, they know it's a good idea
• They watch movies in the genre they're writing to get ideas
• They try to mock the genre while participating in it fully
• They make lists of ideas in Word documents and keep them for future reference
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have been writing together for years, and have recently refocused on writing after becoming directors and producers.
• They wrote their first script, Superbad, over the course of 10 years.
• Seth Rogen was cast in Freaks and Geeks, which was set in Michigan and shot in LA, and this gave them an inlet to the industry.
• During the show, Judd Apatow gave them notes on Superbad and encouraged them to keep working on it.
• After Freaks and Geeks was cancelled, they wrote Pineapple Express in 6 weeks.
• Judd Apatow suggested they come up with 100 ideas for movies, and they got to 50 before he suggested they write a movie about a pothead process server who gets hunted by his own dealer.
• They wrote Pineapple Express in a few weeks, inspired by '90s action movies.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote Pineapple Express and Superbad in 2002, but no one wanted to make them.
• They pitched the scripts to various studios and companies, but were always turned down.
• Judd Apatow's success with The 40YearOld Virgin and Anchorman opened the door for them to make Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and Superbad in one year.
• Evan Goldberg learned from Judd Apatow to not keep ideas to himself and to focus on the emotion of the story.
• Judd Apatow also taught them the process of collaboration and improv, and how to work on set.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discuss their opinions on writer's block and how it can be solved by talking to someone and sharing ideas.
• They attribute their success to writing what they know and injecting their own experiences into their work.
• They mention the movie Adaptation as an example of a great screenplay and The Princess Bride as an example of a great movie.
• They mention Hannibal Birrus, Joe Mandy, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Shandling, and Don Hertzfeldt as underrated comedy writers.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discuss their influences in comedy, including Kids in the Hall, Monty Python, and Ab Fab.
• They also discuss Lorne Michaels and his influence on comedy, as well as Mel Brooks.
• When asked about late bloomers in comedy, they cannot think of any.
• When asked about successful people, Evan Goldberg mentions his cousins David and Charlie, who have a simple and happy life.
• Seth Rogen mentions his parents, who are currently on a cruise in Alaska.
• Seth Rogen does not often give books as gifts, but he does give coffee table books and comic books.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discussed books they have given to people, including Preacher, Watchman, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Art of Dramatic Writing, and Conquest of Happiness.
• Evan Goldberg gives Love You Forever to all of his friends who become mothers.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg picked up a habit from Snoop Dogg of taking walks in the morning and after dinner.
• Evan Goldberg wishes he had lost weight earlier and found out he was allergic to wheat sooner.
• Seth Rogen wishes he had proposed to his wife sooner.
• Evan Goldberg's billboard would say "Accept each other" while Seth Rogen's would say "Accept me".
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discussed the future of comedy, noting that while absurd comedy can be popular, more grounded comedies often do better.
• They attribute the success of Freaks and Geeks to the talent of the cast, and Judd Apatow's eye for talent.
• They discussed the importance of taking breaks and doing activities like playing Big Buck Hunter to help with creativity and productivity.
• They discussed the impact of marijuana on creativity and productivity, noting that it can make people dumber while they are on it, but can be helpful for taking breaks.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discuss the importance of creating a casual environment for creative work.
• They believe that smoking weed helps them to be more creative and free in their work.
• They recommend Jack Herrer as a good strain for working.
• Sativas are generally better for working than indicas.
• They encourage people to reach out to those they admire and idolize.
• They emphasize the importance of determination and not giving up, even when faced with failure.
• Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discussed their blind belief in themselves and how The Four Hour Workweek was turned down 26 or 27 times.
• Seth Rogen is active on Twitter under the username Seth Rogen.
• Evan Goldberg is active on Twitter under the username Evan Goldberg.
• People can find more information about Seth and Evan by writing a letter and putting it under the second L in the Hollywood sign.
• People can find the show notes and other information at fourhourworkweek.com.