Last week, the resident film critic of SoBros Network, Brandon Vick, and I had the honor and privilege of sitting down with Jay Chandrasekhar, Adrianne Palicki, and Eric Stolhanske to talk about their new movie Quasi, the latest effort from comedy troupe extraordinaire, Broken Lizard. Check out the highlights from Brandon’s interview below, and fire up Quasi on Hulu as soon as humanly possible.
Interview: The Cast of Quasi
Brandon: It’s safe to say the premise of each of your comedies is different, but I’m not sure any Broken Lizard fan would’ve thought your latest film would be about the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Who came up with the initial idea? And, were there heated discussions amongst the group on who would play the titular character or was Steve (Lemme) just perfect for the part?
Quasi-Chella 2023: Jay Chandrasekhar tells us a bit about how #Quasi came to be and how the #BrokenLizard gang landed on Steve Lemme playing the titular character! @QuasiMovie is streaming ONLY on @hulu beginning 4/20! pic.twitter.com/YrvACP7ShN
— SoBros Network (@SoBrosNetwork) April 17, 2023
Brandon: I have a question for you, Adrianne. You’ve worked with some brilliant comedic minds between Seth MacFarlane on The Orville and, of course, Broken Lizard on Quasi. What did you enjoy the most about working with them? How does it compare to the more dramatic stuff that you’ve done? They always say comedy is way harder than drama.
Adrianne: It can be, for sure. The difference is The Orville is much more structured. This felt in a lot of ways like Friday Night Lights in the sense that there are freedoms that happen and you have to use your instincts. These guys made me feel comfortable enough to use my instincts, and to improv. It felt freeing and fun. So, they’re two different kinds of comedy. But, working with them (BL) was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Being on that set is one of the funnest places to be, and you guys (looks at Eric and Jay) are like brothers…it’s just so fun to be apart of.
Brandon: As far as Broken Lizard goes, how has your creative process evolved since the early days? Has it ever been a goal of yours to keep engaging with the younger generations?
Jay: We don’t write for other people. We write only for ourselves…under the idea that we are like other people, and that if we think it’s funny, there’s probably a group of other people out there who also think it’s funny. It’s all you really can do in comedy and in music. You could attempt to try to appeal to some people, but that’s just not our way.
In terms of the youngsters, when I do stand-up shows, I feel like there’s a lot of youngsters out there, and I think what they’re responding to is that we’re willing to make jokes that not everyone is wiling to make in a certain way that has not gotten us canceled yet. Sometimes, the studio’s like “I don’t think we can make that joke,” and I’m like “I’ll say it, and then it’ll be my face on it, and then when they come for you guys, put me out there with a mic and I’ll defend the joke.” They say “alright,” and we do the joke! So far, nobody’s come after us.
I feel like we’re lucky in that our films like Super Troopers and Beerfest, and I think hopefully this one (Quasi) will be that too….we’ve got a certain rhythm that seems to be appealing to different age groups.
Brandon: The Slammin’ Salmon was 2009, and then we waited about 10 years before Super Troopers 2 in 2018. It was another five years before Quasi – my logical conclusion here is that you guys have gotten sick of each other….
Jay: No. I think our output is going to increase over the next five or so years. We’ve got a good thing going with Searchlight in that we make them money and then they get to spend that money on their artsy stuff. So, we’re sort of their clown.
Eric: Things just take so long. If we pitch an idea, we want to make it great, so we spend a year writing it. A whole year goes by when you’re trying to make 20-30 drafts. Then, even if you finish shooting, sometimes they need a marketing target down the road. So, another year could go by when you’re waiting with a film in the can.
Adrianne: It was a year and a half since we wrapped.
Eric: Yeah, and it’s been done for a while! Time goes by.
Jay: Yeah, and they only want to release our movies on 4/20! So, we have to have a movie ready by then or else we have to wait another year.
Brandon: I have to say, Jay…sitting across from you right now…your Jackass segment…
Eric: Fantastic.
Brandon: …is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen, Jackass or not.
Jay: I was lucky to get to be in that. Knoxville and I had made The Dukes of Hazzard, so he called me out, but I went out there, and Spike Jonze was there, and they were coaching me, and I’m like “I know what you guys are doing. I know you’re going to fuck me, and you’re going to double cross me.” And they’re like, “normally, you would be right. But, in this case, he’s the mark.” I said, “alright – but I know what’s happening!” It was too elaborate a plot for them to get me too, and so they said “we really need you to drill down and make this happen.”
Brandon: Has Brian Cox ever told you guys to fuck off?
Quasi-Chella 2023: I asked the @brokenlizard crew if Brian Cox has ever told them to fuck off, and @jaychandrasekha told me he’s writing a Scottish golf movie that he’s going to ask Cox to be in. Let’s hope that happens! pic.twitter.com/dLvyAlJA1C
— Brandon Vick (@SirBrandonV) April 18, 2023
Quasi is streaming NOW only on Hulu. Check out our review of the flick here: Broken Lizard Still Has Their Fastball With ‘Quasi’
This bitch was transcribed by Stoney Keeley. Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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