Caffeinated Clint
‘The Wolf Pack’ – Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha – return for another night of debauchery in the hurried but highly-anticipated sequel to 2009’s “The Hangover”. In this one, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined. Todd Phillips returns as writer/director on the sequel.
How did you want to make ”The Hangover Part II” different from the first ”Hangover” film?
Well, I mean, we wanted to bring a lot from the first one and, in particular, the template because we realized what people loved about the first one was, yes, it’s a very funny movie, it’s hilarious, but there’s also a mystery element to the first one that I think helped the movie work so well. It’s an investigative comedy in a weird way. And we definitely wanted to keep that alive, and then, outside of that, we really just wanted to amplify everything. Amplify the comedy, amplify the situations and amplify the obstacles that these guys have to go through.
Why was it important to shoot the “Wake-Up” scene on a set as opposed to on location in Bangkok?
That scene we shot here because, quite honestly, that’s just so, so many pages and such a big scene that to be able to shoot that on a stage where we could pull walls out and move around, it just made a lot more sense than to shoot it there. So that was the first thing we shot, which was difficult because when you shoot movies out of order, obviously. You know, so they woke up first, then we pack everything up and we move to Bangkok, but from the first Hangover and in this one, that wake-up scene is kind of iconic because its where all every little thing actually means something, ultimately. You know, every little thing is kind of a clue.
What were some of the most fun scenes to shoot?
I love shooting some of that car chase stuff. I love shooting scenes with all the guys meaning, these three guys and Chow. You know, he added a whole other dynamic to that threesome. That, for me, was always, those were always great days, was when Chow was with them.
What is it like to work with Ken Jeong?
He’s such a fearless, phenomenal actor. He brings so much that we wanted to give him a little more to do.
You usually have a cameo role in your films. Did you make an appearance in ”The Hangover Part II”?
No. My guy is, you know, my guy is the same guy in every movie, this guy Barry, but he is a sex offender. So he could not get a passport.
What was the writing process like when you co-wrote the script with Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong?
We just lock ourselves in a room, like, for a summer, and we’re just constantly one-upping each other, and throwing ideas out and “Wouldn’t this be funny, and why would this, why doesn’t that work and da-da-da.” And it’s just this back and forth. It’s, always hard to explain writing to somebody. It just always sounds insane. But it’s sometimes, it’s as simple as thinking of an image, like a monkey in a vest, smoking a cigarette. That just starts there, and then you realize why– Let’s just put it in the movie and we’ll figure out why he’s there. You know what I mean? And other times, it’s a little bit more involved and it’s a scene or– So we’re just constantly pitching each other ideas.
What was it like to work with a trained monkey?
You know, sometimes you have an animal in scenes, a dog, and it’s just going to sit there like, you know– This monkey was asked to do a lot. So, she had a great trainer, and she just worked her butt off as far as like figuring things out. I don’t know, it’s kind of amazing to have her on set, and she just became part of the crew. She would fall asleep in your hands. Like, she would just sit in my hand sometimes and just fall asleep in between takes when we were waiting for stuff, and we all fell in love with her.
Was it difficult to shoot in Bangkok?
It was a lot harder than any of us had anticipated, and mainly just because of the crowds, and the heat, and the chaos that comes with the place like Bangkok. It really is. I love chaos. Our movies are always about chaos, but this took it to another level.
Was it more comfortable filming ”The Hangover Part II”, having already worked together on the first ”Hangover”?
It was. It was. I think in that respect, it’s actually easy to make a sequel. I’ve never done one before. But in that respect, it was easier. Everyone knew their roles, including me. But they all knew what their back story was, because their back story was the last movie. Like, if you don’t know, go watch it. I don’t want to talk about it. So, it was, in that respect, you’re right, it was a lot easier, and we just all gelled really fast.
