After seeing Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the starring actors Amy Schumer and Bill Hader look as if they’ve been friends for years. But, as it turns out, the two had never even met before filming the flick. So how was that chemistry harnessed, and most importantly, how was the audition between two incredibly funny comedians that had never yet been face-to-face? Well, it was far more strange and awkward than you could possibly imagine, including a forced dinner and uncomfortable sex talk.
While chatting with Bill Hader about his newly tamed territory playing the role of a leading man in a romantic comedy, he shared a few juicy details about his audition process. First off, Hader doubted he had even come close to landing the role after his initial audition. He recalled phoning his manager saying, "Well that didn’t work." But then, Judd Apatow called the actor in for a screen test with Amy Schumer, and the two did a screen test of their first scene together in Trainwreck. When all was said and done, Apatow decided to take the duo to a small Italian restaurant in New York City. And that’s where things got a little awkward. Hader explained:
He took us to Babbo and watched us, took us on a date and we sat and ate and talked with each other and he watched us eat, and they took pictures of us eating and talking…
So while Schumer and Hader were hitting it off, sitting aside them, in silence was Judd Apatow, simply observing. Not creepy at all, right? Well turns out, that’s not even the half of it. Soon after their lovely, awkward dinner, the three went to an HBO after-party for an Apatow-produced show, and that’s when the director started talking again, just not with much of a filter:
...and then we went to the Girls Season 3 premiere party and he was just walking around the party asking people, ‘Would you buy these two as a couple?’ Amy said, he was saying, ‘Would you want to see him fuck her?’
Picture it, a room full of Girls cast, crew and celebrity fans being asked by Judd Apatow whether or not they’d like to see Bill Hader fuck Amy Schumer. Most of them must have said yes, because Hader sure did land the role, and the two of them did look pretty convincing onscreen. All in all, despite the unorthodox auditioning process, the casting was perfected, and even better, now two hysterical comedians are great friends (which hopefully translates to a few awesome collaborations in the future).
However awkward the process was, it produced a fun and hysterical comedy that you won’t want to miss. Be sure to check out Trainwreck now that it's in theaters.
