EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Dane Cook Q&A
Who is your character in the film?
Zack's journey started in 1996 when he came here to work on what he thought was going to be like four days before he got out of there. He had big plans to start up his own dot.com during the big boom, he had a great idea, great website and he borrowed a lot of money and he of course lost it because everything crashed down. So you have got a guy who is stuck absolutely stuck, in debt and one year turns into ten, and here he is in the same spot dreaming of getting out of this situation, and working alongside Vince everyday reminding him this is exactly where he doesn't want to be.
How does your character change during the film?
I think when Amy Renfrow (Jessica Simpson) comes to the store the challenge brings out other things in Zack. It reminds him there are other things worth fighting for, and there are things worth striving for. When he gets that spark from her and not only has a relationship with her, he has a better relationship with himself, and the idea that this is just a stepping stone, this place here, and it doesn't mean he cant still do something here.
How did you get involved with the project?
I got involved because Greg Coolidge is a good friend of mine and we were actually pitching something last year, and his career started to advance as did mine at the same time. I was talking to Lions Gate about my first leading role and they told me about Greg and Greg's idea. It was a no brainer, right in my wheelhouse of comedy as they say.
Did you enjoy working with director Greg Coolidge and being able to improvise?
Improv is only great when the structure is great. Eddie Murphy used to say "I do all these movies and I improvise but if it's not on the page first I'm nothing and I don't know where I'm going with it". Greg allowed us to have a playground but he also knows where every swing is. He knows every nook and cranny of the scene.
How does your character relate to Dax Shepards'?
Vince is played by Dax Shepard and everyday I think I'm going to be punk'd and people are all like "what he do to you man?". Every time I go to the bathroom I'm like "ok this is here where it happens like a pipe bomb or something bizarre". Vince is like the thorn in Zack's side. I think that for most of the time here Zack blows him off and is like "I don't want to be this guy anyways, why am I competing", but when this girl arrives and gets involved and mixes things up it certainly heightens the desire to be successful and be the employee of the month.
What was it like working with Jessica Simpson?
She's just amazing and she's one of these people where what you see is what you get, and she brings that to the role. What excited me most was I'd seen her play Daisy Duke and I know her singing career and what not, but I think the thing that was so successful for her in this is role is that people know her from Newlyweds where she is just a regular girl and she brings that into this role. It's not an over the top personality, its somebody that is really grounded and sweet and shows people a different side of her creativity.
Everyone working hard?
This move is just non-stop laughs with these guys. You've got Dax, you've got Harland Williams, you've got Andy Dick and all these guys come from a improv background everybody is bringing their 'A' game, its like everybody wants to be here and make this thing huge. Nobody is mailing it in and if they were they would get stampeded because everybody just cares about how their character is coming to life. Its like people are lobbing it up there for the other one to crack out and it's exciting to be a part of that.
Why did you decide to do this film?
I have been doing stand up comedy for about 16 years and my comedy is a blend of vernacular (using words) and physicality and absurd over the top crazy ideas and what-ifs? So when I heard the idea and read it I think I called Greg 24 pages in and was like lets go I'm laughing out loud, because I saw what he had on the page and what he was going to let me do with it.
What can audiences expect?
My favourite movies are like Planes, Trains and Automobiles and films with heart. I love films with heart and when I first spoke to Greg about this I was like "are we going broad or are we going to put stuff in that's poignant and make people root?", and I think people are definitely going to be rooting.
Have you ever been employee of the month?
I have never been employee of the month. I have had many many jobs doing stand-up comedy but I was a quitter. I never even looked at the employee of the month chart because it was never going to happen.
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