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Exclusive Interview With Jason Schwartzman On The Overnight And 7 Chinese Brothers

Jason Schwartzman had two movies at SXSW 2015: The Overnight and 7 Chinese Brothers. In The Overnight, he stars alongside Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, and Judith Godrèche for Patrick Brice's tale of a wild dinner party for parents in their thirties. In 7 Chinese Brothers, he plays a loveable loser for director Bob Byington. Schwartzman shines in both of the roles, turning in a pair of diverse and memorable performances.

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In the Q&A after the film, it was said that you’re a king of improv.

Schwartzman: Well, Judith said that, and she’s French. So I don’t know… She probably said king because she just didn’t know the word for just someone who does it.

How much was straight from the script and how much did you get to play around?

Schwartzman: Well that’s the thing, I think that all of it was scripted. I heard her later referring to the fact we kiss a lot and stuff. I think that’s the improv. The physical little things, we would whisper stuff to each other. That stuff’s improvised. Those little nuances or little subtle things. I wouldn’t say that any big scenes weren’t scripted. I feel like it’s more just little things. Like at the pool, there’s a lot of playing around at the pool. In the script it just says “Playing around in the pool.” Patrick just said go wild. But there wasn’t enough time to improvise a scene and find it. There were very strict rules.

How was working with Patrick?

Schwartzman: Insane. I love him. As a guy, I don’t know if you could tell, but he’s just very relaxed. He’s hard working. But a lot of people are hard working and have an anxiety about it. He’s just very relaxed. He’s very calm. There was a lot of time constraints, but he never let us as actors feel it. Ten days was not a long time, but you never felt that. He has this really big laugh. This loud laugh. And it’s encouraging when someone’s a laugher. It wasn’t like a laughy set with everyone high-fiving and saying it was so funny. But he would encourage you with his laugh and make you feel good.

Both your characters at the fest are far from bland. They’re really quirky and interesting. I’m guessing that’s something that appeals to you?

Schwartzman: Well, the movies appeal to me, but then Kurt, he’s this gregarious host of the night. And it’s coming from this real insecurity deep down. He’s an unusual guy. This other guy, Larry, he really has no ambition. Well, I guess he has an ambition to be a good guy. He doesn’t want to be an asshole. He doesn’t have a thing he wants, a thing he’s put on Earth to do. That was really interesting to play that. I’ve never really done that. Most of the characters I’ve gravitated to, they have a drive. Something they’re hyper focused on that motivates them. This character, doesn’t seem to be motivated by a goal. So that was really weird for me. I kept saying to Bob (Byington), “What does he want?” I think that what he wants is to not get fired. He’s just living life like that.

A lot of characters you play aren’t the nicest guys, but you seem like a very nice guy. What’s the deal? 

Schwartzman: I don’t know… I think maybe these scripts need a character like that or need that energy and that’s just something that I’ll try to fill. I don’t really know. Obviously I hope to be a good person and a nice person, but I can probably not be nice too. Maybe it’s just fun to do it in movies since it can add a tension to a scene. A punch.

Especially in 7 Chinese Brothers, you’re character is really funny. How’d you get there? 

Schwartzman: Originally in the script he didn’t say anything. He was very quiet. I wouldn’t say a wallflower, but maybe a more prototypical outsider. Looking down a lot. He was visibly disconnected. One things that came out of me hanging out with Bob the director for about three weeks before shooting it is we would do bits from Mitch Hedberg CDs and other comedians’ CDs and try to make each other laugh.

Out of that somehow this idea came to have this guy have these routines that he would do. He’d just talk in weird accents and stuff. I think that you see guys who talk in accents in stuff, that’s like their job. They’re a comedian and they talk in accents. But we thought what if this guy talks to his dog with a weird voice? I think that just comes out of Larry’s disconnectedness. But he wants to relate to people too. Some people use humor to connect with people, and some people use humor to distance themselves. They’re always making a joke or they’re always ironic, but Larry’s kind of both at the same time. He’s hoping he can get a friend.

How was it working with your dog? He kind of stole a lot of scenes…

Schwartzman: Oh man seriously! One thing about his is he’s a very lethargic animal. In real life he wakes up two hours after I do. I think that if we had hired a normal dog, the scenes would be shorter. Dogs have a lot of energy, they’re looking to do stuff. I’ve worked with other dogs and there’s like a trainer off camera with a piece of food telling them to stay there. So the scenes would have been just me talking to him and then he would have left. But Arrow, for him to be sleepy, he just sits there. So we had these long, eight to ten minute takes of me just talking to him. I think that was really cool. We weren’t hindered by a dog running out.

Are you working on anything for Coconut Records?

Schwartzman: I’m writing another album. Hopefully I’ll get it together soon.

Any goal date for when you’ll have it out?

Schwartzman: Not yet. Maybe I can start recording it this year?

Any film or TV projects?

Schwartzman: I just finished Wet Hot American Summer, so that’ll be coming out this summer. And then Mozart in the Jungle, which I produce, is going to do another season.

That concludes our interview, but we’d like to thank Jason very much for taking the time to talk with us.