As fans of Inside Amy Schumer can tell you, you never really know what comedian Amy Schumer is going to do next. She’s a bundle of energy, able to come up with hilarious quips about anything from lighting to weird noises instantly. During her SXSW Q&A session on Monday, Schumer discussed how she got started in comedy, talked shop and making Trainwreck.
“I like the movie!” Schumer said, noting that it was the first time she had seen that cut of her film debut. The movie, reviewed here, was screened on Sunday and is directed by Judd Apatow. Despite the film including a “Work in Progress” tag on the title, Schumer admitted that the film is really finished. They just threw that on there because many of the jokes hadn’t been put in a full cut of the movie yet.
While there certainly was more talk about the film, the session acted like a crash course through Schumer’s career. She said that she was not in Newsies (a rumor that started when an interviewer probably took her too seriously) and that it was while in a school production of The Sound of Music that she learned it was OK to be laughed at. She never planned to be a comedian, she just kind of “fell into” the profession. As a classically trained actress, Schumer attended an improv session, where she saw someone try stand-up. Since that person bombed, she thought, I can too!
Schumer also discussed the evolution of her comedy. She began performing as a “character,” but her career took off when she started getting closer to who she is. But since Trainwreck has personal stories, some might think that she really did sleep around with any guy she met. “I think people know that is a major exaggeration,” she said of her character in the film.
She was asked if she had agreed with Jerry Seinfeld that there were no longer boundaries for women in comedy and she definitely agreed. She also gave a shout-out to Patricia Arquette, who used her Oscar speech as a platform to urge for equal pay for women. It’s “insane” that it’s still an issue, Schumer said.
Later, she came back to the subject when asked if she likes being labeled a “sex comic.” She just happens to like talking about sex. No one calls male comics who joke about sex a “sex comic,” so why should she get that label?
While Apatow wasn’t there, he might as well have been. He did make a significant contribution to Trainwreck of course, but it sounded like he did more during filming than during the writing process. She didn’t have to add romance to the story, but he did tell her to tone down the often too-personal stories. But it was really important to her to make the New York of the movie “my New York.” She didn’t want NYC to look like a postcard, but like the city she still calls home.
And for those who are wondering, Inside Amy Schumer’s third season is the “season of the ass” and will feature a Seinfeld appearance.
image by Daniel S Levine