The #Muppets: Interview with Jason Segel and Nick Stoller

Back in September, I had the chance to head out to Los Angeles for a Disney Dreamworks Event. While there, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Jim Henson Studios for a tour and also interview the people who are behind the The Muppets, which will be released into theaters on November 23rd.

In the next 3 days, I’ll be bring you exclusive interviews and more about The Muppets!

We had the amazing opportunity to interview Jason Segel {who I LOVE!} and co-writer Nicholas Stoller. These two have collaborated many times, including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Gulliver’s Travels and the upcoming Five Year Engagement.

While our group interviewed the two of them, I’m not sure if we ever stopped laughing. These two are truly a hilarious team!

I wanted to share some fun facts and quotes from the interview!

Jason Segel’s favorite Muppets movie is Muppets Take Manhattan.

My favorite Muppet movie I think is actually Muppets take Manhattan.  Which I just love.  My favorite song oddly enough it’s not a very popular one but it was a Peter Sellers episode of the Muppet show and Peter Sellers somehow gets away with singing a song called Whiskey, Wine, and Wild Women.  And I just remember at that point realizing what the Muppets did that was so special is the whole family could sit and enjoy that.

Kids are just watching a goofy guy sing a song with a bunch of puppets and it’s fun.  And adults are experiencing it on a whole different level and I think there’s something neat about the whole family walking away having enjoyed something together, having a shared experience.

Nicholas Stoller’s favorite movie is The Great Muppet Caper.

I love the great Muppet Caper.  It was just like, it was the video we had.  The video you have, just watch it over.  And I love Happiness Hotel.  For some reason that song, I just love that song. 

Jason Segel has a list of 3 dreams.  As of this past weekend, 2 are done!

I have a list of dreams that I wanted to publish.  One was being on David Letterman, which I did a few years ago.  One is hosting SNL which I still haven’t done but I think that I will soon. {Note: Jason hosted SNL on November 23rd!} And then one was make a Muppets movie.  And then be on the cover of Men’s Health.  Start the campaign for that. 

Ladies, can we make that happen?

Jason Segel has been a puppet lover for a long time. In fact, if you have seen the hilarious Forgetting Srah Marshall, you’ll remember there were puppets in the movie!

Nicholas Stoller told us a fun story of Jason Segel’s puppet love.

We had a meeting on Sarah Marshall.  We had a meeting with various puppet companies to decide who we were going to — of course we ended up going with Henson company but we had our meeting with the Henson company and they passed out puppets to everyone in the meeting.  It’s a business meeting.  They’re just doing as like a little goof, right.  So Jason’s in the meeting.  I’m in the meeting.  The producers are in the meeting.  And they had out puppets.  Everyone’s like ha, puts them down.  The entire meeting Jason has his hand in the puppet going like this like this with the puppet.  Like the puppet is part of the meeting. I’m like, cut that out, you’re embarrassing me.  We’re trying to have a meeting about the puppets and he’s like– like pretending.

Since Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller are so passionate about The Muppets, we asked if they had a mentor that they looked to for the movie.

Well I think, I think what we look towards was the legacy that they had created with those first three Muppet movies and the TV show.  That was really our model and we didn’t have to stray very far from that tone or try to update it or anything like that.  The Muppets, their style of humor is pretty timeless and you know, comedy really moves in cycles.  And I think we somehow, you know CGI is amazing but I feel a little bit like its Hollywood playing with their new toy, you know.

To get back to something pure like you know, puppetry and the Muppets style of just kind humor I was excited about that.  

I’m sure we can all imagine how amazing it must be to work with The Muppets and Jason and Nick told us their experiences!

I was saying before I got to do a lot of sitting which was nice. Yeah, yeah, because I am a good like 2 feet taller than most of the Muppets.

The hardest thing was not being like awestruck while filming.  So the way we handled that is we made it so that our characters were awestruck. 

Yeah, this is, this is my job in the movie.  I go like this a lot.

{Pretty close to the face he showed us!}

Something that I love about The Muppets is that is a family friendly movie. Kids loves it and then there is a adult humor in it for us.  Jason and Nick shared how Toy Story 3 was an inspiration.

Jason says:

I was really inspired by Toy Story 3 as well in that movie hit on every level. Kids are watching a movie about losing their toys.  And parents are watching a movie about losing their children.

Nick added:

 Afterwards my wife was like do you, do you cry so much because you miss your toys.  And I was like cause my daughter’s gonna leave me. 

When asked about the first time they met Kermit and Miss Piggy, Jason told us how he actually cried.

My first encounter was at a table read in New York where they surprised us and brought the puppets out for the table read.  And when Kermit first spoke line that we had written I literally cried at the table read and they had to stop the table read for a second while I pulled it together. 

It was because I’m a grown man.  I should be able to handle this.  This is also my profession.  But no, I cried like a little baby just for a second.  But it happened.

Can you guess who their favorite Muppets are?

Nick revealed:

I mean you always have to think Kermit first because that’s you know, he’s the best.  But, but then Beeker is my favorite.

Jason added:

Yeah, Beeker’s awesome. 

Talking about how amazing the puppeteers are and if they improvised while filming The Muppets, Jason says:

We did you know, and I didn’t expect that given that you know, I didn’t realize how talented these puppeteers are.  And I was saying, I said it a few times.  I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself but their job is to be invisible basically, is to disappear.  And it’s such a shame because they’re comedians and actors and hilarious improvers and they’re hiding under this table most of the time.  You’ll never see their faces.  That was what I walked away from most impressed by is how crazy talented guys are.

Jason Segel ended the interview with a great quote that is so true.

The Muppets are always a force for good.  Their humor is never mean and I think that’s a really great lesson to impart to children, personally.

Check out this great new musical clip from The Muppets, guaranteed to make you smile!

Don’t forget, The Muppets is in theaters this Wednesday!

Disney/DreamWorks is providing me with an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for an advance screening of Real Steel and select footage from The Muppets. All thoughts and opinions are my own.