The comedy of observation
Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney admits that the idea of standing at a mic and telling jokes about himself makes him uncomfortable.
‘‘I definitely am more observational of the people around me and how they interact and less introspective about myself,’’ says Mooney, 32.
‘‘I just don’t know what I’d say as myself.’’
Thank goodness Mooney, who co-wrote and stars in the film Brigsby Bear, has a handful of other people he can pretend to be when he takes the stage. Since joining SNL four years ago –and even before that, alongside castmate Beck Bennett as part of the YouTube comedy group Good Neighbour – Mooney has been building an arsenal of recurring characters based on his love of pop culture and the regular folks he comes across.
I’ve seen spoilers, but I think
Brigsby Bear is best seen when you know as few details as possible. So is it giving away too much to say that you star as a man who decides to recreate a children’s TV series that was important to him growing up?
That works. Ideally, that’s the way everybody sees the movie, but unfortunately just with how promotion works and trailers and reviews, not everybody will get to have that experience. We’ve fought creatively from the beginning to maintain as much mystery as possible. At the core I think it’s a sweet movie, and there’s a strong theme of friendship and making friends.
Did making a sweet movie feel like a transition from the writing you do for sketches or videos?
I envisioned the movie in my head as darker and weirder, but then in the process of writing it, the movie that it became was really natural. I got to kind of embody the character as we were writing, so maybe I enjoyed being in that sweetness. When we first started showing the script to people, they were surprised, as well, that that element is there.
What was showing it at the Cannes Film Festival like?
Surreal. The biggest question I had [going in] was, ‘‘How will this translate?’’ But it was really positive. I’ve made a career out of stuff that I figured my friends would like, you know? So to play the movie in front of not just international audiences, but also a room full of – in my eyes – genuine grown-ups was intriguing. Seeing people I wouldn’t necessarily have thought of when we conceptualised it enjoy it, that was really special. – Washington Post
Brigsby Bear (M) is screening as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival. For more information and screening times, see nziff.co.nz.
"I envisioned the movie in my head as darker and weirder, but then in the process of writing it, the movie that it became was really natural." Kyle Mooney