Seth Rogen created a new AppleTV+ series, The Studio, which is a satirical look at how executives in Hollywood make decisions on what movies get made. He stars as the head of a fictional Hollywood studio who is trying to save the struggling company. Also, New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz talks about how Right-wing podcasts and YouTube channels have become the platforms where men who feel disillusioned and alienated go to feel seen and heard—and the battle on the Left to win them back. Plus, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews new songs by Teddy Swims, Benjamin Booker, and Neil Young.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is Seth Rogen's new series about?
From WHYY in Philadelphia, this is Fresh Air Weekend. I'm Tanya Mosley. Today, my guest is Seth Rogen. He created a new Apple TV Plus series, The Studio, which is a satirical look at how executives in Hollywood make decisions on what movies get made. Seth stars as the head of a fictional Hollywood studio who is trying to save the struggling company.
And he says the job of a studio executive in real life is the funniest in all of Hollywood.
Yeah, it's a very tragic job. And I think tragedy is comedy in a lot of ways.
Chapter 2: How are right-wing podcasts influencing men?
Also, New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz joins us to discuss his latest investigation into how right-wing podcasts, streams, and YouTube channels have become the platforms where men who feel disillusioned and alienated go to feel seen and heard, and the battle on the left to win them back. Plus, rock critic Ken Tucker reviews new songs by Teddy Swims, Benjamin Booker, and Neil Young.
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Chapter 3: What is the role of Hollywood executives in filmmaking?
"'And now I feel like my job is to ruin them.'" Rogan and Goldberg never forgot what that executive said, and 25 years later, they've made it the basis of a new satirical comedy series on Apple TV Plus called The Studio. Rogan plays Matt Remick, a Hollywood executive who gets an unexpected promotion as the head of the fictional Continental Studios after his boss is fired.
Chapter 4: Why did Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg create The Studio?
In this scene, the studio CEO, played by Bryan Cranston, offers Matt the job but asks if he has what it takes to do it the Continental way.
patty's time has come and gone and i'm seriously considering you to replace her oh my god yes yes i'm the guy i'm the guy for the job why are you tell me that why are you the guy well um I've worked at Continental for 22 years. I bought the original spec script for MKUltra, which, as I'm sure you know, spawned a franchise that's made us over $3 billion for the- Hey, Rene!
Yes, sir!
Sorry. Continue.
Film is my life. Ever since I came to the studio as a kid and went on the tour, Being the head of Continental is the only job I've ever wanted. That is adorable.
All right, well, listen, I honestly just have one strong reservation about you. Oh. I've heard you are really into artsy, fartsy filmmaking bull . You're obsessed with actors and directors liking you rather than being obsessed with making this studio as much money as possible.
Me? Yeah. That could not be further from the truth. I am as bottom line oriented as anyone in this town.
I believe you. Great. Good. Good. Because at Continental, we don't make films. We make movies. Movies that people want to pay to see. Yes. Yes.
From there, the audience is taken on a funny but also absurd and often cringeworthy adventure as Matt, always flustered and desperately needing to be liked, has to find ways to keep the studio afloat. Seth Rogen has produced, directed, written, and starred in many films, including Superbad, Knocked Up, This is the End, Sausage Party, and the limited series Pam and Tommy.
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Chapter 5: How does Seth Rogen's character reflect his own experiences?
He founded the production company Point Grey Pictures, along with his writing and directing partner, Evan Goldberg. And the two have founded the cannabis products and home goods company, Houseplant. And Seth Rogen, welcome back to Fresh Air.
Thank you. What an intro.
Well, I really want to go back to this time, 2000. You and Evan are in this executive's office.
Yeah.
And he says this thing to you, like, I now ruin movies. Like, what was your reaction? Yeah.
I was shocked by the honesty. Honestly, like I really could tell that he was in a position in that point in his career. And that person still works in Hollywood as one of the heads of one of the major studios in Hollywood. So he stuck around. And it was an ancient Roman teen sex comedy. Yeah.
Oh, really?
Okay, so this wasn't Superbad or something. What's funny is we had written Superbad, and no one was making it, and that's how we got the job for this movie. And honestly, we were like, let's just put all of our ideas from Superbad into the movie, basically. And so that's how desperate we were to make something.
And so we sort of became like an ancient Roman version of Superbad, which, as I say, is insane. And it was very dirty. It was very dirty. Yeah. And what I recall, I think at the point in this process, yeah, we had handed in a draft that he really thought was funny and we thought was funny and was ridiculous and crazy. And he was telling us in this notes meeting that, like, it couldn't be so dirty.
