Ben Schwartz on Staging 'The Intervention' and Voicing BB-8 (NSFW)
It’s rare we have to label our interviews NSFW, but things went blue very quickly when Ben Schwartz stopped by Yahoo for a Facebook Live chat about his new film, The Intervention (watch above).
In a nutshell, we asked Schwartz (best known for TV’s Parks and Recreation and House of Lies) how he and co-star Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) prepared for all the heavy petting they’d have to do in the film. He replied… OK, we’re not going make this post any more NSFW but transcribing it, but you can hop directly to Schwartz’s Instagram post for a direct replay.
The Intervention, by the way, marks the directorial debut of Clea DuVall (Argo) and follows a group of thirtysomething friends who gather for a weekend away with the secret intention of convincing their miserable married friends (Cobie Smulders and Vincent Piazza) to get divorced. The comedic drama also stars Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, and Jason Ritter.
A few highlights:
—Jean-Ralphio, Schwartz’s glow-stick waving buddy of Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) on Parks and Rec, will never get his own spin-off. “I asked [co-creator] Mike Schur once about that, and I think he said Jean-Ralphio in little pieces, he loves it, it’s one of his favorite things in the universe. But the idea of thinking of Jean-Ralphio for 22 straight minutes is a terrible idea.”
—Yes, he’s very aware that he looks uncannily like Steve Harrington, the ’80s Indiana jock on the Netflix sensation Stranger Things, down to the puffed-out hair. So Schwartz responded warmly to one viewer’s suggestion that he play Steve’s older brother on Season 2. “I would love to be in Stranger Things, and I would play Steve Harrington’s brother any time he wants.” Later in our conversation, though, Schwartz told the world Jean-Ralphio was Steve Harrington’s father, however. Which is it, Schwartz?
—We refrained on making any “May the Schwartz Be With You” jokes but did get the actor talking about his participation in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where he (along with fellow funnyman Bill Hader) helped J.J. Abrams create the sounds that would form the basis for beloved droid BB-8’s vocalizations. His favorite moment: going on the London set and talking to Harrison Ford while in costume as Han Solo.
—Schwartz does a killer impression of Sam Neil in Jurassic Park.
The Intervention is now in theaters and on video-on-demand. Watch the trailer:
