Interview by Matt Morris
June 29, 2004
Larry David isn’t the only person responsible for the creative brilliance of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. The critically praised series started with the HBO mockumentary special LARRY DAVID: CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. Larry David contacted documentary filmmaker and lifetime comedy lover Robert B. Weide about directing it. The rest, as they say, is history. When Curb Your Enthusiasm was picked up as a series, Weide continued his job of director and became an executive producer as well. I recently had the chance to ask Mr. Weide about his work as a filmmaker, his role on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and the inside scoop on the next season.
MM: The average fan of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM might not know that your career
has mostly revolved around documentaries about some of the most
important pioneers in modern comedy; Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, the Marx
brothers, etc. Before CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, did you have any desire to
create your own comedy, outside of investigating the comedy of the past?
RW: Comedy has always been my life's breath. I discovered the Marx Brothers in junior high school, and nothing's been the same since. My documentaries have all been personal love letters to people who have changed
or enriched my life: The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, Kurt Vonnegut. I still love documentaries, but felt it was time to move on to features. I had written one, "Mother Night," directed by my friend Keith Gordon, and I figured that would be my path from that moment forward. I can tell you I never gave a moment's thought to working in series television. But in October of '98, I got a call from Larry David, whom I'd known since the early ‘80s, asking if I wanted to direct this HBO special for him. It was a mock documentary that we called LARRY DAVID: CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. It was a one-hour special and we figured that
was that, until HBO inquired whether we'd be interested in turning it into a
series. I thought we'd do it for just a year, but HBO keeps double-crossing us
and renewing it. So, here we are, entering our fifth season. After this year,
I'll devote myself fully to features again.
MM: Were you nervous about making the jump from documentaries to CURB YOUR
ENTHUSIASM?
RW: No. It was actually a very smooth transition. The original special (which is
included on the Season One DVD) was shot just like a documentary. Obviously, I
was dealing with actors, so there's discussion of performance, and some
minimal blocking, but it was not a far cry from real documentary filmmaking. Once
we moved on to the series, the first few episodes still borrowed a lot from
cinema verite. Our coverage has now become a little more sophisticated, or maybe
a little more "traditional" single- camera coverage, but the transition has
been very incremental and comfortable. As I look forward to features, I'm
excited that I get to find new ways to move the camera, as 99% of what I shoot on
CURB is still hand-held.
MM: What does your role as an executive producer entail? Do you have any
general creative input on the direction of the show?
RW: As an executive producer, I'm involved in all aspects of production. I'm on
the phone with Larry as he's writing the story outlines, I'm at every casting
session, all the location scouts, and I remain on through the editing process
and the mix. During filming, it's a very collaborative process, especially as
the dialogue isn't scripted. There's constant conferring with Larry and the
other actors between takes. Before we wrap at any given location, we have to know
we're walking away with the funniest version of the scene. It's not the
traditional task of making sure you've covered the script, because there is none!
MM: How is it decided which episodes you direct?
RW: As the principal director, I direct half the shows and supervise the guest
directors on the other episodes. I always directed the season premiere and the
season finale. The first couple of seasons, I tried to pick my episodes, but
eventually just gave in to the needs of the schedule. On Season Four, Larry
Charles came on as another producer and director, so we just alternated episodes.
I took the evens and he took the odds. He got the premiere and I got the
finale. Bryan Gordon also came back to direct an episode.
MM: Are most of the celebrities that make appearances in the show friends
of Larry or fans of the show? Have you ever approached someone about
appearing on the show?
RW: It varies. Ted Danson and Ben Stiller are friends of Larry's. Martin Short
and Paul Reiser are friends, or at least acquaintances. Some of those we
approached were already fans (Martin Scorsese, Alanis Morrisette), and others were people who actually inquired about being on the show (Michael York, Nathan
Lane). Mel Brooks was not terribly familiar with the show, but his son Max talked
him into doing it. We approached David Schwimmer, who I thought did a great
job. Jerry Seinfeld wound up doing a cameo in last season's finale, only because
we were shooting in New York and Jerry happened to come by to visit. Larry
wasn't going to bother him about appearing on camera, so I did. Jerry said
"Sure," so five minutes later, he was sitting in front of the camera.
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MM: At the beginning of the series, most of the episodes have revolved
around "nothing" moments, such as Larry mispronouncing someone's name.
But recently, the situations Larry has gotten himself into have become
more and more absurd, with Larry headlining THE PRODUCERS or taking a
prostitute to a baseball game. Was there a conscious decision to take
the show in this direction or did it come about naturally?
RW: If the show can be seen as "evolving" at all, it's been very organic. Larry's
only concern is what's funny. Beyond that, very little is premeditated,
although he certainly feels pressure, as we all do, to keep the shows fresh and
funny. Some of the stories get pretty big, such as the ones you mentioned, but
we're not trying to top ourselves so much as trying not to repeat ourselves. One
of my favorite episodes last season was somewhat overlooked, I think, because
it originally aired on Oscar night. That was the "Wandering Bear" episode
which hearkened back to the simplicity of our earliest shows.
MM: Is there any information you can give us about the next season?
RW: Yes, I'll give you the scoop: Larry will do things that will be misunderstood
by everyone and he'll get into a lot of trouble for it and all hell will
break loose. Hilarity, of course, will ensue.
MM: And lastly, the question everyone is dying to know the answer to... Any chance we will ever see the return of Krazee-Eyez?
RW: If Larry had a great story idea to bring Krazee-Eyez back, he'd do it. We all
love Chris Williams. But he won't do it just for the sake of bringing back a
popular character. So, who knows? Guess you'll just have to watch the upcoming
season. Bummer.
To find out more about Robert B. Weide, check out his Web site. It contains information on his documentary work, his upcoming projects, and plenty of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM goodies.
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