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Chapter 6: What are the challenges faced by Hollywood executives today?
I remember an exec like hiding from a movie star like literally in his office because he was avoiding – because the movie wasn't tracking well and he was avoiding – He didn't want to be the one to tell it. He knew he was mad. He knew the movie star was there for a meeting and was mad and he didn't want to get yelled at basically.
And he's like – I remember him being like, I love that this guy is one of my favorite actors of all time and he wants to scream at me. And like that to us was – It was just funny. It just always struck us as very funny.
Is it true that you interviewed almost every Hollywood executive for this series?
Yeah, we interviewed a lot of them, whether they knew it or not. Some of them, it was just like us milking information from them without them. And some were very formal interviews where they came in. But a lot of the stuff from those interviews... worked their way directly into episodes of the show.
Yeah. Okay. Let's get into the series because I think you said something like 85% of what is in it is actually true to some extent.
For sure.
And talking about interviewing these executives. Yeah. If this stuff is true, oh, my gosh, because it's like the cringiest scenarios ever.
I think we're actually – and like if anything, I think we paint like a pretty sympathetic picture of the situation that, you know, I think – To a lot of people's experiences is probably, you know, an optimistic view of what Hollywood is.
OK, the characters are phenomenal. I mentioned Catherine O'Hara, who is she was your boss. She was fired and you take over her job. Ike Barinholtz, who plays this powerful lower level executive desperate for power. He is hilarious.
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Chapter 7: Why is The Studio a love letter to Los Angeles?
And that is not an ambition I specifically have, but it's something that I understand where that idea comes from.
Okay, I want to play a clip. In this scene, Matt, your character, goes over to his old boss's house, played by Catherine O'Hara, Patty, to seek some guidance. And the two talk about how he's handling being the new head of the studio. And O'Hara speaks first.
So, how do you feel in all this?
You know, I've worked, obviously, a long time to get here. My You know, my parents are very thrilled, very proud. I think Griffin is, you know, optimistic with the plan.
Matty, not one of those words is about how you feel.
Yeah, I feel miserable, honestly. I'm anxious, I'm stressed out, panicking pretty much all the time. I was so much happier two weeks ago when I was just angry and resentful that I didn't have this job. I would give anything to be angry and resentful compared to how I feel right now.
You know, I walk past the tour guide every morning, and they say that the office was built as a temple to cinema, but it feels much more like a tomb.
Heavy as a head, Matty.
Yeah, and I'm honored, obviously, to be one of the people that gets to choose, you know, which movies get made and which ones don't. That's huge. And I got into all this because, you know, I love movies, but now I have this fear that
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Chapter 8: How does Seth Rogen perceive his role in the film industry?
I mean, that episode is probably threading a needle more than any of them as far as rooting for my character or at least even understanding where my character is coming from in any way, shape, or form. That to me is actually, I think, like in many ways, I personally find it to be the funniest episode because it's sort of based on...
It's kind of based on me because – and I understand – obviously I understand it's comedic and ridiculous. But I would – I have a charity with my wife, Hilarity for Charity, and it's an Alzheimer's charity. And so we find ourselves at a lot of medical galas. And I find myself at a lot of tables with – who save lives. And what's funny is often they have a blatant disrespect for the film industry.
Maybe as they should, but I don't think so necessarily. So there's no deference for you. No, and they think it's funny. And I think they think it's funny... I think – and they're obviously smart enough to know that I exist in a world where there is deference and they're showing no deference.
And they seem to revel in being in a position where they can like sort of maybe subtly at times diminish the career of another person who clearly views what they do as important even though maybe it isn't.
How does that feel for you to –
Well, I personally understand that it's not a thing I should be upset about, but I comedically understand the feeling that you wish you could fight back against that and assert that what you do is as important.
And it's not something I would ever do in real life, but it's something that I – it's obviously an instinct I had somewhere in my brain because that's where the idea for the episode came from. But I know it's ridiculous and I know my character is wrong generally. But I think that the inspiration for that episode was definitely based on like feelings that I've had sitting at tables with doctors.
There's also like this storyline about being scared of – about whether something is racist. And that's hilarious because, like, it just goes through all these different iterations. Is that a situation that you've had to deal with in real life?
For sure. I'd say that episode has more actual conversations that we've had to sit in rooms and watch than most of the episodes. And what's funny about it is it's like all people care about is the perception. They themselves have no ideological... like thing that they are trying to get across and they don't care at all. They just don't want to look bad.
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