05/03/2012

Bernie's Jack Black: Tenacious D., Mr. Show and His "Fumbly Bumbly" Style

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Lots to catch up on, so we'll make this quick. I talked to Jack Black about Bernie, the Richard Linklater movie in which he plays a soft-spoken East Texas mortician who winds up shooting an elderly widow in the back. (It's based on a true story, so shut up with the spoiler talk.) He's more subdued in person than his bigfoot persona might lead you to expect, and especially so in this case since he was jetlagged and sick, apologetically offering an elbow bump in lieu of a handshake. Even so, he was great fun to talk to, especially with regard to costar Shirley Maclaine and his memorable guest spots on Mr. Show.

 

May 3, 2012 8:35:27 AM | Articles, Film, Interviews

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Shirley Maclaine: Downton Abbey, Hitchcock Slang and Peter Sellers' Aura And speaking of Bernie, it gave me an excuse, I mean opportunity, to talk to Shirley Maclaine, who plays a wealthy, mean-spirited widow opposite Jack Black's guileless mortician. Even better, the A.V. Club's "Random Roles" format let me quiz her on her past triumphs, including the beyond-brilliant Some Came Running, as well as her experiences with Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Frank Tashlin, Jerry Lewis. Did I ask about her role on the upcoming third season of Downton Abbey? I sure did.

Sam Adams

Sam Adams is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Onion A.V. Club, and a Contributing Editor at Philadelphia City Paper, where he edited the film section from 1999-2007. His writing has appeared in Entertainment Weekly, the Boston Globe, the Hollywood Reporter and Film Comment. He is a member of the National Society of Film Critics, and his essays on Two Lane Blacktop and Greendale appear in the NSFC anthology The B List. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and daughter.

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