Alyson Hannigan

Luckily they gave comedian Eddie Griffin license to improvise in romance parody Date Movie...

Date Movie is another one of those American films that probably shouldn’t be funny, but somehow is.

Sort of a mixture between American Pie and the Scary Movie franchise, the romantic comedy parody deals with the trials and tribulations faced by hopeless romantic Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan of American Pie and Buffy The Vampire Slayer) as she navigates her engagement to the unfortunately-named Grant Fockyerdoder. Eddie Griffin, star of Undercover Brother, plays her father Frank. The Def Comedy Jam alumni told us more.

Shooting this movie must have been fun.

Of course. Man, there were so many gags we played on each other... (Laughs) we didn’t do shit!

And seeing Alyson in the 300-pound suit for the first time must have been amusing.

I didn’t know it was her. The first day of work she was in the fat suit when I met her. I’d never met her before, and it was just this fat chick. I was like, who is this fat chick I am acting with? The first scene we shot was at the restaurant, later that day we did another one and there was this little cute girl. She says, ‘It’s me, we acted together earlier.’ I was like, ‘damn they were good prosthetics’, because I really thought she was just fat. You have to give the make-up people credit; they made her look like a fat chick and then a skinny chick after lunch.

Had you seen all the films that are parodied?

No, but I figured I could do it. If Charlton Heston can play a black man named Moses, I am sure I could play FJK. I’d seen some of them. I thought My Big Fat Greek Wedding was funny, and Meet The Fockers.

Is there a lot of room for improvement in movies like this?

Oh there is a lot. You get the script and do a take, then you do it again and they let me freestyle. The writer directors were good about that. But I have yet to see the film as I have been on tour for three months. So at this stage I have no idea what it looks like. I’ve been all over the damn country and I’m flying back after I finish here. It’s all stand-up, so as you can tell my brain is on stand-up now.

So for a stand-up tour you have to go into a different mindset?

Yes, I mean you are a whole person and people have many facets, I am a well-rounded person so there is no real on or off switch. When you are doing stand-up, your mind has to be totally free so you can get up there and fly. Acting is more structured because you are using someone else’s words and you are playing someone outside of yourself.

Is there a preference for you?

Oh, stand-up is always going to be my number one love. There is nothing like the danger of it... like skydiving without a parachute.

Is any of your stand-up scripted?

I don’t script a damn thing. I never wrote a joke in my life - you are either funny or you ain’t. And I never go blank, with all the s**t on my mind, it’s kind of therapeutic.

When did someone turn to you and say - “hey man, you are funny?”

I was about six or seven, one of those kids with a mouth. My mother would bring by one of her ugly friends with missing teeth and I’d be the kid that’d say - “what’s wrong with your mouth? You could win a water sprinkling contest.” I’d get my ass whopped, but I had to learn. But professionally, it started on a dare. I was club-hopping with my cousin and we stopped at a club in Kansas - where I am from. We were slammin’ back beers when he said, “You are funnier than these guys, I bet you 50 bucks you won’t go on stage.” I said, “You’re right.” So I had another beer, checked my pocket and I was broke. I could use 50 bucks. So I talked to the manager and he put me up. Forty-five minutes later I was kicked out. They said I was a little too blue for their taste. But I was hooked right there and I got the 50 bucks.

You have any new projects in the works?

I have no idea what is next. But I would love to do the Sammy Davis Jr. Story. That or Miles Davis. I am a fan of Sammy, he did everything but fly. That brother could do it all - the most talented mofo to step on a stage: [He does a Sammy impersonation] ‘I’m telling you buddy - it’s Oscar time.’ We have been working on the Sammy story for the last ten years, trying to put it together, with Sammy’s widow. It’s an ongoing process and I will definitely do that before I become maggot food. That story must be told, he was a deep brother and people don’t know about his real private life, there was so much to him. The story is about him and Frank Sinatra. How did these two people from totally different ethnic backgrounds stay friends for five decades?

Who would play Frank?

Harry Connick Jr, he’s the only one that could do Frank. He knows about it. He is Frank. He has a good soul and a good energy and we need more people like that.

Date Movie is released on DVD July 17 by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.