In Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer’s upcoming flick Trainwreck, an unlikely duo is paired as Downton Abbey-recapping best buds. The two, in real life, live in completely opposite worlds— one a quirky comedian, the other, an NBA all-star. And though their friendship onscreen is undoubtedly adorable, during filming, things got a little awkward for Bill Hader and LeBron James, as the two didn’t exactly have a ton in common.
While sitting down with Bill Hader to discuss his starring role and time filming Trainwreck, his supporting actor, LeBron James (a.k.a. the NBA’s top athlete) inevitably came up. The two had a strange yet close relationship onscreen as James was dedicated, to say the least, to Bill Hader’s life, and looking out for his BFF. And though Hader plays a believable sports doctor in the film, the actor himself has very little interest in athletics. So despite the two’s connection on screen, the conversation offscreen sometimes got a little bit awkward. Hader explained:
I’m not that big of a sports person and I think [athletes] can sense that from me. LeBron, we’re sitting in between takes and I’m asking him, like hey, man, did you get the Criterion Collection Kes on blu-ray? Just came out on blu-ray. ‘No, I didn’t see the movie about a working class boy in the countryside training a hawk.’"
It’s hilarious to imagine Bill Hader trying to chat with the 6’8" athlete about the 1970 Ken Loach drama, named one of the 10 best British films of the century by the British Film institute. Not to say LeBron James doesn’t enjoy film, we’re sure he’s a fan, but the man doesn’t seem like he has the time to obsess over the latest Criterion Collection release on blu-ray while he’s training for yet another NBA championship ring.
While the two may have had a few awkward conversations on set, their chemistry definitely translated on screen. Hader explained that James had only been on set for one week to shoot all of his scenes, but the two had worked previously on SNL so they already were fairly comfortable with one another. And Hader was also impressed by how the athlete’s comedy chops as well:
He was so fun and incredibly funny, and it’s just not fair how funny he is. So good.
As for whether or not Hader will be taking advantage of this newfound friendship, and scoring some of the similar perks his character claims on Trainwreck, the SNL alum answered with a hard "No." Even after playing a dedicated sports doctor, sounds like the comedian is still not a fan of that whole sports thing. He’ll gladly be sticking to his British classics.
You can see Bill Hader and LeBron James’ hysterical relationship in action during Trainwreck, out in theaters as we speak.
