Will Arnett joins Johnny Vaughan to discuss John Bishop inspired film
Will Arnett has revealed on Radio X that his new film is his best work to date.
The BoJack Horseman star joined Johnny Vaughan live on Radio X drive time last night to discuss Is This Thing On?, a John Bishop-inspired comedy launching this week at the BFI London Film Festival.
Arnett said the idea came from a conversation with Bishop about how he first became a comedian. “John told me he went through a divorce, walked into a pub hosting an open mic night, and just gave it a go,” Arnett explained. “It changed his life.”
To prepare for his role as fictional comic Alex Novak, Arnett performed stand-up “three times a night for six weeks,” often in front of unsuspecting audiences.
“It was nerve-wracking,” he said. “Sometimes people thought I was having a nervous breakdown, but it helped me find the character.”
Filmed almost entirely handheld and in real time, Arnett described the project as a raw, unfiltered portrayal of the comedy world. “We never sweetened the laughter – what you hear is real,” he told Vaughan.
Despite joking about his filmography, Arnett said this one stands apart: “I’ve made some films I enjoy,” he said, “but this one feels like the most quality film I’ve done.”
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